10 Ga. reloading

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

I just picked up a new to me 10 ga. double with 18.5" barrels. I've never had a 10 ga.  so I'm wondering if I decide to reload 10 ga. what would be a somewhat economical way to do it?

I'm set up for 12 ga. with a MEC but that's it.  Thank you John Browning !

Horace

[Three Foot Johnson]

Well... most of us make a kit. My sizer die is some pipe reducers screwed together with the smallest one turned to the right size for sizing 10 gauge brass. I made a couple decappers for pistol primers and 209's, bought an arch punch to punch out cardboard wads, a 10g priming tool from eBay, some cut down 20g hulls for shot measures, a brass anvil I turned out for loading so the primer isn't sitting on something while I'm seating wads with my palm, modern adjustable black powder measure, and flask. I place the sizer die over the open jaws of a small bench vise, tap the case all the way in, and tap it out again with the dowel with the pipe cap on the end. The other dowel with the 12g shotshell over the end is for seating wads.

I've got 4 ten gauges - the two pictured, and a couple of unmodified 1889 Remingtons. 

 

 

[La Sombra]

@Tequila Shootershould be able to help.

[Tennessee Snuffy]

Pm me with your phone number and I can let you know what I learned.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I bought a sack of brand new Remington 10 gauge hulls.  I quickly found out that my Mec Jr. didn't have the capability of forming a crimp on those new hulls.  I ended up going with a roll crimp from Midway USA.  I also use Lee powder dippers for dispensing shot and black powder into the hulls.  I do use the Mec Jr. 10 gauge dies for sizing and depriming and priming the hulls.

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Thanks to all !  I'll be back here tomorrow after work.

Horace

[Tequila Shooter]

The easiest way for 10ga is to get primed hulls, nitro cards, fiber wads and overshot cards, BPI sells all of them.  I haven’t seen plastic wads in 10ga available, that’s why I said about the fiber wads.  You won’t be able to put a folded crimp on them unless you have a 10ga reloader, so that’s going to leave you 2 choices, roll crimp or glue, I’m shooting BP in mine and prefer a roll crimp.   If you want full details PM me I’m happy to share. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

If I were to get in to 10 gauge; this is my theoretical plan.

 

1.  Obtain a Winchester 1901

2.  Obtain 50 RMC all brass hulls and their reloader kit

3.  Never look back. 

 

I figure if I'm gonna spend the money for the gun, the money for the special reloading supplies is a drop in the bucket.

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Thanks! Mulling all this over for now.

Horace

[Tennessee Snuffy]

I second Uriah action because that I exactly what I did except I got a side by side with 30" barrels (looking for a 36" barrel monster).  Of course you got to go black!!!!!!

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

22 hours ago, Tennessee Snuffy said:

I second Uriah action because that I exactly what I did except I got a side by side with 30" barrels (looking for a 36" barrel monster).  Of course you got to go black!!!!!!

 

Well, that's why I want to go with the Win 1901, it was made for smokeless.   

[Warden Callaway]

I have a gun cabinet full of antique 10g hammer doubles.  I've not loaded and shot them in a couple of years. I did make a video on loading plastic hulls. It's a little short on details. You see my tools are all improvised.  I have q MEC 600 JR in 10 gauge but found it wouldn't star crimp.  I would only get a couple of loading out of plastic hulls. Black powder burned holes in them.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tequila Shooter]

On 4/12/2022 at 12:29 PM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

If I were to get in to 10 gauge; this is my theoretical plan.

 

1.  Obtain a Winchester 1901

2.  Obtain 50 RMC all brass hulls and their reloader kit

3.  Never look back. 

 

I figure if I'm gonna spend the money for the gun, the money for the special reloading supplies is a drop in the bucket.

 

Sorry Pard, it won’t work.  You see the ‘87/01 don’t like brass hulls, the front edge is too sharp, and if you were able to roll the edge it would make it difficult to reload them.  Both my ‘87 and ‘01 do very well with plastic hulls and a roll crimp. 

[Warden Callaway]

4 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

 

Sorry Pard, it won’t work.  You see the ‘87/01 don’t like brass hulls, the front edge is too sharp, and if you were able to roll the edge it would make it difficult to reload them.  Both my ‘87 and ‘01 do very well with plastic hulls and a roll crimp. 

 

They work in my original Winchester 12 gauge.

 

[Tequila Shooter]

57 minutes ago, Warden Callaway said:

 

They work in my original Winchester 12 gauge.

 

 

Warden good video and nice old gun.  I’m not sure if it’s because it’s an original or that you don’t have the drop 2 mod that you can load brass.  I’ve tried using them multiple times using different lengths and trying to slightly crimp the end of the shell but they never fed reliably. 

