Reloading

I did mean 5k wads for $80, little type-o sorry.

Rem Gun Clubs are my favorite hulls so far. Nothing beats being able to reuse them up to 4 or 5 times:D
 
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Dre: The very first thing that you need to do is buy a good shotshell reloading manual. (I'm a little surprised that it took seventeen posts before someone recommended a manual). Every single one of your questions will be answered in that book (the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook is a good one).
You can find load data online for free but the other questions need to be answered in a more organized way than the normal "free-for-all" approach that happens when you ask those kinds of questions on any forum. The answers that you get, as above, will be knowledgeable (most of them - can you tell the difference yet?) but each will be a bit different than the other. That'll be better for you when you know more.
With all that you are talking about purchasing, the cost of a manual is small change.
Pete
 
Can Estates be reloaded?

In a nutshell, yes they can - basically ANY hull CAN be reloaded. The question becomes can it be reloaded SAFELY with a TESTED recipe? In many cases, the answer is no. There will be folks who say that it doesn't matter as long as you follow the recipe for a similarly built hull (straight versus taper, etc); however, I like my fingers and eyes, so I use known recipes from a good resource like the aforementioned Lyman manual or from the powder mfg. websites

While there IS some interchangeability between certain components - certain primers are equal strength, certain hulls from the same company are interchangeable, and certain powders will use the same recipe, until you get well-versed in all of the little nuances involved, do yourself a favor and stick to the main names, even if they cost a little more where you live. Once you've built some safe loads, and are happy with their performance in YOUR gun, then start to work on others for different applications.

I can tell you what works in MY gun, and it might do a decent job in your gun, then again, it might not be as good as something different. Even though these do not have match chambers and throats and specific rifling, etc. like a rifle, they are unique unto themselves in many ways.

One thing I would recommend when trying to build a good load for your gun - load no more than 2 boxes of that load at first. Take the first box to the pattern board and see how it performs on paper and take the second box to the skeet field and see how they perform at station 1 and 7 and maybe 4. If the patterns seem iffy, but you are crushing targets, you might want to leave it alone. If it is the other way around, you might need to look at gun mount or tweaking the load just a little.

The main thing is SAFETY FIRST AND FOREMOST - fun will follow
 
Dre,
A lot of good suggestions are given here, however I believe that as a reloading newbe you should hook up with somebody who reloads and has done so for some time. Make sure this person is a safety first guy, who doesnt just substitute components but follows the reloading tables provided by Alliant, Hodson etc.

Years ago I shot quite a few clayes and reloaded on a Texan fw single stage. It worked OK but was somewhat slow. I got out of shooting (except for shotgun deer hunting) for a couple of decades because we had to buy braces, sports equipment etc for the kids.

A couple of years ago I decided to try clay shooting again and got hooked again. I bought a MEC 9000G, my first progressive. This machine has a good reload rate and can also be used as a single stage until you get used to it. I however thought I knew how to reload and just started to crank em out.

Needless to say that I had some messes to clean up (shot & powder all over the place). So I reloaded a few boxes one at a time until I got confident with the machine. To alleviate the occasional mess I put a cookie sheet under the machine to catch any potiential mess. See the attachment of my setup.
 

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olddrum1 said:
Ponsness Warren is the best bang for the buck when it comes to reloaders.
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As my friend mentioned, Ponsness Warrens are a step above the MECs. Most folks are happy with MECs, but the PWs do an exceptional job of reloading. The only disadvantage being their cost and larger foot print. If you're really willing to dig deep into your pockets, check out the Sproal reloader.
http://www.spolargold.com/
 
As Z13 mentioned, I use different hulls for different disciplines. Red AA=1200 fps 8's, Gray=1260 fps 7 1/2's and so on. The Fed papers are a joy to reload and a pleasure to shoot. I think they seal better. If you have 10,000 hulls, it might be worth a quick look through for premium hulls.
 
Bought Lyman shotshell reloading handbook 5th edition today...wow it has all the info I needed, but the "tips" you guys gave me are priceless :)
 
Do you use the same recipe with NobelSport primers as with other brand primers? NobelSport primers not listed in the book...:confused:
 
nope

Do you use the same recipe with NobelSport primers as with other brand primers? NobelSport primers not listed in the book...
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No, you use the recipes exactly as written. You may have to look around for Nobel load data or some reference as to their equivalence.
Will the Nobel primers work? Yes, they will.....but you will not know what the pressures are like.
Now that you have the Lyman book, take a look through a section at loads that use the same of everything except for one component. You will find examples where changing only one element, like the primer or the wad, resulted in a pressure change of as much as 2K psi (though smaller changes of 300 to 500 psi are more common).
Pete
 
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I'll stack the MEC 9000HN hydraulics up against the Ponsness Warren or the Spolar .....

but the hydraulics aren't portable either - and have a pretty big footprint too.
 
That's true but ....I believe, in terms of cost :

PW loaders are about $ 800 / then $ 250 per sub-gague or about = $ 1,500

Spolar is about $ 1,550 / then $325 per sub-gague = $ 2,500 or add another $ 1,500 for hydraulic = $ 4,000

Where MEC hydraulics are currently $ 900 / then $ 540 for each sub-gague = $ 2,500

and on the PW, you still have to pull the handle vs the hydraulic ... So I think the MEC hydraulic is priced fairly for what you get ...
 
ONEOUNCELOAD

Nobelsport and Winchester 209's are VERY close in characteristics

Is it safe to use Nobelsport primers pretending as it's Winchester 209 primer or I should use totally different recipe? :confused:

I just Googled about Nobelsport primers and it looks like some people hate them due to not working all the time and also they a little bit bigger in diameter...so I'll stick with those that are recommended in the book.
 
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The information I have is that NS and Win can be used in the same recipe. As with anything on the net, verify, but I am using them in the same recipe that I previously used Win 209's in.
 
BigJimP, my friend, the MEC still pencils-out as the better bargain -- no surprise, there. But, at the price of the hydraulics, a lot of us penny-pinchers figure we can pull those MEC levers a bunch of times. Humm… can you still get your grand-kids to pull the lever for a penny a round these days?
 
Ok, guys ...( why would I pay the grandkids ...) ....Betty making cookies is a better deal than money....

If the grandkids want money they have to go find gramdma Betty anyway ...

But since there is no handle on the hydraulics ..my bionic shoulder will last longer ..... I don't want to get muscle bound pulling on that handle all day long ...

But on a Serious Note... I have no way to prove it / but I think the consistent pressure of the hydraulic vs the variable pressure you might apply by hand - might give you a more consistent shell off a hydraulic machine.
 
I just spoke with Hodgdon representative and he confirmed that it's safe to use the same reloading data for NS as Win...(:)savings)
 
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