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Loading & Reloading Brass Shot Shells


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I see where RCBS has dies to do this for 12 gauge shells. Is this the way to go or is there a poor boy way of resizing, depriming, priming, and loading the shells?

 

What about 20 gauge? which is my weapon of choice.

 

Shameless

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For loading brass 12 ga shells you will need:

 

Block of wood with a hole drilled in it to catch spent primers

pin punch sized to go through flash hole in shell to remove spent primers

piece of 3/4 inch dowell rod about 6 inches long to seat new primers and install wads & cards.

piece of flat steel approx 3"x3"x1/4 in

1 Mallet

 

11 ga over powder cards

11 ga cushion wads

10 ga over shot cads

 

Waterglass, hot glue, white glue, etc. to seal the over shot card

 

To load:

 

1. place one large pistol primer on the piece of steel cup side up. Place brass shell with 3/4" dowel inside over the primer and hit dowell with mallet to seat the primer.

 

2. Place desired quantity of ffg BP in the shell

 

3. Place over powder card in mouth of shell and push it onto the powder with the 3/4 inch dowell

 

4. Install cushion wad/wads in same manner as the over powder card

 

5. Place desired amount of shot in the shell

 

6. Place over shot card on top off the shell and push it onto the shot.

 

7. Seal the overshot card with sealant of your choice.

 

After the round has been expended, place the empty shell on the piece of wood with the primer centered over the hole you drilled. Use punch and mallet to remove the spent primer.

 

Of course, you could always use the 12 ga die set from RCBS

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Thanks guys - Hey Fingers, I was thinking as long as I use the same double barrel shotgun would I even need to resize the shell?

 

Shameless

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Now mind you, I was unfortunately unable to shoot SASS for very long due to health, but have been shooting and reloading all my adult life (now 51). I had a set of RCBS exactly as you've mentioned and they worked great!! The only "complaint" or "belly ache" if you would was the face that you only got one die. Starting life out as a deprimer and sizer, You then changed the innards of the die itself to a roll crimp die. Insertion of components is still done by hand, but I figured out just enough crimp to hold the components in yet iron out upon firing. My MagTech shells lasted forever (at least I saw no cracks or firing/reloading damage on any of the shells that I made with the die set. If you don't mind the cost (I think they're around 70 to 80 bucks) you'll spend less time making better shells. Smithy.

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Pards:

 

How much resizing needs to be done to full brass hull to shuck well? I have an SKB tuned by Goatneck Clem that LOVEs the Winchester AA featherlites but will not shuck a winlite. I have to pry them out with my fingers. (The last time I will believe the sales rep that they are identical shells!).

 

Irish

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I would strongly suggest chamber checking any brass hulls in your intended shotgun and make sure they fit/chamber easily BEFORE loading them. Especially if you bought them used.

 

Trust me, those extra couple of minutes will save you a lot of time and aggravation and potentially prevent you from maybe doing something REMARKABLY stupid. :(:blush::angry:

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I have been using the same Magtec shells for three years now in two different shotguns without re-sizing. Along the way I have developed several tricks to speed up the loading process.

I use a wooden block to de-cap on. I drilled a shallow recess the diameter of the base to hold the shell centered and a hole through the center of the block for the primers to fall through. I opened up a cavity on the bottom side of this hole so it will hold more spent primers at a time. Bought a tool off the web that just fits the inside of the shell and has a regular de-capping on the bottom. Tool self-centers and little tap with a hammer and the primer is out.

To prime, I bought a RCBS shell holder and use a Lee Ram-Prime. This works really fast and easy.

I used a 3/4" dowel rod to seat wads for a while but got tired of having a sore palm from compressing the black powder load. I had on old Mec Jr. sitting around, so I mounted a piece of dowel in the crimp

starting station. Now I can very quickly and easily dump shot and seat wads all on this machine.

I use carpenters glue and a q-tip to seal them off. Standard Elmer's carpenter glue is a little weak but their Wood glue Max works pretty good. Do NOT use Gorilla wood glue! That stuff does NOT come off the inside of the shells!