[Chantry]

On 4/11/2022 at 8:06 PM, Horace Patootie, SASS #35798 said:

I just picked up a new to me 10 ga. double with 18.5" barrels. I've never had a 10 ga.  so I'm wondering if I decide to reload 10 ga. what would be a somewhat economical way to do it?

I'm set up for 12 ga. with a MEC but that's it.  Thank you John Browning !

Horace

 

There is no economical way to shoot a 10 gauge!   

 

While all of the above are good answers, if you plan on shooting the 10 gauge often, think about a conversion kit if your Mec is a 600 Jr.  If not, think about a Mec Jr in 10 gauge.

 

If you only plan on shooting the 10 gauge occasionally, then plastic hulls will work.  I've found Remington hulls to work best so far, with some of mine being reload at least 6 or 7 times.  I found the plastic of Federal hulls prevented me from getting a lot of reloads using BP.  If you plan on shooting it a lot, start saving up for the brass hulls.  The Rocky Mountain Cartridge hulls are expensive, but should last for a very long time.  I've seen some shooters say they have reloaded them several thousand times.

 

A 20 gauge hull makes a good dipper for BP, decide on your powder charge and then cut the 20 g hull to that length.

 

[Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life]

I have loaded brass hulls using a dipper, 8 gauge nitro, fiber and overshot wads and 7-1/2 lead shot, glued with Duco Cement for 60 years of happy blasts of fire and smoke from wart hog black powder

charges.

I currently get my components from Buffalo Arms.

 

 

 

["Big Boston"]

 

Bought this kit just on the off chance my friend may sell me his 1901. 10 ga 2 7/8". Didn't come with the load card, but I have data from the older Lyman manuals. 

 

BB

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

14 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

 

Sorry Pard, it won’t work.  You see the ‘87/01 don’t like brass hulls, the front edge is too sharp, and if you were able to roll the edge it would make it difficult to reload them.  Both my ‘87 and ‘01 do very well with plastic hulls and a roll crimp. 

 

Magtech 12 gauge run just fine in my original 1887, and my Chiappa reproduction.   (As do AA's shortened to 2-1/2" and roll crimped.)  I do put a very slight taper in them that I'd not be able to do with RMC hulls, and I get that.   I've got some RMC's 12s, but have not yet tried to run them through anything.  We'll see what happens.   Based on my experience with the 12's, I'll know what to do IF I ever bother go with something in 10 gauge.

[Cusz M. Dutch SASS Life 55326]

No problems in original or repo 12 g with either shell.  Do use just a slight crimp on the all brass shells.  

Only tried plastic in the 10

[Sedalia Dave]

Difference may be that @Tequila Shooter has a 10 ga vice a 12

 

 

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Well, I ordered a MEC Jr. today and should have it in a week approximately.

Horace

[Tequila Shooter]

If you’re using either an 1887 or a 1901 with a drop 2 modification and your successfully using brass shells I’d love to see a picture of your shells.  Other than tapering them so much that they couldn’t be reloaded I have never been able to get them to feed reliably enough for match use

[Tequila Shooter]

3 minutes ago, Horace Patootie, SASS #35798 said:

Well, I ordered a MEC Jr. today and should have it in a week approximately.

Horace

10 or 12 gauge?

 

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

10 gauge of course !

Horace

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

 Double.  Omit

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

7 hours ago, Tequila Shooter said:

If you’re using either an 1887 or a 1901 with a drop 2 modification and your successfully using brass shells I’d love to see a picture of your shells. 

I don't do drop 2.   I like to be able to load up the magazine if I want too.

[Tulsey, SASS#11236]

If  I were looking to shoot a 10 ga double just for SASS and  had the  set up to load 12 ga, I would search the internet for the best deal for some 10-to 12 ga  converters like Little Skeeter or others. Buy a half-dozen or so and use your 12 ga cowboy loads in the 10 ga. I have used the 12 to 4.10 and 20 to 28 converters and they worked just fine for light loads. A whole lot cheaper than assembling loading equipment and components.  You might want to try two of them and see if it would work for you.

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Got my 10 gauge MEC today and this buttstock cover.

Horace

Order from Ballistic Products shipped today also.

Horace

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Got my 10 gauge MEC Jr.  and my order from BPI  this week.  Now looking for starting loads.  Anyone using Winchester WST in 10 gauge?

I've used it in 12 gauge so just wondering.

Horace

[Chantry]

2 hours ago, Horace Patootie, SASS #35798 said:

Got my 10 gauge MEC Jr.  and my order from BPI  this week.  Now looking for starting loads.  Anyone using Winchester WST in 10 gauge?

I've used it in 12 gauge so just wondering.

Horace

 

Here is a load, 120 grains of either 1F or 2F black powder and 1 1/2 ozs of shot.  Works rather well on knock down targets  

[Horace Patootie, SASS #35798]

Most likely, I'll be using smokeless.  If I do go BP, I will get some brass .

Horace