Newbie to shotgun reloading needs advice

[Eagle1]

Just bought an old MEC 600jr 12ga re-loader. Looking for some advice on recipes and brands of supplies.
Powder, primers,wads, you get the idea,and good suppliers.
I want to re-load for trap, pheasant, and I plan on getting equipment to load steel for waterfowl (Canadian's, snows as well as duck).
Thanks for any help you can give.

[Toster]

I do a lot of 12ga &28ga on a MEC 9000.  I would suggest sticking to one type of hull.  There are some that you can "interchange" but for just starting out, pick one and learn it.  I use AA HS hulls, and have built up quite a collection of them.  I seem to get quite a few reloads before the crimp starts cracking out, at which point I make them in to field loads, and toss them (not in the field...I hate that).  I use E3, and 20-28 powers, both are VERY clean burning and you can make a good crimp with the loads.  I have gone back to the Winchester brand wads, the Claybuster wads seemed to leave lots more plastic residue in the chokes than the Winchester ones did.  With a 600 you might need to resize the brass once in a while if you are shooting an auto, or some pumps.  I would also suggest going to MEC's web site and downloading the manual, read through it about 3 times before even putting one shell in there.  While you are out, pick up a couple free power pamphlets, and they should have a good starting point for the reloads.  I do 17 gn of E3 with a WAA12 (white) wad and 1-1/8 oz shot in a AA HS hull.  That puts it out there at about 1200 fps, and for "light" loads I do a 16.5 gn of E3, WAA12SL (pink), and 1oz of shot.  Both with a Winchester 209 primer.  I even have some 7/8 oz shot that work really well, but I don't remember the load exactly so I don't want to post it.  Remember to take your time, and be cautious!  You?ll get the hang of it soon enough.

[rugermanx]

I reload 12 ga. Usually I use AA hulls, with Downrange's figure 8's. They seem to do very well. I used to use the remington figure 8's but the downranges are about 1/2 the cost and do just as well. I run Clay's Universal, but am currently considering going to a different powder since you can't find 8lb kegs, and its more expensive to buy it by the 4 lb kegs. I will try to post my recipe here after work, I don't remember exactly what's in the shell. But if you pick up the free powder books you can get a very good starting point. Otherwise the powder manufacturers sites usually have a tool where you pick your hull, powder, or shot weight and it tells you what's available for that shell.

As a side note, Is there anyone else that's as shameless as I am about collecting hulls? When I started I had about 100 hulls, But after several trips to shoot sporting clays and skeet, and doing some dumpster diving I have collected almost 5k.

As for the MEC press there is a guy in Omaha (he also sells downrange wads - which are made here in Nebraska) that handles all sorts of parts. I don't have his card on me right now but a buddy and I have done business with him a couple of times. I will post his info if anyone wants it for wads or needs MEC parts.

Here's a few links for ya

Alliant makes the Dot series of powder. Here's their reloading guide.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx


Hodgdon has theirs here

http://www.hodgdon.com/basic-manual-inquiry.html

Both of those guides are also printed and usually available where powder and reloading supplies are sold.

[Dan W]

I use Downrange wads exclusively. Very good quality and made In the Hastings/GI area

I have many recipes for AA, STS and Remington Gun Club hulls with International Clays powder and Windjammer type wads, If you want target loads in 1oz or 1 1/8th oz. I have used  Cheddite 209 primers for my last 30000 rounds

[Eagle1]

Well I will start by saying "Thank you gentle men".
This gives me a better starting point and more knowledge.
Where can you get the Downrange wads in Lincoln (or surrounding area)? Also where is a good place to buy materials besides Scheels (not that I have a problem with them, they gave me a key to the employee bathroom).
I have collected about 3-4 5 gal buckets of hulls. About 1 1/2 of Winchester, 3/4 of Federal and about 3/4 bucket of what I believe are Estate hulls then a few 20ga hulls. (No shame in dumpster diving if you don't go in past the waist, NO SHAME AT ALL-recycle-reuse-reduce).
And yes Rugermanx I would like the name of the guy in Omaha, I am looking for MEC parts. I would like to find a kit to do 20's on my 600. John @ Scheels  thinks he might have a line on one but I did not hear back from him today.
   

[rugermanx]

Omaha Sporting Supply
Barry Branson
Papillion, NE 68133
Phone # 402-291-9544
omahasportingsupply@cox.net

Website:

http://members.cox.net/omahasportingsupply/

He handles Downrange Wads and has lots of MEC parts.

[Eagle1]

Ok, stupid ? of the day. I went to seek more advice and get supplies to start reloading. I took samples of the hulls I have. The guy told me you can not safely reload the zinc plated hulls.
I have a Lyman book on reloading and it show a 2 3/4 ribbed red plastic tube, zinc base witha yellow plastic basewad and  states that you use the same loading data as Win HS and/or compression formed cases. The hulls in ? are xpert steel and super x. I also have a # of universal hulls that do ot have the yellow bases so I would assume that they may not work.
Also I have a bunch of Federal hulls that are zinc and my book does not address any Fed zinc hulls, so again they may not work either. For now I am only working on trap loads to learn.
Later I will get into the steel 3" and field loads.
So, could I reload these Winchester zinc hulls 1 1/8, 18g, 7 1/2 shot for clays?
Thanks again for any words of wisdom.

