Can i reload shotgun shells

Buckshot or slugs can also be reloaded although the latter normally require a special roll-crimp. Those shown in the picture above are actually copper-plated lead 6s. Think reloading shotguns shells requires a reloading press?

Ideally, but I started reloading at the age of 14 without any press at all. Instead, I used a basic Lee Loader hand kit. The process was tedious but the kit was simple and portable. It also worked surprisingly well. Sadly, the Lee kit has been discontinued. However, there are a few alternatives which can be seen on YouTube. The first is as basic you can get, requiring little more than a nail and dowel! It would be a great survival-type addition that could fit almost anywhere.

Several companies manufacture shotshell presses. Prices vary, for the most part commensurate with their output. Lee Precision Lee is still selling affordable but well-proven Load All presses. Although largely made from plastic, they continue to get good reviews.

No doubt, they see much good use by weekend tailgate shooters:. These presses are more substantial and geared for larger-scale production. They offer a number of models to meet most needs without busting budgets. MEC also sells some pricier models with extra features, some of which permit upgrades to their basic presses.

The star of this show, my 12 gauge MEC Progressive Press , was purchased at a lawn sale sometime in the early s! This was a great way to get into reloading shotgun shells with minimal investment. Later, I added a 20 gauge MEC which works the same way. Powder and shot are dispensed from two plastic bottles, and metered through a reciprocating charge bar.

A series of resizing, charging, and crimping dies below are aligned with a six-position, rotating shell plate or holder. Each press of the handle forces the die assembly downward over the shells to perform the various steps while activating the charge bar though a linkage.

An empty shell is manually inserted from the slot, advancing as the shell-plate is indexed manually counter-clockwise. Once everything is working properly the choreographed steps will result in a machine full of shells in various stages of completion — including one finished shell per handle-stroke. And, even veteran reloaders can experience an annoying deluge of stray powder or scattered pellets caused by operator error. That said, once a rhythm is established, shells can be cranked out in large quantities.

Because I shoot fewer. Each is reloaded one at a time and manually repositioned to undergo each step. Of course, the production rate is slower, but a Jr.

To better illustrate the reloading process, I manually fed shells through my progressive 12 gauge MEC in a manner similar to the simpler MEC Jr. The steps are pretty much the same though regardless of your method. Step 1 The fired primer is punched out on the downstroke. Upon full downstroke, the charge bar shuttles to the right, dropping a charge of powder into the shell.

Step 3 A new wad is seated positioned manually above the shell. At full downstroke, the charge-bar will shuttle left again, depositing a load of shot into the wad. The loaded shell is removed when it reappears at so the process can continue.

My simpler. I use it for pheasants as the first shot. At around fps, recoil is mild and improved-cylinder patterns are excellent. Any misses will permit a quick recovery for a more potent following load from the tighter-choked barrel. Trouble is, this mild load of 6s is pretty much non-existent in factory form. Since a couple boxes will cover two seasons, I used them to illustrate the various reloading steps.

This load could see further use in a semiauto, so I added an additional step. Listen While You Work A lot of bad shells can be caught before they become real problems just by listening to the machine working. The same goes for how each stroke of the handle feels. Watch for these details. Work Slow, Stay Organized I make it a point to set aside time to reload, rather than waiting until 30 minutes before I plan to shoot.

When you rush, mistakes happen, and mistakes made when reloading result in damaged guns or injured people. Finally, keep your work area organized. Have a separate container on the bench for hulls and wads. Sweep up loose powder. And clean up messes as soon as they happen. The advancement of non-toxic shot has brought the gauge back to the duck blind.

Shotgun Shooting Tips. Want more hunting and fishing stories? Sign up to receive our emails. Each step has its own set of important details. Refer to the sources linked below for a more in-depth look at exactly how each step works.

The most efficient way to collect the hulls is by using our Shotgun Shell Ammo-Up. Although you cannot reuse the wads, our machine will pick them up also, which is a nice clean up feature.