Reloading 410 & 28 gauge ??? Help

[NORMAN]

Hey guys with the cost of 410 & 28 gauge shells is it worth while to reload your own ??
I already reload pistol rounds but curious about shotgun shell reloads.
Thanks

[Oldgringo]

Hey guys with the cost of 410 & 28 gauge shells is it worth while to reload your own ??
I already reload pistol rounds but curious about shotgun shell reloads.
Thanks

Back when I actively shot registered skeet, I actively loaded all four skeet gauges. If you're gonna' shoot 500-1000 rounds a couple times a month, maybe yes. If you're gonna' shoot 50-100 rounds a month, probably not.

[Crossfire]

If you are gonna reload shot shells - those are the two that you need to load.

That is where you get the biggest bang for the buck.

[v-rog]

If you are gonna reload shot shells - those are the two that you need to load.

That is where you get the biggest bang for the buck.

28-gauge and .410 factory shells are expensive! $9 - $11 per 25

Just shot 28-ga skeet today, and I'm thinking of getting something along the lines of Briley's SideKick inserts to convert my 12-ga down to .410: http://www.briley.com/side-kickchambertubesets.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And if that doesn't get the job done, than you will have a great club!

[mr surveyor]

If you are gonna reload shot shells - those are the two that you need to load.

That is where you get the biggest bang for the buck.

that's exactly the reason I chose to reload .44 mag and .357 mag (now .45 acp and .30/30 win). I would have absolutely no doubt that reloading both .410 and 28 ga would be well worth the investment. When reloading costs for a specific load are about 40% that of factory ammunition, I think it's well worth the time and investment.

[NORMAN]

Can anyone take me under their wing on how to how and what to order ??
I dont want a cheap press so i am willing to buy a good brand. Can you do progressive ?
want to do 28 or 410 so:
Press ?
wadding ?
shot ?
Hulls ?
Thanks again, i really would appreciate it.
Pm with Phone # if interested in helping

[ghostrider]

Can anyone take me under their wing on how to how and what to order ??

I'm not a expert on shotshells and I try not to play one on the internet, but here's some info to start with.

I can't help with 410 or 28ga specifically, but here are some of my opinions:

# Lee Loadall is adequate, but for serious shotshell reloading I recommend a MEC
The Mercedes of reloading may be the Dillon:
http://www.brianenos.com/store/dillon.900.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Note the MEC has conversion kits, but they are not really designed for "load 28ga today, switch it
to 410 tonight, and then back again tomorrow". If you shoot/reload in any volume its easier (but more
expensive, obviously) to have a press for each gauge. I don't have any experience with other brands
of shotshell presses (hornady, rcbs).

# load data: just like metallic reloading you want at least 2 sources of data
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/887011 ... ing-manual" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

## NOTE: you will see a lot of references to "do not substitute components", which is different than metallic
loading. The theory (and there is data) is that changing just one component (say a wad) can drastically affect
the pressures.

# shot: depends on your intended use. I load #7.5 shot for skeet
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/112479 ... shot-7-1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

# wads: you'll have to select based on the load recipes in your load data book

# hulls: as above, but also depends on what is available. I generally prefer Remington hulls (once fired).
I also use Fiocchi hulls (bought new) but there aren't as many published recipes.

# powder: lots to choose from; again it depends on what components you have and the available recipes.

In addition to Midway, Ballistic Products is another good source of tools & components:
http://www.ballisticproducts.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


I would recommend getting at least the Lyman book and start looking at components to see what might work for you.
Note that shotshell reloaders such as the MEC use bushings to determine powder (and shot) charges, so if you can
get an idea of what bushings you might need you can purchase them at the same time.

