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Posted: 10/6/2014 7:34:54 PM EDT
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This is probably an obvious question to anyone who is reloading shotgun shells, but here goes.. My 12 gauge MEC Sizemaster arrived today and I bolted it down to the bench. I noticed several areas that I needed clarification on before I start reloading. The charge bar is 1-1/8 ounce which drops the shot. There are 3 bushings 29, 30, 32 that drop various measures of powder. I have one bag of 8.5 lead shot and a large amount of hulls (Various brands). The hulls are all marked 7-1/2, 8, or 9. My question is: Can I use 8.5 shot in hulls marked 7-1/2, 8, or 9 or do I need to replace the shot as marked on the hulls? Should I have a 1 ounce charge bar (Or what are your recommendations)? Thanks.. |
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Shot size doesn't matter to much with the hull, but you will need to make sure the crimp on the hull is compatible with your crimp die.
The sensitive part is the wad. It has to match up with the hulls you are loading and the amount of shot you want to use. Tapered hulls need different wads than straight hulls. The Lyman shot shell reloading manual is a good resource to start out with. |
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Quoted: It will only work if you write 8.5 on the hulls.  J/k A hull is a hull. You could load up buckshot and slugs if you wanted to. I can't help with the rest because I still use these to load shotgun shells. can't find pics of mine but it looks like these. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYt5SrgzAol_m0PSDkCvqqYFerAa-pvY8IBJTy1WRmrao0w8b5NQ http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/6253153935/6684199/b13a070e3e0d317f891f539fc13039ae.jpg I don't think I've ever seen that set up before. Looks like you could actually take it into the field. |
| You may get some more help in the reloading forum of Arfcom Link to Armory/ reloading |
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Quoted:
Should I have a 1 ounce charge bar (Or what are your recommendations)? You only need a 1 ounce charge bar if you want to load 1 ounce shells. It really depends on what you're loading for, and what velocity you want to achieve. 1 ounce shells will cost less to load and are lower recoil than a 1 1/8 oz of the same velocity. But loading 1 1/8 oz gives you more pellets in the air. |
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I would find one specific hull and wad and stick with it. Set the crimp depth that will work with that combination and load and stay with it.
Various different hulls and wads will work, but it's just not worth the hassle. I strictly use AA winchester hulls these days. Got tons of them I'll never use up, so no real reason to play around with different ones. |
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I wish I could find a reason to re-mount my MEC, many years ago I used to reload for my 12 and 16 gauge all the time. But these days try as I might, when I pencil it out - I just can't seem to make reloading my 12ga. shotshells come out cheaper than buying them off the shelf...
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Quoted:
Quoted:
It will only work if you write 8.5 on the hulls.
J/k A hull is a hull. You could load up buckshot and slugs if you wanted to. I can't help with the rest because I still use these to load shotgun shells. can't find pics of mine but it looks like these. https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYt5SrgzAol_m0PSDkCvqqYFerAa-pvY8IBJTy1WRmrao0w8b5NQ http://picturearchive.gunauction.com/6253153935/6684199/b13a070e3e0d317f891f539fc13039ae.jpg I don't think I've ever seen that set up before. Looks like you could actually take it into the field. Yep. Not much to it really. Lee hasn't made the shotgun kits for years though, but a couple other companies make the same basic thing. 
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Quoted:
I wish I could find a reason to re-mount my MEC, many years ago I used to reload for my 12 and 16 gauge all the time.But these days try as I might, when I pencil it out - I just can't seem to make reloading my 12ga. shotshells come out cheaper than buying them off the shelf... With the price of lead, for sure. 28 and .410 are still worth it. Oh, and OP, get a powder scale. This is my goto for recipes: alliant |
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Quoted:
I wish I could find a reason to re-mount my MEC, many years ago I used to reload for my 12 and 16 gauge all the time.But these days try as I might, when I pencil it out - I just can't seem to make reloading my 12ga. shotshells come out cheaper than buying them off the shelf... Yep, I agree. I used to buy 25# bag of lead shot for around $12. What is it up to now? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I wish I could find a reason to re-mount my MEC, many years ago I used to reload for my 12 and 16 gauge all the time.But these days try as I might, when I pencil it out - I just can't seem to make reloading my 12ga. shotshells come out cheaper than buying them off the shelf... Yep, I agree. I used to buy 25# bag of lead shot for around $12. What is it up to now? I bought 3 bags for $100 from a guy. Retail around $45 |
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Now I've got a 1/2 bucket of Remington Nitro 27 shells that I read are the same as STS (So the load data is the same). I have the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook, 5th edition. I've got 700X powder, Remington RPX12 wads, and Federal 209A primers. The book calls for a Remington 209P primer. I have: 1000 Ficocchi 616 primers 1000 Federal 209A primers 300 Winchester W209 primers 500 Remington RXP12 wads 500 TGT 12S wads Hulls: Winchester AA gray and red Winchester Game Winchester Super X Federal Premium Target Federal Game Remington green smooth Remington STS Remington Nitro 27 Powder: 700X PB Bullseye AutoComp 2400 What combo of these supplies works? Is there a primer / wad interchangeability chart? I can buy all kinds of rifle powder around here, but the shotgun powders are nowhere to be found (Titewad, Clays, Red Dot, e3, etc) and the pistol powders are hard to find so this is all I have to work with until I can match the components exactly. Thanks |
