are good shells, but even a casual reloader can cut this cost in half.
Some writers suggest that reloading gives you a sense of craftsmanship. For hunters, this may not be as important an idea to grasp as for clay shooters. After all, unless you are wealthy enough to hire guides and hunt at lodges or “plantations” where someone else does the real work, successful hunting is a do-it-yourself operation.
For clay competitors, however, a sense of mastery means – in simplest terms – learning to lead a flying target. Nothing about your tools, the shotgun or your shooting accessories (vest or cap or safety glasses, for instance) gives you a sense of personal investment and involvement beyond pulling the trigger (unless perhaps you build your own shooting cart). I would argue that craftsmanship is a thing of the hands that separates humankind from all other creatures, and that reloading for clay shooters allows one to enter that realm.
Close-up of the MEC adjustable rammer tube on 9000-series reloaders. The gradations help you apply specific amounts of force to a load. When you begin reloading, you will learn a new technology and add the virtually lost element of individual craftsmanship to your shooting resume.
Some writers have suggested that reloading gives you an advantage, allows you to “do better” in the field, perhaps because you can precisely tailor your set-up to the situation. In a general sense, I support this concept, but do not believe that it is true in any specific sense of killing a sharp-tail grouse or making any specific sporting shot. There is no study that suggests that reloaders are better hunters or competitors than individuals who are well supported by commercial loads. The proliferation of commercial loads today matches the ability of reloaders to create their own loads, but as I have suggested, finding those commercial loads when you need them and in the quantities you want at the time is the challenge.
SAFETY AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
There is no question that reloading involves some dangers and requires more than a passing nod at keeping yourself and your family safe. Nevertheless, reloading is an activity that can involve other members of the family and there is no age or size limit to loading shotshells. Any person who is large enough to control a gun and capable of shooting or hunting can load successfully with supervision.
Use Hodgdon’s Longshot for 12-, 20-and 28-gauge target loads, and for heavy field use (not recommended for the 410, however). Hodgdon reports that Longshot is “the most versatile heavy field propellant Hodgdon has ever produced . . . In addition, Longshot is the best choice for those competitors shooting race games such as Buddy shoots and Annie Oakleys at their home trap and skeet clubs.” Expect magnum velocities with superb patterns.
The big, obvious, classic reloading mistake is misreading or misapplying load data. In an extreme case, such a mistake can kill you or someone standing nearby when the pressures ignited in the chamber are too great for your gun’s barrel. I have never personally seen anything like this, but I do believe that it is possible.
KNOW YOUR GUN
You can reload for any shotgun and any gauge, but while there is an obvious difference in over/unders and gasoperated semi-autos, one of the hidden differences involves reloaded shells. Compared to a semi-auto that bleeds off some propellant gases, using them to cycle the mechanical action, an over/under or side-by-side is a relatively simple mechanical instrument. You pull the trigger and everything goes out the muzzle or is ejected when the action is broken over. You can shoot practically any shell through an over/under that the chamber will hold, and you know immediately if it will not for some reason fit in the chamber because you load each individual shell by hand.
A semi-auto can be much more deceitful, however, because after the first shell, subsequent shells are automatically loaded into a tubular magazine while the expended shell is mechanically ejected. The gun, in a sense, does all the thinking and is responsible for follow-through. Shells may fit in the magazine, but not in the chamber. This is especially true for hulls that have been fired more than a few times, although it is the first job of your reloading press to properly resize the hull. The brass can deform slightly and any irregularity may prevent a shell from cycling properly in your gas gun. It is something to be aware of, and it should inspire you to use only clean and undamaged components, but it’s not something that should prevent you from reloading.
Safety Notes and Tips
• Never leave powder where children have access to it. A locked and inaccessible cabinet or a safe for powder storage is always an excellent idea.
• Always wear safety glasses or goggles when reloading.
• Powders contain nitroglycerin. Therefore inhalation, ingestion or skin contact may cause severe headaches, nausea and a drop in blood pressure. In case of ingestion or inhalation, call a doctor immediately. Avoid contamination of food and beverages. Wash thoroughly after handling and do not carry powder in your clothing.
• Do not smoke, use spark-producing tools or work near an open fire such as a fireplace or a lantern when reloading. Smokeless powder is an explosive material and highly flammable. It should always be stored and handled in such a way to avoid impact, sparks, flame, friction and heat. You must have a fire extinguisher available and make sure your family knows how to telephone the local fire department.
• Pour only the amount of powder needed for your immediate work.
• Clean up any spilled powders with a brush and dustpan immediately. Do not use a vacuum cleaner, which can ignite powder through sparking.
• Check the powder measure each time it is used. Make sure the settings have not been accidentally changed. Check the weight of “thrown charges” often.
• Store powder only in its original container, not in old mayonnaise jars or empty milk cartons, for instance. Do not repackage powder. The original manufacturer’s container may look nondescript, but it was specially designed for storing powder. When you are ready to discard the carton or package, make certain that it is empty and clean; never use it for any other purpose.
• Never use lead shot with steel shot or other non-toxic shot data, or smokeless powders for black powder or black powder substitutes, or vice versa. Lead and steel pellets have drastically different ballistic properties and to mistakenly use one for the other can cause serious property damage and personal injury.
• Never mix types of powder, regardless of type, brand, style or source.
• Never use one powder manufacturer’s data to load shells with another’s powder, even if a description of the powder you are using says that it is “similar to” another’s powder. Follow load recipes exactly; do not substitute components, exceed listed maximums or load less than listed minimums.
• Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated areas, cleaning firearms, or handling ammunition may result in exposure to lead, an element known to cause birth defects, reproductive harm and other serious injuries. Have adequate ventilation at all times. Wash hands and face thoroughly after handling lead and before coming in contact with food, chewing materials and smoking materials.
• Find a place and time where you can focus on loading. Building safe and consistent loads requires your total attention.
• Most companies suggest that establishing a reloading
