Used shotgun Shells???

D

dc88

New member
Well, I shoot my shotgun quite often whether it be dove hutnin, clays or lettin off steam.

We pick up all of our shells that way the farmer dont get mad at us and prevent us from goin. I am fully convinced i could do somthin real cool with em so I have saved a good amount of them in bags.

My question to yall, Is there anything cool yall do with your used shells?
Or do yall just toss em and or reload em?
 
Hmm, I have never really considered that.
How hard is it to reload shells and how much is the start up?

I might just do some research into it because it could help me get away from school/work every now and then
 
Ditto on reloading. I am only learning to reload, but if you only shoot for hunting it may not be justified strictly for cost savings. That is because hunters usually shoot a lot less rounds than clay shooters. However, some enjoy reloading and tweaking different loads.

Reloading also enables you to make up shells that may not commercially available or are pricy if available. Availability can also turn on your part of the country.

For instance, I live in a highly populated area where you would think you can find anything. Not true. I shoot a light target load that is popular amongst target shooters, but if I can find it locally it is $9 or $10 a box. I can get full target loads at WalMart for nearly half of that but it isn't what I want and I reload them and save $4+ a box.

$4 a box may not seem like much, but if you shoot 10 boxes a month that is $40 a month and $480 a year. That may not justify investing in reloading for some, but many target shooters shoot a flat a week, and some enjoy reloading.
 
The vast majority of high volume shooters are reloaders. If it weren't for reloading, they'd be shooting less.
 
It all depends on the hulls in question - if they are the cheap wally world Federal promo loads or similar - throw then away - not worth it

If they are Winchester AA or Remington STS, THOSE are worth about .05 each to a serious shooter who reloads
 
I have seen christmas wreaths made out of red and green shotgun shells they even put cool lights in some of them Randy
 
cut the plastic off so you just have the base of the shell. then get a cheep wooden table and press and or glue them on the entire table surface, cover with glass. walla! awesome shotgun shell table. ive seen it done before with beer bottle caps too.
 
I'll take a look at that link for reloading tomorrow...but from what yall are saying, It might not be worth it for me to reload.
I'm not very consistent with shooting. I may go a couple of months without going, but then I might go on a given saturday and eat through 4-5 boxes.
On huntin trips i usually only go through about 2 boxes a day tops, probably less.

That table idea sounds pretty awesome, I have 3 legged table in my dinning room that I could experiment with, so that could be fun.
Those xmas lights are also a pretty cool idea.
 
That table idea sounds interesting. I would think that you would want to cover the surface with some kind of clear epoxy/acrylic to keep the brass brassy and food and dertiment from falling down between the crowns. You could even work in a design with brass and steel crowns. That or carve a channel in the wood and fit the brass in the channel then seal it with epoxy. You can probably get some much better ideas on a wood working thread.
 
I think im gonna try that table deal, finding glass just seems to be the tough part because my table is an oval.

Whatever I do, I'll let yall know what I do
 
but then I might go on a given saturday and eat through 4-5 boxes.
Click to expand...

Which is why I reload - that 4-5 boxes for me is something that happens 2-3X every week, so it makes it worth while for me

With the table idea, if you press the heads in deep enough, there is a pourable poly-something type of plastic that hardens all around then, giving it a 3-D look - saw that in a few bars here and there
 
For any thing wooden screwed to the wall, My dad would counter sink the screw and have a hole a shell brass would fit in... we had .410 and 12 gauge shell bases in items thru out the house!

Brent
 
Like all hobbies ...some of us are into it clear to our ears....and reloading is just part of it ....

MEC has a full line of shotshell loaders...and in my opinion, they make very good equipment. You can go low end / single stage operations - more for hunting type usage....or you can go to progressive machines - more for target shooters ( where many of us shoot 10 or more boxes a week ). Just depends on what you need. personally, I like the MEC 9000 series machines ...but like I said, I'm into this up to my ears...and I reload 12ga, 20ga, 28ga and the .410 bore ....( and about 9 calibers for my handguns..)...

http://www.mecreloaders.com/
 
MEC makes some of the nicest shotgun reloading equipment out there. There is more MEC machines being used today than any other. Are there better more faster machines, yes and for more money for the tooling.

The MEC 600JR has been used by more people than any other single stage machine made, it's just that it works and makes very good reloads.

If you shoot as much as oneounceload then reload by all means, it will save you money.
 
MEC's 600 JR is the 870 of reloaders. Everybody has at least one and they last forever.

There's two here, one 12 that's quite old and a 20 gauge I got lightly used.

The 12 has over 30K rounds through it since I bought it. A few small parts replaced, keeps perking along.

My target grade reloads run less than $4/box.

I save no money, I get to shoot more.

And, if I want to get some 3/4 oz,1150 FPS 12 gauge loads for a new shooter using a 5.5 lb H&R, I can make them PDQ.

Or any other "Niche" loads, like my pet 7/8 oz of 8 1/2 shot at 1200 FPs that just destroys Wobble birds and you can't buy that at Wallie World.
 
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