Reloading

Dre - we get most of our stuff from Gamaliel......now our club buys it at a wholesale level because they have a resale license, but the mark-up is minimal.

Graf's is another one I have used as well

PowderValley is another

The Lyman manual is always a good recommendation. Every powder maker will have data available for free (they want you to use their powder)
FOLLOW THE RECIPES and do NOT ASSUME you can substitute primers, wads or hulls at will (that's MY disclaimer)
 
First - determine what TYPE of load you're looking to make - target, upland, turkey, waterfowl, etc.

There are MANY powders out there, and they have many applications, and yes, many overlap in use and capability. But it is NOT OK to just sub one for the other and use the same amount. A good reloading manual will give you those basics, as will the charts from the various companies
 
I would reload only for target shooting...

Does anybody know the best/cheap reloading recipe?
 
Does anybody know the best/cheap reloading recipe?
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That depends on the hull.

Shotgun hulls are shaped differently inside by each manufacturer, and their volume and construction varies far more than metallic/brass cartridges. In addition, wads have differing gas seals and powder cup volumes. This is why shot shell reloading recipes are literally wad-and-hull dependent.

You have to pick your hull first, then find a suitable wad, and then pick a powder and primer.
 
The cheapest recipe / will be the one with less shot in it ...

My reloads for $ 12 ga are around $ 3.50 a box ( for 1 oz loads, at around 1225 fps ) ( I think I told you $ 4 a box earlier, but I see the price of shot is down at my club to about $ 26 a bag now:

Shot ( 1 oz ) $ 0.08 cents per shell
Powder is $ 0.03 cents per shell
Primers are about $ 0.03 cents per shell...

so loading 1 oz / or even 7/8 oz in a 12ga will save you some money...

the rest of it is buying the components based on the performance you like / but the most popular powder around here 10:1 is Hodgdon Clays in 12ga with the one of 10 guys using Unique.....

and 10:1 guys are using Rem STS hulls
primers are all over the board - with guys using Chedite, Win, Rem, etc ... consensus is REM or WIN are better primers but the others are a little cheaper right now.
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But yes, get in with the guys at the local club - ask around and see who does some reloading / and who may have a machine for sale .... and you'll get all kinds of responses. You'll have to figure out who is giving you "quality data" vs just flapping their gumms ..... Remember, free advice is worth about what you pay for it .....

But at every club you'll find guys that are really serious about their reloads / and some guys that are really careless ( don't use formulas, never clean their presses, etc ). It was rainy and nasty up here over the weekend / and the football games were bad news ....so I spent a couple of hours taking my 12ga and 20ga hydraulic MEC's apart, cleaned it, checked everything, anti-static stuff on bottles, lubed everything .... just because !! Then went over to my local indoor range and put 8 boxes thru a couple of my handguns in 9mm and .45 acp ... It was a great day .... and the loader is good for another few thousand shells, and I feel better about it .....
 
The cheapest, as Jim says, has less shot (and I'll add less powder, but only to a lesser degree), in top-quality FREE hulls you scrounged.

Currently folks I shoot with are using NobelSport primers. many like Titewad, Clays, Promo or similar as they are less expensive than some of the old standbys like Red Dot, et al. Just about everyone I know uses a clone wad of some sort from Claybuster, Downrange or similar as they can be almost half the cost of Winchester, Remington and Federal wads. We have reclaimed shot being used, locally-produced shot and then there are those who settle for nothing but top-priced name brand shot. Is there a difference? I'm sure there is, it becomes a question of how it patterns in YOUR gun and whether or not you can actually tell the difference.

There are folks like me who reload a 28 hull until it splits down the middle, and then I shoot with folks who only shoot factory 28's and throw the empties away.

I think you DO have to factor your time somewhat into the equation - especially if you are self-employed or work in a situation where time really IS money.
 
OneOunce is right, there is money to be saved using clone components - in wads ( like claybuster, etc ) ...and reclaimed shot especially ...and in primers too. Rem primers for me right now are about $ 35 / 1,000 where Chedite, etc are $ 28 / 1,000 .....and I think the Chedites are fine.

The problem I have with the reclaimed shot my club has ...is its over graphited ...so it actually plugs up a charge bar on loaders as they cycle. I suppose you could "decant" it if you will .... dump it out, wash it, or run it over a screen ...and clean it ...

but at my club reclaimed is $ 6 a bag less / and that only equates to about $ 0.25 - $ 0.30 a box and I'm not cleaning shot for $ 0.30 a box ....

If I had access to good re-claimed shot like OneOunce does - I'd use it too - especially for practice. For weekend shoots / I prefer a premium reload. For bigger shoots - state tournaments, etc - I shoot new factory Rem STS ammo ( and save the hulls of course ).
 
On Shot specifically - my club has:

reclaimed at $ 20.25
Northwest Shot at $ 24.86
West Coast Hard Shot at $ 28.87

Star Magnum is pretty average shot - similar to Northwest, I think in terms of hardness.
 
If you are shooting a flat a week, it definitely makes sense to load your own shells. One thing I didn't see mentioned (excuse me if I missed it) is that you need an accurate scale. The bushing charts are just approximations and are often not correct. Never trust what the companies say a certain bushing should throw, weigh it yourself.

Honestly before buying any components or supplies, I would start with the Lyman #5 reloading manual. There is a ton of good information in the book and it will help you understand shot shell reloading.
 
You're right / I didn't list a scale ...but the basic reloading books will give you a list of the "stuff" you need ....and a good scale should be at the top of your list.

Just to be contrary ....I prefer a digital scale. But there isn't really anything wrong with a balance beam scale either ( I still have the one I bought in the 70's - an old OHaus balance beam) and I keep it as a backup.
 
Dre, I also started with a Lee, but now have MECs in four gauges. For reloading equipment and supplies, I've rerouted my vacations to find myself in Jackson to load up the SUV at:

J & S Wholesale Inc.
www.bargainammunition.com
1322 Jackson Gate Rd
Jackson CA 95642
 
zippy13

J & S Wholesale Inc. is like 50 miles from me...I'll definately go there to check stuff out...
 
+1 to Zippy's recommendation on J&S - they used to bring a truck to Carson City every week for all of the reloaders there and deliver to our houses

Then go shoot at Commanche in Ione and have Mr. Tate fit your gun (or make you one), or Bird's Landing near Sacto.....
 
Probably the old Winchester AAs or the new Remington STS would be a better choice for a hull. Claybuster wads, and as mentioned above, Noble Sport primers.
 
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