Reloading with Buckshot and Slugs

[Netpackrat]

Tonight I made my first foray into shotshell reloading. I'm not really a bird hunter anymore, and I don't shoot clays. About the only shotgun loads I am really interested in these days are buckshot and slugs, which are kind of spendy. The last buckshot I purchased ran me 6 or 7 bucks per box of 5, so accumulating any sort of decent stockpile (in case of zombies, TEOTWAWKI, being invaded by Zee Chermans, etc) is kind of expensive. But, I've got all this lead, and I've been handloading metallic cartridges since I was in junior high, so it seems like attempting to make up some buckshot loads ought to be worth a try. I've had a little Lee Loader for 12 gauge sitting in a box for years, which I've never used. I was going to try using that, but then I learned that it doesn't resize the case at all, which may not be good for reliable feeding.

So, looking at the available options, and keeping in mind the objective of doing this as inexpensively as possible, I bought one of these. From what I can tell, the Load-All is about the cheapest way to get one's feet wet in shotshell reloading, and now having used it, I can say that quality wise, it is typical of Lee equipment. That is to say, it is a piece of crap, but it works. The resizing setup is plain hokey, and damn near the whole thing is made of plastic. Since I'm out of real estate on my regular reloading bench, I screwed it to a length of 2x6, and clamped it to one of my other workbenches for the trial run. I half expected it to come apart every time I pulled the handle, but so far it seems to be doing an admirable job, considering what I paid. I didn't really expect much for $40 anyway. I haven't been able to get any impression of its shot or powder charging capability, since I'm using my regular powder measure and scale (at least for now), and buckshot has to be stacked in the shell by hand anyway, which is another part of the reason I didn't want to spend money on a nicer press.

The only real issue I am having now is with getting a good crimp. There is definitely an art to it, but even though I seem to be getting the hang of it, getting an aesthetically pleasing crimp with any consistency still eludes me. At least I haven't crushed any more cases after the first couple. I'm gonna attach a picture of the crimps I have gotten so far. My main question, is there any reason I would not want to fire the uglier among them? I don't care so much about the appearance, I just want to know if the inconsistency might cause problems with overpressure?

And if I were to spend the money on a higher end shotshell press, would it be realistic to expect better results?

[Netpackrat]

As for the pellets themselves, I bought one of these molds off ebay. I made my own sprue cutter out of a pair of side cutters, by grinding the back side down such that they remove the sprue and leave a minimal nub on the shot. The mold works, and I made up a fairly respectable amount of shot in one evening, but considering the time spent casting, the number of rejects (not looking for perfection, but I want them to at least be mostly filled out without too many wrinkles), and the time cutting sprues, I'm not sure if I will bother again. I like having the mold around if I need it, so I haven't really lost anything if I consider it just an exercise in self sufficiency.

[Netpackrat]

Also, I am pretty sure that once I get my Saiga 12 (I currently own an 870), trying to use this single stage press to keep myself in practice and plinking ammo is going to be extremely sub optimal. I was just wondering what shotshell presses might be a better idea, keeping in mind that I'll probably be loading mostly buckshot and slugs, and won't be able to take advantage of a higher end press' shot charging system.

[PawPaw]

Those crimps aren't bad, they're just ugly. I'd shoot them.

I use a Lee Load-All for many years to reload hundreds of cases of shotgun shells and my experience is about like yours. When I first got it, I thought it was a piece of crap, but after I had used it for several years I realized that it is the low-cost alternative to shotshell reloading and that it simply worked. If I were getting back into shotshell reloading I'd simply buy another Lee Load-All and continue where I left off.

The only real issue I am having now is with getting a good crimp. There is definitely an art to it, but even though I seem to be getting the hang of it, getting an aesthetically pleasing crimp with any consistency still eludes me. At least I haven't crushed any more cases after the first couple. I'm gonna attach a picture of the crimps I have gotten so far. My main question, is there any reason I would not want to fire the uglier among them? I don't care so much about the appearance, I just want to know if the inconsistency might cause problems with overpressure?

As you've noticed, that comes with practice. The Load-All has two pre-crimp stations, one for a six point crimp and one for an eight point crimp. It's important to use the correct one for the shell you're using and I'd always pause a shell for about three seconds in the pre-crimp station before moving to the full crimp. That technique seemed to help getting a good crimp.

[blackeagle603]

Yeah, the Load-All feels like a flexi-flyer. Thing is they just run, and run, and run, and run...

I'd shoot those crimps no worries.

[blackeagle603]

(not looking for perfection, but I want them to at least be mostly filled out without too many wrinkles),

what you using for lead? WW's?

you getting the lead and mold hot enough? how you heating that mold?

relevant thread here at Cast Boolits. fwiw, There's a guy there who sells a 20 cavity buckshot mold.

[Flintlock Tom]

I have the Lee Load-All for 16 gauge, but I have not used it yet. Those molds you link to look handy and I'm thinking that slight irregularities in 00 buckshot would not be too much of an issue for what it's designed, i.e. hard-hitting groups at close range.
Also, in the eBay link, I'm assuming that .330mm is a type-o?

[Evyl Robot]

I've shot factory loads that had uglier crimps than that. Taking that into consideration, I'd be proud of the achievement if I were you!

[Netpackrat]

what you using for lead? WW's?

you getting the lead and mold hot enough? how you heating that mold?

relevant thread here at Cast Boolits. fwiw, There's a guy there who sells a 20 cavity buckshot mold.

I usually use wheelweights for everything, but I'd say that batch was about half WW, and half recovered bullets. AlaskaTRX and I did some shooting out at the cabin a couple winters ago, and when I returned in the spring, I found that when the snow melted, there was a nice pile of easy to pick up spent bullets all in close proximity to each other.

I am pretty sure that 20 cavity mold you mention is the same as the one I bought. I got it pretty damn hot, which helped, but no matter how hot I got it, it wouldn't fill out all the cavities consistently. It could easily be an issue with my casting technique, or not getting the mold sufficiently clean, or maybe a little zinc in the wheelweights. The weights I used this time around were definitely of newer manufacture than my usual stock, that dad and I smelted down about 15 years ago when we were still running the tire shop. In any event, for the effort involved, I may just buy my buckshot once I use these all up, and conserve my remaining wheelweight ingots for casting actual bullets. Especially if I start going through shells in Saiga quantities.

Thanks to everyone for the comments and advice. I kind of figured that the ugly crimps were just cosmetic, but having never reloaded shotshells before, I thought I should ask.

[mousegun]

Couple of tips:
1. 8 point starter is in front on 12 gauge press; verfiy and mark it. On the 20 gauge they are in back.
2. Make sure crease from previous firing is @ 6 O'Clock when you are about to run a load through crimp starter.
3. When you do go to use the powder drop, verify the drop before you put a bunch of powder in the hopper. They tend to throw light...some very light with some powders.
4. When you load the wad, press down on it and don't be surprised when some come part way back up with the ram.
5. #1 buck fits in rows of three in shot cups, 00 in rows of two. If you trim the petals off, #1's go 4, 00 go three, and 000 go two.

Yeah, they're cheap, don't always make the prettiest rounds, and seem flimsy....but the darned things do work.