12 bore Reloading

[25 Sharps]

I am starting to do a bit more shotgun shooting, not thousands and thousands but I am considering taking up cartridge reloading as I already load all my rifles and to be honest not being able to go out and buy cartridges during lockdown when there's been lots of pigeon shooting has got me wondering about reloading.

What are the set up costs?
Is there much of a saving (excluding equipment and time) of consumables against loaded cartridges?

I have been shooting the gamebore pigeon extreme 34/5s to good effect and they are allowing me to really reach out on the pigeons but they are quite expensive so the idea of loading a similar cartridge definitely appeals!

 

[Smellydog]

I stopped a few years ago. It's not really much of a cost saving any more.
Last time I added it all up and for shooting pigeon and crows, my time and postage of stuff I may as well just by a slab of target loads.
Decades ago I would load a two gallon bucket full of reloads for the weekend of shooting. It was worth it then but things have changed cost wise of components.
It was a little over half the cost back then.

 

[Stalker62]

Reloading.
Yes. Reloading.
Just done some quick maths.
.308 about £2 a round to buy.

But I want to reload. I heard it could be cheaper (lie) and that it could make for a more accurate day at the range (massive lie).
With all the gear and all the consumables that I have purchased over the past couple of years; I am currently running at about £20 a round.

So.
Provided I live to be 125 years old no problem.

Yeh, reloading...

 

[old keeper]

There was a time when I was shooting around three thousand 12 bore cartridges a year that it was worth reloading your own. Today, unless you are shooting a lot I don't think it's worth it. There is nowhere near the same sense of achievement or satisfaction loading shotgun cartridges compared with rifle ammo. I always thought you loaded shotgun ammo purely as a cost saver.

 

[bobt]

I load a few shotgun shells, but cost wise its not worth doing, apart from AAA or other large shot sizes.

 

[25 Sharps]

Reloading.
Yes. Reloading.
Just done some quick maths.
.308 about £2 a round to buy.

But I want to reload. I heard it could be cheaper (lie) and that it could make for a more accurate day at the range (massive lie).
With all the gear and all the consumables that I have purchased over the past couple of years; I am currently running at about £20 a round.

So.
Provided I live to be 125 years old no problem.

Yeh, reloading...

To be fair I spent £100 on a second hand lee kit 6 years ago. I reckon I am £2-3000 to the good on what I have saved on rifle rounds, probably a lot more. I shoot 100-300 CF rounds a month depending on what discipline we are shooting at the club all of which I reload bar 7.5x55 as at 70p a round for PPU it’s not worth it with my abilities with irons past 100 yards.

If you are only shooting 20 rounds a month at deer then reloading is almost definitely not worth it, unless you want another hobby to swallow time and money.

I am now finding I am getting through more 12b, I have had some cracking pigeon shooting over rape last 3-4 weeks and I’ve done 2 slabs. We have our club bi-annual clay shoot in July, that will generally run to 3-400 cartridges, then we are back to harvest and more pigeons.....

PS If your reloads are not more accurate than factory you are either doing something wrong or your lucky to have found incredibly accurate factory ammo in your rifle. All rifle relies for me halve the group size of factory.

 

[Stalker62]

PS If your reloads are not more accurate than factory you are either doing something wrong or your lucky to have found incredibly accurate factory ammo in your rifle. All rifle relies for me halve the group size of factory.

I know. To be fair I was going for comedy with regards the accuracy.

 

[Liveonce]

Their are several suppliers of shotgun cartridge reloading supplies, the main two are Clay and Game Reloading and Folkestone Engineering Supplies. A quick look on their websites will give you an idea of costs to be able to decide.
Also good summary at:

Folkestone Engineering Supplies - Cartridge reloading why reload

 

[EMcC]

I used to reload but that was when you could get shot from the place near Bristol.
Then when things got difficult I started to buy Baikel by the thousand, order over the phone pay by card and they turned up on your doorstep a couple of days later.
Now it cannot possibly be worth it as all costs for components have risen tremendously.

 

[Smellydog]

Can you still get Baikal ammo

 

[EMcC]

Can you still get Baikal ammo

Don't know but it was bl***y good value at the time.
I used thousands of them pigeon shooting.
Used to pay by plastic card and by the time it came to pay, I'd shot enough pigeons and sold them to cover the cost and some money over.

 

[Liveonce]

I used to reload but that was when you could get shot from the place near Bristol.
Then when things got difficult I started to buy Baikel by the thousand, order over the phone pay by card and they turned up on your doorstep a couple of days later.
Now it cannot possibly be worth it as all costs for components have risen tremendously.

Redcliffe Bristol shot tower now housing I believe?, was the last Independent commercial shot maker, those day long gone.

 

[EMcC]

Redcliffe Bristol shot tower now housing I believe?, was the last Independent commercial shot maker, those day long gone.

I used to go there and collect, not just for myself but a few other reloaders and on the way home my vehicle was really down on it's springs.

 

[User00040]

Honest answer, not worth it with European hulls (the plastic and brass bit that everything goes into).

The American shotgun forums refer to these as 'Eurotrash' although that term could just as easily be applied to the average punter on a driven shoot...

 

[finnbear270]

Many a happy hour sat in front of one of these in my youth,

 

[User00013]

I have been looking into reloading for shotgun this past while. Shotgun cartridges are getting expensive especially game a box of 36 gram no 4 are like £10 a box now wasn't that long ago about 4 years or less I could get them around £8 clay cartridges are expensive too compared to what they used to be they have went up around £10 per 250 compered to 4/5 years ago. I am thinking of building my own press to do this I seen a guy on built one for 410. I am in the market soon for a 410 and the price of that ammo is wild so I defo would want to be reloading for that.

 

[Smellydog]

I have been looking into reloading for shotgun this past while. Shotgun cartridges are getting expensive especially game a box of 36 gram no 4 are like £10 a box now wasn't that long ago about 4 years or less I could get them around £8 clay cartridges are expensive too compared to what they used to be they have went up around £10 per 250 compered to 4/5 years ago. I am thinking of building my own press to do this I seen a guy on built one for 410. I am in the market soon for a 410 and the price of that ammo is wild so I defo would want to be reloading for that.

410 yes, I reload 410 with very basic hand tools.

 

[User00040]

410 yes, I reload 410 with very basic hand tools.
View attachment 164229

Nice roll turnover setup!

 

[levigsp]

I reload because I get great satisfaction from using home grown cartridge on geese. no savings to be made though.
Pigeon and crow cartridges can be bought very cheaply in England So I buy every time Im down, I bring home a thousand and leave a thousand for friends to bring up.

 

[thegreg]

I started loading my own 12g a couple of years ago. As a few others have said the savings are minimal, but what it does allow you to do is customise your loads. I use 36g 5’s and 6’s for game. I do 38g 4’s for ducks and 50g 3’s for geese. Normally in a commercial cartridge when you go up to 36g the shot size steps up to at least a 4, which is too big for pheasants. So if that sort of thing appeals to you then it’s worth doing.

cheers
Greg