Brass Shotshell Reloading

[John Ruth]

So I recently purchased some MagTech brass shotshells that I want to use for black powder reloading. I have all the components but I've never reloaded shotshells before, especially not brass ones. I also don't have a shotshell press. Can I move forward with just a lee dipper set, nitro card and overshot cards? 

 

The other thing I'm unsure of is the best way to seat the primers. I don't have a press of any sort so I may need to come up with a solution unless someone else has a setup they use that doesn't blow their face off. 

 

JR

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Get the CH4D 12 Gauge die set.  They are oversized so you'll need a single stage press that'll accomodate them.  (Look for a used one.)  Make sure the press has that little arm that you can put a single primer in and seat it with that.

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

I load brass shotgun shells like I load my muzzleloading double barrel shotgun, except I load in a brass shotgun shell, instead of the shotgun barrel, and of course I use a primer, and not a percussion cap, to ignite the powder.

I use a short starter, from my possibles bag, to "compress" the wads/shot column, in the brass shell.

First, of course, I seat the primer.

Then:

1. 2-F Powder

2. Over powder thin wad. Some use two wads, but it depends on how heavy a powder, and shot charge you are using.

3. Thick Cushion wad.

4. Shot.

5. Overshot thin wad, that I keep in place by about 4 drops of "water glass", (or as it is more commonly known: sodium silicate) around the circumference of the overshot wad, which keeps the shot in place, so it won't fall out the end of the shotgun barrel, since I do not crimp the brass shell (but I understand there is a tool out there that can do that).

  I have not used a shotgun reloading press, to reload my brass, or paper, blackpowder shotgun shells. I am sure you could if you wanted to. 

I do not use a plastic shot cup either. It seems blackpowder and plastic don't do well together, many times, and in fact, the N.M.L.R.A. won't allow plastic shot cups when you shoot at their events.

  Yes, I know, I know...many do use the plastic shot cups. If you have not had any problems with it, then go for it willie. I am just saying I don't. I had to scrub out a friends muzzleloading shotgun, once, that had a ton of melted plastic in the bore. That was my one, and my only, experience with plastic shot cups and blackpowder, so that is why I don't go down that road.

 

We are all free to use what seems to be a positive experience. Mine wasn't a positive experience, yours maybe was.  

 

My Two Bits.

W.K. 

 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Howdy John.  I lay out the primers on a hard work surface (Herman Miller tabletop) and push the deprimed hull down over a primer just enough to get it started, then move it over to my Lee LoadAll 2 and seat the primer there.  But before I had the Lee, I started the primer into the hull as mentioned, then insert a nut driver (3/8" I think or 5/16) down inside the hull and tap it with a hammer on the butt of the driver (light taps) to push the hull down over the primer.  Did hundreds that way, no problem.  My load is 4.3cc (~60gr by weight) of Goex (FFg or whatever I have the most of), .125 nitro over powder card (11ga), red plastic wad, 1 1/8 oz shot, 11ga overshot card, glued with Elmers wood glue around the edges.  I do all this by hand except I seat the primer and drop the shot with the Lee.  You will need a way to deprime.  I use a torx bit that is small enough to enter the flash hole, in a driver and tap primers out with that.  I don't even use a block of wood with a hole, just hold the hull and driver in my left hand over a trash can, and tap out the primer with a mallet in the right hand.  There's lots of ways and lots of info out there on ways to do it with no tools.  Have fun.

[Tucker McNeely]

If you know how to mine through the SASS Chronicles, Major Art Tillery had a very detailed article a few years ago for brass shot shell reloading.

[Tequila Shooter]

7 hours ago, John Ruth said:

So I recently purchased some MagTech brass shotshells that I want to use for black powder reloading. I have all the components but I've never reloaded shotshells before, especially not brass ones. I also don't have a shotshell press. Can I move forward with just a lee dipper set, nitro card and overshot cards? 

 

The other thing I'm unsure of is the best way to seat the primers. I don't have a press of any sort so I may need to come up with a solution unless someone else has a setup they use that doesn't blow their face off. 

 

JR

 

You can reload brass shells with simple tools and no press.  You will need a couple of things from the hardware store or one of the big box home improvement stores, here’s what you’ll need:  

 

½ inch wooden dowel cut to +/- 2 inches longer than your shells

a small piece of wood ( 6 inches of 2x4 or similar)

a 3/16 inch steel punch

a rubber mallet

a quarter $0.25

 

Let’s start with de-priming and re-priming.  To de-prime you’ll need the pin punch, mallet and wood.  Using a spade bit drill a hole big enough for the shell to sit in, about a ½ to ¾ inches deep.  Finish drilling through the wood with a hole big enough for the spent primer to go through.  Now put a shell in the hole, get the punch and knock out the spent primer, it should fall down the hole onto the workbench.  To re-prime start a new primer in the primer pocket by hand, once it’s started get the quarter and put it on a flat spot of the same wood block, then put your shell on top of that.  Here’s the fun part, put your wood dowel in the shell and with a few gentle taps seat the new primer.  If your primer pocket is clean the new primer should go in without too much effort.  With the hard part over you can start with your loading, you will need more components than what you have listed.  The following is my recipe for MagTech brass hulls:

 

3.7cc hand dipped 2FG powder (+/- 46gr)

then a Nitro Card

on top of that 2 each ½ inch fiber wads

on top of the wad put an overshot card

then 1 ⅛ oz of shot

top the whole shebang with another overshot card

seal it with Duco Cement

 

You’ll use your dowel and mallet to compress the wads and then again once your last overshot card is placed.  

 

 

 

[Sedalia Dave]

10 hours ago, Tucker McNeely said:

If you know how to mine through the SASS Chronicles, Major Art Tillery had a very detailed article a few years ago for brass shot shell reloading.

 

It was in the April 2015 issue.

 

Attached below

 

15aprchron.pdf

 

[Sedalia Dave]

Tequila Shooter's method works and is an inexpensive way to load Brass shells with BP 

[John Ruth]

Thanks to  everyone for the advice! I had a feeling that the method Tequila described was going to be how I would go about doing this. 

[Warden Callaway]

You can get by with simple tools.  If your brass will chamber easily,  no need to resize.  I use 10 gauge plastic wads and 10 gauge top cards.