10GA Shotgun loading project

[pokesdeadthings]

Hi All,
I looked around here and decided this is where i would start my project. I bought a spanish SXS, 10ga Mercury magnum, 32 inch barrels with full choke. Following that I bought a large batch of pre-primed Remington 3-1/2 green hulls, BPI .125 10ga nitro cards, BPI overshot cards, Remington 10ga sp10 1-5/8 to 2oz wads, and a bpi roll crimper.
I don't mind loading slow for this, as it is a fun gun for me. I come to the forum to humbly ask if anyone has experience loading 10ga 00 buck. A consideration is that I want the loads to be in lead, as much of what I have read reports that these shotguns in particular don't take well to steel shot, and the full chokes may provide further issues. I also have interest in loading cast slugs too. Any info? places to start or experiences would be welcome. At this point i'm just missing (I believe) the powder and shot. Thanks.

[dbosman]

For a press, if you are interested, I recommend an inexpensive (used to very used) MEC 12 ga press. Then convert the press with the MEC 10 ga upgrade kit which is under $100.

I make the same recommendation for .410 loading, too.

[Brokenbear]

Can't address most of your questions ...BUT I do have a MEC 600jr set up in 10 ga 3 1/2" mag configuration ...a variety of charge bars, a **** load of Remington 10 ga wads and ALCAN empty primed brass ...and maybe even some Remington once fired hulls

Loaded 10ga for years ...for got more than i can remember ...seems though that I discovered how big stuff nested was everything for good pattern ...also seems like #0 buck was the one that did the trick ...big stuff thru full choke is a problem ...one of pattern and really goes south with conventional slugs ...busted up both shoulders in an accident ended my 10ga days ...but your best hope to get a slug accurate (humble opinion and a guess both worth about 10 cents) is to go saboted where the collar takes the squeeze and leaves the slug untouched or an undersized slug stabilized with a bore size base wad ...I regulated my 10ga for long range Canada goose pass shooting with #2 copper plated with shot buffer shooting 60 yards 30" circle getting 65% pattern ...the regulation process was taking the barrels to a friend at an automotive machine shop that had a brake hone ...I would hone/shoot ..hone/shoot until I got the pattern to not cross ...I figured out the crossing thing by taking a marker and placing two marks 180 degrees apart marking on 180 section with N for nickle and the other 180 C for copper ...then placing a thin strip of cardboard aligned with the marks on the shell casing ...loaded copper plated on the C side Nickle plated on the N side ...placed hard oak boards behind target so I could see what color shot was hitting which side ...my first shots before regulation in the chokes was amazing as the shot was crossing bad ..so the further down range the wider the pattern ...I am very confident that after honing the chokes a big percent of the shot NOT in the 30" circle were those mashed/deformed from launch acceleration

bearpawgrips@gmail.com

If I can help let me know
JB/Bear

[pokesdeadthings]

Thanks for the input back, I was hoping to avoid using a press honestly. Mostly for space, I got into the 10ga as a novelty and was okay with the reloading due to the nature of California's laws now towards ordering ammunition online. If you think 10ga is expensive, imagine paying for the absolute monopoly that gun shops and "Sporting goods" stores have out here, if they have it. I watched the Iraq vet8888 video on youtube about reloading shotgun shells, and that was what tipped me over to finally buying one. So if i can load the way it was listed in that video, I thik thats what I'd prefer. I took the shotgun with some 10ga snap caps and masking tape and found that the left barrel is not striking the primer. It thinks like it surely would. I looked for deformation of the breach face, I assumed from excessive dry firing, but have thankfully not found it to be the case. I think I just have a broken firing pin. With no parts support from numrich or ebay, I'm looking to machine it myself. The issue I have is that I cannot get the stock off. The screws are buggered like someone tried with non-firearm tooling, but came out. I am still new to the "Boxlock" idea of a SxS but have read of a third hidden screw. Any ideas?
Broken bear, sounds like you had a hell of a lot of fun loading and generally messing about with yours, I hope to do the same with mine. I was on the fence about maybe cutting the barrels to 24 inches and bypassing the choke to get to full bore but have read about issues with the spine between the barrels not taking well to that. I don't see why welding wouldnt fix it but no-one seems to approve, and it also seems most are soldiered somehow, one again negating the welding. I like the idea of the brake hone, as it would work, and probably well. I'm working on the firing pin issue, and next am going to be looking towards loading. I also like the idea of loading BB's, I assume .177 old daisy bb's right? is there any way to work a load up black powder safely for these old guns using buck or bb's?

[MOA]

I think you should take the s/s to a qualified gunsmith to get the firing pins, both of them, replaced and get the screws that attaches your stock either replaced or reground to accept a tool that will work in the future.

I would get the loading book on 10 ga from BPI if you do not already have it.
I also would start to order more wads. Fiber, in all thicknesses. Since you are not planning on using a press and are intent on going the roll crimp direction, you will need to be able to build your wad column from the powder on up. Nitro card, fiber wads, hard card, buckshot, overshot card and then your roll crimp. You should come up with some way to apply some compression to the wad column. You should have some kind of shell holder that will allow you to immobilize the hull so you can apply at least thirty pounds of pressure on the wad column as you build it. You will also need a drill to apply your roll crimp properly IMHO. When I started loading ten gauge back in eighty one I started with Remington also, I moved to using only Federal paper base wad now as my only hull for this gauge. I do use a mec 600 Jr for my loader, but I have added a Ponsness Warren to the inventory of loaders so I will be ordering a new tool head loaded with the dies for the ten gauge, this loader features a shell holder that surrounds the hull completely for support in compressing the wad column and in the crimping process, so no crushed hulls during the operation. Here are a few images of my loading #00 buck.

















It is also my opinion that the Remington hulls just seem to crush much easier that the Federal ones do. Just one more reason I switched to the Federal hull.



Now don't get me wrong, I still load some Remington hulls.....I just don't load them a lot, and when I use them all up when they are no longer reloadable I doubt if I will order them anymore, but while I still have them, I will still reload and use them.