Loading shotgun

[DBF70]

Excuse me for my ignorance, but I’m extremely new to this. I bought a Lee load-all2 and now I don’t know what hulls, wads, primers and shot to load 12g for cowboy action shooting. Also the amount of powder and shot???  I’m looking to get Titegroup powder from  MidwayUSA that I will also use to reload 45colt. (Or any other suggested powder to load both)

Thanks for any and all help.

[Leroy Luck]

Win AA hulls

Cheddite primer

14gr titegroup

Claybuster CB0178-12 wad

7/8oz shot

 

I haven’t tried them in any other hulls. 
 

I’d recommend getting some factory loaded ammo and shooting them for the hulls, unless you already have some. Winchester low noise, low recoil is the preferred option for many. 

[watab kid]

similar , but im using less grns of red dot and clays for powder and 3/4 oz shot , ilike a light load - targets still go down and my old body suffers less abuse  , i have used some really light trap ;loads in that 7/8 oz and they are mild compared to regular commercil trap loads tho so ill not toss any rocks to the other response 

[Eyesa Horg]

6 hours ago, Leroy Luck said:

Win AA hulls

Cheddite primer

14gr titegroup

Claybuster CB0178-12 wad

7/8oz shot

 

I haven’t tried them in any other hulls. 
 

I’d recommend getting some factory loaded ammo and shooting them for the hulls, unless you already have some. Winchester low noise, low recoil is the preferred option for many. 

Remington STS hulls will hold up longer. ↑↑↑ This is a good load, use #7.5 or #8 shot. It's been said that Remington Gun Club hulls work well too, I haven't tried them.

[Sedalia Dave]

First buy the Lyman Shotshell handbook. Read and understand how the process of loading shotshells is done.

 

Next find a shooter that loads their own to mentor you a little.

 

 

[Kid Rich]

20 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

First buy the Lyman Shotshell handbook. Read and understand how the process of loading shotshells is done.

 

Next find a shooter that loads their own to mentor you a little.

 

 

Good idea. With cowboy loads you have a little more latitude. You want to use a wad that will give you the correct column height to get a good crimp. A lot of people will use some kind of filler (a soft light material) in the cup under the shot if the cup size is larger than you need. Like a 1 oz instead of a 3/4 oz.

kR

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

OP, have you attended any shoots yet? 

IF NOT, buy NOTHING until you have. 

[Yohan]

Win AA hulls

Cheddite primer

12gr titegroup

Claybuster CB0178-12 wad

7/8oz shot

is my current load right at 900 fps almost no recoil

 

example of recoil in video

 

[Sheriff Dill]

I have a load all 2. I bought a set of bushings to be able to lower my amount of shot and powder. 
 

Here is the link to the site. 
 

https://elite3ddesign.com/collections/all?srsltid=AfmBOoqKvxK68EDkG2dDO4eqiRlY5GsOTpdKIaxfGdhrVhjG4hzQCnmO

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Simple.  35Gr APP, Ballistic Products wad to give you correct column height with 3/4 to One Ounce pay load.  Crimp it and shoot it.

[Uncle Stumpy]

Stay away from the Winchester universal hull that come in the 100 round box from Walmart. They will not hold a crimp. An hour after you reload them the box will be swelled out and full of loose shot. Don’t try to reload anything with a steel base, stick to brass.  Federal hulls from the 100 round boxes load pretty good also but not as good as the Remington. 

[Griff]

Shotgun recipe's are usually very specific, especially wad selection & powder along with hull and shot weight.  If you start off using someone's specific formula, and all of a sudden you can't find one component, you can't just substitute another similar component, for you might very well choose unwisely.  Generally speaking, powder charge, wad height & shot column should add up to allow a firm, tight crimp, that isn't convex or concave, both of which can leak shot.

 

Once again, I recommend getting a Shotshell reloading manual and learning the basics of what is entailed.  Lyman's 6th edition Shotshell Reloading Manual is out & on store shelves as well as on-line retailers.

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

On 4/4/2025 at 8:06 AM, Eyesa Horg said:

Remington STS hulls will hold up longer. ↑↑↑ This is a good load, use #7.5 or #8 shot. It's been said that Remington Gun Club hulls work well too, I haven't tried them.

STS and Nitro hulls are my favorites for CAS loads.  Gun Clubs make less consistent crimps though are free in the waste bins of most clays ranges.  I will load with any SASS-legal birdshot but prefer #8 or 8 1/2.  Cheddite 209 primers are the least expensive and work fine.  I use Claybuster grey wads with 7/8 oz shot.  Of the powders currently available, Perfect Pattern is my choice for light loads.  Load data is on the Hodgdon website.  Loads well below the minimums can be unreliable in cold weather.  

[Rye Miles #13621]

Win AA wads

Winchester primers

pink wads

1 Oz 7 1/2 shot

17 grs of Clays Universal

[watab kid]

whaatever you settle on remember you want to load your revolver/rifle rounds with the same thing so you buy in quantity , you minimize your stock to one powder , keep it simple , it has worked for me for 20 years , ive gone thru three shotgun loaders tho - dont do that , figure out whayt works by talking to local shooters and buy once cry once , im not sure i have the right one yet - but at this point in life i no longer care that much ive only got a limited number pof years left - ill get my new PW set up and see how it goes , 

 

at least my reloaders of rifle/revolver haveworked oout well and the one im using for long range has worked well so far , be picky , buy once pay once , use the rest of your life 

[Ashley D Austin]

We use Hodgdon, TITE WAD low charge weight shotgun powder and the Hodgdon reloading data center  https://hodgdonreloading.com/rldc/?t=3 to choose which shells, primers, shot, and wads to use with this powder based on what fps we want to load to. 

 

For CAS we use 7 or 8 shot, and 980 fps to 1200 fps.

 

Before you purchase reloading supplies, please also review the CAS shooters handbook section on Shotgun Ammunition.