22 LR Capsules for Shot Shells

[John Boy]

Anyone reload 22LR shot shells? Question relates to the capsules: size and where to buy.
If plastic capsules are not available, considering empty gel capsules. Issue is the capsules have a unique grading system and not in inches or mm ...
https://vetapprovedrx.pharmacy/catalog/product/view/id/4187/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6MuG8eOG2wIV2FuGCh0SBgNwEAQYASA BEgLQIPD_BwE

Any hints as to diameter sizes?

[17nut]

I did a dirty one and used gelatine capsules bought on the bay.

Size chart here: https://www.capsuline.com/empty-capsule-size-chart/

Size #4 fits the bill

220472
220473

And an over powder wad
220474

Filling amounts to @16.6grains #12 lead shot or @55 pellets

[John Boy]

17nut - Most helpful - Thanks. Made an order for 1000
Have primed empty cases and dies, so it should be fun to reload a few hundred. Even considering loading some duplex loads of shot & lead bullet. I have 22LR bullet molds too [smilie=1:

[John Boy]

Capsules came and reloading is a piece of cake - if you have nimble fingers:
* Plug a Lee 0.3cc dipper to drop 1.23grs of Bullseye
* Fill primed empty 22LR case with powder from dipper
* Separate the capsule and fill with #12 shot
* Close capsule
* Insert the capsule into the primed case with the short end into the case 'First"
* Short end of the capsule forms a tight seal in the case
* Move capsule down in the case so the COAL length is 0.980, same length as a standard 22LR ... Done!

[John Boy]

OK - Next venture ... load a box of 50 shot shells:
* Put 50 primed empty cases in an empty Win 209 primer tray
* With the plugged 0.03cc Lee dipper, fill each case
* Then fill 50 capsules with #12 shot
* Again, seat the filled capsules in the 22LR case. I don't have to measure the COAL of the reloads because there is a top band on the capsule that just below is 0.980" [smilie=w:
Put the reloads in an empty 22LR box = Done
* Total reloading time for 50 shotshells = a tad over 45 minutes
* Number of pieces of shot in one capsule = 169

[17nut]

220728

[Ballistics in Scotland]

The first gun I ever owned without air coming into it, was a 9mm. Webley garden gun, which is actually a slightly smaller calibre than that sounds. I have several pounds weight of Fiocchi cases, primed but never loaded, which I bought in an auction long ago, when the Birmingham Gun Barrel Proof House disposed of many such items which it seemed unlikely to use again in such quantities.

The velocity couldn't have been bad, when you consider that it disposed of pigeons quite cleanly at ten or fifteen yards, as long as you avoided any quixotic notions such as shooting flying. What I found was that this gun gave astonishingly good shot patterns, considering that it had nothing but a single thickness of cupped cardboard, about an eighth of an inch deep and cereal-packet thickness, between powder and shot. I think this was because the inertia of the small shot charge produced less deformation than you could get in a larger gun.

[BAGTIC]

Was your garden gun a smooth bore? At close range it seems reasonable. I believe a lot of rimmed cases, even those with less case capacity than a 410, would be quite useful if blown out straight but rifling really messes things up.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Interesting!

17nut, what material and how thick was that over-powder wad? Thanks!

[17nut]

Leather and @ 1/8"
It was scrap from a belt.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Aah - Thank you. Sort of what I thought, but best to check.

[country gent]

Its interesting how some things are measured. Not sure on medical capsules but could see them being sold as to volume they hold. I worked in a can plant and a 12 ounce soup can is a 211x ? can, 211 1/64s of an inch in dia. 48 ounce were 404 size. Once you know the way measured its easier to figure out, but a shame things cant be simply inches or metric

[sniper]

Great thread, but where, Pray does one get primed .22LR brass? Do you pull loaded .22 LR boolits and refill? Does the load of #12 shot in the capsules exceed what the factory loads provide?
Thanx!

[photomicftn]

Looks like these folks do. It's unfortunately out of stock, with a wait list. Might want to see when they expect some.

https://fedarm.com/product/22lr-primed-new-casings-2000-ct-pack/

[sniper]

THANKS...I didn't know they did that!:smile:

[John Boy]

In stock, includes 2000 22LR primed empty cases - 19 kits left ... https://fedarm.com/product/22lr-conical-bullet-ammo-kit/?attribute_pa_quantity=2000-casing-bulk

[Finster101]

What do you use to crimp the case?

[M.A.D]

Looks like these folks do. It's unfortunately out of stock, with a wait list. Might want to see when they expect some.

https://fedarm.com/product/22lr-primed-new-casings-2000-ct-pack/

Bloody hell, I got all tingly seeing that..... I wonder if i could get them exported to Australia...