Just bought a 12ga Reloader... Any advice?

[Peter W Bush]

Im new to reloading and picked up a MEC 600 Jr. from this forum. Any advice on powders, wads, etc? Im probably going to end up buying everything from Oaktree Gun Club in Newhall unless somebody has a better idea. It has a 1 1/8 charge bar and #28 powder bushing. Im thinking about picking up a 7/8oz charge bar for some lighter skeet loads. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[LGB Loader]

aside from buying the Lyman shotshell manual, go to this site and lurk around a bit:

https://www.shotgunworld.com

If the local mom and pop shop doesn't have it, I shop here:

https://www.ballisticproducts.com

LGB

[Revoman]

I agree, you would be better served if you read up on reloading for shotguns first, then you will have a much better grasp of what you will need.

In shotshell reloading every component matters, it matters what hull, wad, primer, powder and ounces of lead you plan on loading.

There will be many good up to date recipes on the various powder manufacturer's websites, use those and you won't go too wrong, but you must follow the recipe exactly or you are asking for trouble........at least until you completely understand the entire reloading concept and prove yourself out that you know what you are doing.

You will also need at the very least a good powder scale, you cannot go by the bushing size/number, you have to make sure that the powder charge is what it is supposed to be with the powder that you are using. The bushing that you now have may not be the bushing that you need for the specific powder that you are using.

A 1 ounce load is a better choice for 12 ga, there are some very mild loads for that amount of shot. 7/8 is okay, but in general, a 1 ounce will perform slightly better. Keep the FPS around the 1,200 range.

I would suggest that you use a single style hull, such as AA, or STS. They last a long time and you get many loads out of a hull, sometimes as many as 8 or 9, again, the lighter the the load, the easier on the hull. It's also better to use a single hull so that all of the components remain the same until you run out. Maybe then you can try another hull. (There are such things as straight-sided and tapered hulls, something of which you need to know.)

Reloading shotshells is fairly easy if you stick with the published recipes and use the same stuff consisantly..........at least until such time that you feel comfortable moving into something else.

My advice is to read up and know what you can so that you know which questions to ask for the right answer. There are many folks on this and other sites that can and will help.

Oh, one other thing speaking of advice, be very wary of a recipe if it is not close to what a manufacturer's site states, as in most things, there is a lot of bad advice as well as good advice out there.

[LGB Loader]

Revoman,

Great long version of my extremely short version.

In shotshell reloading every component matters, it matters what hull, wad, primer, powder and ounces of lead you plan on loading.

There will be many good up to date recipes on the various powder manufacturer's websites, use those and you won't go too wrong, but you must follow the recipe exactly or you are asking for trouble........at least until you completely understand the entire reloading concept and prove yourself out that you know what you are doing.

and it may take some time to grasp the process.
I've loaded shotshell at my Uncle's ranch when he was still with us on a MEC press already set up and all I had to do was go through the motions and double check the throws every so often.
Plus, I have been assembling metallic cartridges since '83 so when I decided to take up shotshell a couple of years ago. I thought, shoot, with my experience, this will be no problem. Then I started reading and I was like what in the hell are they talking about.

Take your time, Mate. And if you don't complete understand a step or how a certain component becomes a variable, put the book down and clear your head, and then read it over again until you 100% understand it. There will be a pop quiz with every round you fire so study hard and learn it right.

LGB

[Sideline Shooter]

Try these:
Stay with one brand name hull that you have a lot of or can get a lot (free range pick up's or bought. It will be less adjustments needed when tring to size and crimp.

Don't use the maroon Federal hulls or the Winchester Universals-which you will see alot of, because they are a only good for one shot and don't reload well.

As stated earlier DO try a 7/8th oz. and a one ounce lead load. You WILL shoot alot better with these lighter loads as oppossed to a 1 1/8 oz. load. Less recoil and you won't get that terrible flinch that shotgunners get.

Note that clay buster wads are cheaper but are made from recycled plastic which means it will cause a plastic build up by your chokes. I really recommend Duster wads. The "Clear Duster" Winchester replacement WAA12L will do 7/8 and 1oz. loads in Winchester AA (old style 1 piece) and Remington STS or Remington game club hulls (green).

https://www.dusterwads.com

http://www.recobstargetshop.com/

http://www.conniescomponents.com/

[mjsweims]

Go to any of the powder manufacturer's sites - Hodgdon, Accurate, Alliant and see which of their powders will work. You will have to select a hull and wad and then you can match it up with your charge bar and bushing. In addition to the 1 oz charge bar get the 7/8 and 1-1/8 plus a range of bushings from 28 to 33 and you should be covered for most loads.
Or you can get a universal charge bar and dial in the lead weight and powder charge. (I have one but still prefer the charge bars and bushings.) Some people feel this gives better flexibility plus you can get the exact powder/lead weight that you want instead of going in increments.

[Peter W Bush]

Go to any of the powder manufacturer's sites - Hodgdon, Accurate, Alliant and see which of their powders will work. You will have to select a hull and wad and then you can match it up with your charge bar and bushing. In addition to the 1 oz charge bar get the 7/8 and 1-1/8 plus a range of bushings from 28 to 33 and you should be covered for most loads.
Or you can get a universal charge bar and dial in the lead weight and powder charge. (I have one but still prefer the charge bars and bushings.) Some people feel this gives better flexibility plus you can get the exact powder/lead weight that you want instead of going in increments.

Exactly what I was thinking. Universal charge bars sound like a good idea to me. Ive done some reading. I think im going to be using AA hulls, CCI primers, dustbuster hulls, and ???? powder. Time to go talk to the old guys at oaktree...

[SLO_Ryan]

If you are going to be reloading for a while, consider Promo powder, by Alliant (it only comes by the 8-pounder).

PVI sells sells a canister for $81 (plus shipping and hazmat), and you can probably find one for $95-$105 (plus sales tax) locally if you shop.

It is a good powder for 12ga, burns pretty clean, and is about the best value around.

[sargenv]

Um, the main thing I can suggest if you don't want to mess with bushings and different charge bars is to get one of the universal charge/shot bars. It will allow you to load to the potential of the 12 gauge should you desire to load anything heavier than target loads. I have them in all three of my machines and would not use the bushing system at all since the adjustable bars are infinitely adjustable. You can throw exactly the powder charge you want as opposed to "close enough" with the bushing system. And you need not tip the powder and shot bottles when adjusting up or down unlike the need to tip them when swapping bushings/bars. I'd also reccomend you pick up the Lyman shotshell manual. It will give you a wealth of information that is not to the same detail as given on the web.