 

 

 

C D

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Thanks guys - Hey Fingers, I was thinking as long as I use the same double barrel shotgun would I even need to resize the shell?

 

Shameless

 

Like Chantry said, check any you bought used just to make sure.

 

I've been using them off and on for about 4 years in an 1889 Remington with very large chambers (that would almost chamber a 10 ga), a Liberty II and a TTN. Haven't needed to resize any yet. Shells fall out without any trouble whatsoever.

 

Tool and equipment list I gave was for the bare basics. Most people would have the items laying around in their garage/tool shed/hobby shop; which equals - $0.00 expended. Counterboring the block to line up the shell and opening the underside so you can deprime a few boxes before dumping them in the used primer bucket; putting a door knob or other palm saver on the dowell; and other little tweaks can make the reloading easier - and keep it in the $0.00 for equipment zone.

 

That's how I started out doing it, and did it for a couple years. I use the RCBS die set and a Rockchucker to deprime and prime, and my MEC Sizemaster for powder, wads & shot. Still use the 3/4 inch dowell for the over shot card though.

 

Fingers (Show Me MO smoke) McGee

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You may either use a die or just load them by hand. I have had some that I had to remove by hand so you may want to re size them. My TTN has polished chambers but the brass and paper hulls will stick at times.

You don't have to fill the entire case as many think. Mag Tech hulls are large capacity hulls. The easiest way I have found to top off the finished hull is to use a small hot glue gun that is sold at all hobby stores. Just insert a over shot card that is one gauge larger and insert the tip of the gun and rotate it to form a welding bead look around the card. This method will out last any other way and requires no crimp to the hull. You will also have a waterproof shell if you put primer seal over the primer. Some guns will require that the mouth of the hull be turned in slightly to chamber without any problems. Good luck Fairshake

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RMC Reloading

 

ol' poke

 

This is too cool! Ya'll need to look. I already requested info on this homeboy die set. How much do they cost approximately?

 

Thanks soooooo much,

 

Humbled Shameless Womanizer, Esquire

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Where would one buy the brass used?

 

The Rocky Mountain cases (RMC) sometimes show up used on the Wire or gun shows, or garage sales.

 

While the Magtechs aren't as good as the RMC, they are a whole lot cheaper. I am using Magtech for my 16 gauge and used RMC for my 10 gauge. If I were using a 12 gauge, I'd use the Magtechs and just keep an eye out for used RMC.

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The only bugaboo in reloading with out the dies for priming on the press is getting the primers into the cases. Popped several before I bought the die.

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The only bugaboo in reloading with out the dies for priming on the press is getting the primers into the cases. Popped several before I bought the die.

 

That is where the Lee Ram-Prime really shines. No dies needed, only a shell holder.

 

C D

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I bought half of my Brass 16's & 12 ga. shells from folks like Y'all. They think it is cool and try reloading them. Find out they do not have the patience for the task at hand, and lose interest and go back to plastic shells for reloading.

 

Y'all keep on trying, and I will keep on buying. ;)

 

I have them figured out and they are all I shoot. I load them in Smokless also,got that mastered.

 

Yes be careful with the once used brass shells. As stated, most of the time they need to be sized. Case prep is needed with the magtec's before, I reload even the new Brass cases. CBC's quality control is something to be desired.

 

I shot two boxes of 12 ga. W/ black powder at the Cowtown Cowboys Annual match this week-end. Lots of smoke and lots of Fun !

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I ordered a RCBS 12 gauge shell holder and 25 Magtech Brass Shells. I can use my Lee Turret Punch Press to load the primers as it has something similar to the Ram Prime on it. I read somewheres else on the wire you can use a Lee Load All II to do the most of the other operations.

 

I am thinking I can flip over a 45 LC sizing die/deprime die and take the deprime punch out and put in the other end protruding as much as possible to get the spent primer out the brass shot shells OR dream up something similar. I will drill out the flash holes a might before priming my first loads.

 

Thanks Guys,

 

Shameless

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