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Quoted: Now I've got a 1/2 bucket of Remington Nitro 27 shells that I read are the same as STS (So the load data is the same). I have the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook, 5th edition. I've got 700X powder, Remington RPX12 wads, and Federal 209A primers. The book calls for a Remington 209P primer. I have: 1000 Ficocchi 616 primers 1000 Federal 209A primers 300 Winchester W209 primers 500 Remington RXP12 wads 500 TGT 12S wads Hulls: Winchester AA gray and red Winchester Game Winchester Super X Federal Premium Target Federal Game Remington green smooth Remington STS Remington Nitro 27 Powder: 700X PB Bullseye AutoComp 2400 What combo of these supplies works? Is there a primer / wad interchangeability chart? I can buy all kinds of rifle powder around here, but the shotgun powders are nowhere to be found (Titewad, Clays, Red Dot, e3, etc) and the pistol powders are hard to find so this is all I have to work with until I can match the components exactly. Thanks  |
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You have to be very carefull substituting shotgun components. There are no 'pressure signs' to look for. SAAMI pressure for a 2-3/4" 12 ga is 11,500psi. You want to stay below that.
Bushing charts are just guidlines to get on the map. Use a scale to check your drops. You'll be better off to pick one hull-wad- primer-powder combination and stick with it. The rem hulls you have are the best 12 ga hulls. The new AA would be a close second, but can be a little tricky to get good crimps. Go to the powder manufacturers website and look up loads. Most have a pretty decent load data center and you will be able to see how component changes can dramaticaly affect pressure. The fed 209A primers are generally considered hotter, substituting them in a load calling for win 209 or rem 209 primers can raise pressure significantly. ETA: 700x is a very good 12 gauge clay target powder. For 16 yd trap, pasture trap, or skeet 1 oz loads are fine. Your bag of shot will go a bit further. You'll get 400 1 oz loads or 16 boxes out of a bag of shot. You have to have the right wads for either 1-1/8 or 1 oz. |
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You'll need a 1 ounce charge bar to load 1 ounce loads.
I don't recommend mixing hulls. Follow the recipes in load guides, partly to have control over the pressure, and partly to have compatible components (straight wads in straight hulls). Every gunpowder seller has a brochure with data showing compatible combinations, and they're all available on line these days. Hodgdon has an interactive load data site. You'll probably need to get several more charge bushings, but one way to get by if an intermediate weight is used is to paint the inside of the bushing with fingernail polish to adjust the volume. This doesn't work in a charge bar, the shot removes the polish fairly quickly. I sold all of my universal charge bars because I think they're huge pain in the ass, but several people here claim to love 'em. |
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1387Delta, yes there are detailed charts and load data for various wads and hulls.
The wads are probably going to guide the loads you are going to make since you can only run those once to begin with. Each wad design has a limited amount of preload compression it wants by design, so the internal shape of the hull has to match. Like the others have pointed out, you will want to invest in one of the better shotshell load manuals. You will want to make small batches and test with a pattern board and chrono. You will see that some loads just won't pattern for you even if your machine cranks them out pretty or even if your rig cycles well. You will want to find a hull and wad that agrees with your chokes and taste in terms of patterns and speed. When you find the one(s) that works for your rig, the next challenge is to find the bulk deal on sale and tune up the machine for that recipe. I think you will enjoy the journey. |
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Thanks for the replies. I have just finished loading the following: Remington Nitro 27 hulls Federal 209A primers Remington Fig. 8 wads 17.5 grs. of 700x 1-1/8 oz of 8.5 shot I couldn't get the 700x to meter properly through my MEC Sizemaster. I used the 29 bushing like the book said to use, however, it was metering all over the place. I ended up using my RCBS Chargemaster for every shell. It was slow, but I felt I was getting an accurate charge. I think I am getting the hang of it. I just have to find all of the components for the particular hull. |
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I have not loaded 700x for years, but I don't recall having issues with it. 800x is known for metering issues. One thing that MAY help is a powder baffle, the red PC (pattern control) baffle seems to get the best reviews. YMMV.
Another 'trick' to loading on the single stage is to size, deprime and prime all the hulls, then go back and drop powder and crimp them. Supposedly it speeds up the overall process and helps with getting a little more uniform drops. Also, the more consistent your cycling the machine, the more consistent the drops will be. I load on a progressive press which is bolted to a stout top, which is bolted to the wall, I don't get much variation in my drops. If your drops don't match the charts I wouldn't worry about it, use the bushing that works. If your drops just have to much variation - maybe more than +/- 0.2 then I'd worry about it and try to sort out what the problem is. |
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