[Dan W]

I have successfully loaded the Rem Gun Club hulls that are steel based with a brass or zinc plating. I use them in my Citori most of the time for trap doubles with 1oz. They load to exact same recipe as the STS hull

I have one Competition shotgun that does not like the steel bases and will not eject them correctly, so I stick with brass AA's or mostly Rem STS's and Nitro27 hulls


The really important thing is that the interior dimensions and base wad are correct for your recipe. The SuperX and the Xpert hulls may have the same hull design as the AA, but likely use a lower quality plastic, so the crimps may be poor or they may only be reloaded a few times.

[Eagle1]

Thanks again Dan. Hopefully I will get my first loading done early next week. Getting every thing ready for duck hunting this weekend so not much time.

[Dan W]

Your welcome. Maybe sometime when we are both free, I can show you a few things. I might even have a few used  AA's I could give you. I keep saying that I am going to go exclusively with the Rem hulls, but I keep loading those AA's up one more time... I know I have some that I could part with

[Eagle1]

Thanks for the invite Dan, that sounds great. I wouldn't mind a little insight about handgun and rifle loading as well. I shoot 300 win mag and 9mm. As I recall from earlier post you do a bit of 9mm.

[Dan W]

I load 9mm, .45 ACP, .223 and lots of 12 gauge

[rugermanx]

I reload the Gun Club hulls, I also do some of the universals, as well as some federal hulls. I have not had a problem with them feeding in my 870. For sporting clays/skeet/trap shooting I use exclusively AA hulls. However I use the cheaper hulls when I am going to be in the field where I may loose some. I have reloaded AA's sometimes up to 7 or 8 times. before the crimp starts to crack and blow apart. But the cheaper ones like the Remington black hulls, gun clubs, or universals only go 4 or 5. When I was going through some of the dumpsters obtaining shells I always joked with my buddy that I was going to start using Universals all the time since you can find them just about everywhere in huge quantities. But after enough searching I came up with enough AA hulls to make quite a little collection.

[Eagle1]

Well I think I will try and load some of the win hulls with the yellow base wad and a few of the fed purple hulls, then borrow a buddies gun to see how well they work.
Any buddies out there got a gun I can blow up, um I mean use. 
Well all of this next week after a weekend of duck hunt'n. 
If any buddy's got an idea of a safe recipe for the federal purple cheap hulls I could use one.

[rugermanx]

Find out which shells you have, I don't remember where I found how to Identify the shells, but find what shell you have and then put that data into the tables on IMR and Hodgdon's websites. I know one of them had some data for the federal Hi-Power plastic shells w/ fiber base wad (which I THINK is the shell you are talking about but am not sure.)

[Eagle1]

Thanks Rugermanx. I found some info on another forum which has led me to e-mail Federal. This guy said that he had e-mailed them and they sent him info. I did find what I think is the right recipe from Hodgdon.
I did however get everything purchased to do some loading this weekend. I did 100 rounds last night. 25 AA and 75 xpert steel hulls with lead. I can certainly see the difference in the way they crimp. I think I will have to adjust the wad pressure. MEC or Lyman said you should not have to with todays wads, but I don't believe that so much today. Also I may need to tweak the final crimp adjustment. I didn't get a chance to shot any of my rounds today, maybe tomorrow after work.
Today I purchased a Pacific/Hornady 007 so next I can learn to reload 300 win mags and 9mm and then 380 whence I acquire an LCP.
And yes I will be asking more ?'s when I get some things figured out on that. It has a couple of missing pieces.

addition: I have received a pamphlet from Federal with recipes for many fed hulls. Also requested info on Estate from Federal as well and they are sending that.
Now if I can find the time I have lots of hulls and everything else I need to load lots of stuff.
Should keep me busy this winter. just need to heat the garage.
  

[unfy]

Hate to post to an ancient thread...

But... being just before Independence Day, I picked up a MEC 600 Jr Mark 5 from Guns Unlimited.

I have a question.

Going to go about reading the manual several times as well as dig through documentation / etc online for a week or so before I pick up primers and possibly powder. I have experience in metallic reloading, but this is a different beast .

My decision to buy the press wasn't necessarily for high volume production... nor really for cost savings... but rather to be able to produce the specific kind of shell I want. (I suppose being able to 'smith' what I want ?). I've had troubles finding 12GA 3" 15pel 00buck shells locally... and both online and local prices tend to be nasty.  I don't really sport with my shotgun any, it's a pistol grip only 18" barrel who's sole purpose is for home defense.  I dunno if the trap/skeet range on 68th & Harrison in Omaha would allow a pistol grip only gun... been meaning to go ask them.

I've grabbed some super cheap 2.75" shells for practice, but still prefer to run a magazine of 'what will be used' through it every few weeks just so I know what to expect (yes, it's bit me in the chin once  ). 

I've read in other forums that there's an issue of getting 15 pellets of 00buck into a hull and such.  Looking at the Alliant Powder based lil insert that came with the press (GU was out of Lyman's books this week), I see several mentionings of different hulls and such for a given weight, and the store-copy of the Lyman book had mentionings as well. 

I have no desire to buy my over priced desired shells and reload them after firing... is there an easy way to know what particular hulls are used in cheaper 3" shells ?  The recipe insert with the press seems to get very specific about hull type.  Are all of the hulls kinda similar in that if there's a recipe for that load weight for that hull I won't have any problems in buying bird shot filled hulls rather than 00buck ?  IE: BrandX 3" #7 vs BrandX 3" 00buck ?  No other nomenclature differences ?

Or would I have better luck just buying 100-250 empty hulls of a known type ?

Shot shell reloading is just so damn more complicated than metallic reloading