[ghostrider]

At the bottom of this page is a list of which bushings come with the MEC 600 Jr press:

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/MEC-60 ... o/1308447/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


You can view tables here to determine what bushings you need based on brand/type of powder:

http://www.mecreloaders.com/PowderBushi ... ushing.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[NORMAN]

Ghostrider , thanks so much for your response. It seems like there is more to this than I thought. Your info has been helpful.
I prob would go with the MEC loader (wish I could use one of my Dillon !!) (i have one set up for 9mm and one for 45 acp)
Really wish I could find someone who shoots 28's and 410's alot to see which one most prefer to hunt with ! I know it prob comes down to personal preference though.
I would love to learn from others knowledge or mistakes. I have been bird hunting for many years with a 20 gauge and have started to have fun again with my 410 and 28 so I thought I would start to reload at least one of these.
Thanks again for your help and any other info would be greatly appreciated

Norman

[ghostrider]

Ghostrider , thanks so much for your response. It seems like there is more to this than I thought.

Since you already load pistol rounds, you only really need to understand the differences with shotshell loading.

I have only scratched the surface: we haven't talked about lead vs steel or bismuth, filler wads, overshot cards,
slugs or roll crimping :-)

However, the MEC presses come basically ready to go - you really only need to pick bushings and you're ready
to go once you have components and a recipe.

Since you reload pistol rounds, you may already have a suitable powder.

[xring]

Many years ago I shot all 4 gauges and reloaded for each. Here is what I observed . Hulls for 12 plentiful and last a long time 20 gauge at least 50% less plentiful and don't last quite as long. The 28 Gauge almost impossible to find and shooters almost always pick up hulls I only got a few reloads per hull. the 410 are slightly more common than 28 and I only got a couple of loadings per hull. If I were Hunting and had to choose between 28 and 410 the 28 wins hands down. The patterns are very consistent and almost as dense as 20 gauge. After I quit shooting registered targets I stopped shooting 28 and 410 and switched to a very light 20 gauge, I think a 3/4 oz load. all of my shotshells were loaded on a versamec.

[NORMAN]

Ghostrider, you are right in we haven't scratched the surface. I will try to keep it simple. I will load lead only for dove and quail. I saw on the ballistic products site you referenced about a load that was more of a high velocity with less shot that was supposed to be lethal on birds. Don't know if that's true or not. That's why it would be nice to find someone who had the experience.

Xring - I would plan to buy my initial bulk of hulls etc to load up and then pick up my hulls after dove hunting. From what your saying I could definitely reload at least a couple of times. Just keeping the cost down a little and knowing I had a couple cases on hand would be great. Probably will start with 28 gauge. So as I mentioned to ghost rider I need to find the right dove load ..

Thanks

[ghostrider]

Right now I only hunt clay pigeons and I don't have a 28ga, so I can't help with that, but there is a wealth of info here:

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I searched on their reloading sub forum for "dove load 28 ga" and got 11,700 hits.
happy reading :-)

Here's a site dedicated to 28ga:
http://28gasociety.46.forumer.com/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[talltex]

Ghostrider , thanks so much for your response. It seems like there is more to this than I thought. Your info has been helpful.
I prob would go with the MEC loader (wish I could use one of my Dillon !!) (i have one set up for 9mm and one for 45 acp)
Really wish I could find someone who shoots 28's and 410's alot to see which one most prefer to hunt with ! I know it prob comes down to personal preference though.
I would love to learn from others knowledge or mistakes. I have been bird hunting for many years with a 20 gauge and have started to have fun again with my 410 and 28 so I thought I would start to reload at least one of these.
Thanks again for your help and any other info would be greatly appreciated

Norman

For hunting purposes, the 28ga. is really the only choice if you're talking about dove and/or quail. In my experience the 28ga. shoots almost as good a pattern as the 20ga.and I like it alot. The .410 is just too marginal a load for hunting, and even in expert hands you'll have lots of cripples fly off and not be found....just not enough pellets to produce a uniform pattern except at close yardages. Back in my quail hunting days, I did use a Remington 1100 .410 skeet gun a couple of times with one hunting buddy that liked to bet a couple of bucks per bird on a covey rise. He shot a long barreled Winchester 1400 12ga. (slow, heavy swinging gun). If you haven't shot a .410 1100, it's about like shooting a .22 semi auto...what little recoil there is, is absorbed by the gas action...I could get off all 5 shots, before he could get back onto a second bird...he stopped wanting to bet pretty quick.