Inheriting a .410, opinions on reloading

[fecmech]

Federal has recently come out with their Top Gun promotional loads in .410 and 28 ga. Walmart has recently started carrying them at $6.97/box of 25. Not as good as 12 and 20 ga shells at $5./box but a step in the right direction. If you start shooting more than a couple boxes per month then I would look for an old single stage press. You should be able to load .410's for around $3./box

[Reverend Al]

Attachment 243509

What's in the loaded shell, eh?

These are the fire-forming load with yellow cornmeal described in my original post. The "white" you can see down below the case mouth is the final 1/4 sheet of toilet tissue that is holding the cornmeal in place before fire-forming. By the way, if you point the muzzle straight up in the air when you fire them the brass cases will form square to the chamber and won't be "lop-sided with a bulge on one side.

[Reverend Al]

Oh, and I've formed about 100 plus of these .410 Musket cases so far and haven't had a single case split on fire-forming ... (I'm positive that the annealing before fire-forming is that reason for that) ...

[9.3X62AL]

Buy 2-4 boxes of factory shells to 1) accumulate hulls and 2) figure out if reloading for the 410 is a thing you want to do. I bought a MEC 600 JR many years ago and load 3" shells for my 410s, which I shoot a lot of. I use #9 shot in 410 and 28 gauge almost to the exclusion of other shot sizes.

[GhostHawk]

I reload for my .410 with tools I made myself.

A dowel that fits inside the .410 shell fairly close.
Another dowel with a finishing nail epoxied into the end and sanded till it would go through the flash hole easily.
A short piece of 2x2 with a big enough hole drilled to accept the spent primer.

Add a powder dipper which is not hard to make once you decide on a powder.
A shot dipper.

Ballistic's Products for hulls, wads, primers, and powder.

Or you can buy a box of Mechtech brass .410 hulls and either shoot black powder. Or go comepletly off road and work up your own smokeless loads.

It can be done, and it can be done on a shoestring. No vast amounts of money required.
https://fromthetrenchesworldreport.c...ding-kit/60500

This will get you moving in the right direction.

As to shooting a .410, especially with children, keep the targets on the closer side. 25-30 yards should work good.
With practice you can get out farther. But tough birds like ducks are hard to kill at 50 + yards.

[ncmn]

Interested in this as well, I am looking at purchasing a Hatfield .410 just for experimenting with loads as I am new to shotgun reloading. Not sure I am ready to buy a Mec yet as I don't know enough about them. Keep the posts coming as I'm learning a lot.

[cwlongshot]

Look up 450 Mongo

Can be a fun project

CW

[PerpetualStudent]

Good stuff. I appreciate hearing the voice of experience. Since it's a break action single shot, I don't have a place to throw my own clays, and my girls are still a couple years away, I'll hold off on the press for the moment. Unless I see an unbelievably good deal. Start with a few boxes and if we are burning through them then see about reloading.

I do like the look of those brass loads. Are you looking for signs of pressure like you would in a rifle/pistol round? I know in shotshell reloading books they say "follow the recipe" partially because with a plastic or paper hull your first sign of dangerous pressure could be your gun exploding. Does that change when you're using brass?

[ncmn]

Is there enough difference between the size master and the Jr. to pay the difference?

[gpidaho]

I'm going to pass along the brass case load that I shoot in my break barrel Rossi 410. It is safe to shoot in MY shotgun. For the safety of all concerned please take this with the appropriate amount of concern. 444 Marlin brass, any large rifle primer, 12gr. Blue Dot, .070 nitro card, Claybuster WAA clone with the petals cut back to 1/8" from the case mouth, fill to 1/8" below case mouth with shot, place overshot card on top of shot and TiteBond or Elmer's glue to finish. I have shot a few with a bit more Blue Dot but don't find more to be helpful. The load gives patterns as good or better than 2 1/2 factory shells and you can reload the cases may times without any resizing. Gp

[gunarea]

Hey ncmn
The difference between the size master and the MEC jr is the sizing. The size master has a collet sizing which allows picking up range hulls. Picking up any 410 discard is like walking around picking up half dollars. A clothes bag 1/2 full, into a washing machine and you have clean usable hulls. Mec jr does no sizing. When considering overall costs, 410 hulls only come in second to 28ga hulls, regardless of where you may purchase them. Even new, there is no justification to the price they get. I have been scrounging 410 hulls for fifty five years now and wish I had started earlier. Loading shells is a personal thing in which many enjoy spending time putting each element in its place then gently nesting them together. Others may need several hundred rounds cause the kids wanna go shoot. Personal preference. As I stated earlier, 410 loading tools do not depreciate. You want more about 410s, just ask.
Roy

[rking22]

Do not try to judge pressure on shotshells by metallic measures. Remember , the GUN is designed for 12,000 psi centerfire rifles are 3 to 5 times that pressure. If you flatten a rifle primer in a 410 shotgun you probably will have more exciting overpressure signs than the primer. As far as sizemaster ve 600jr, Both size the hull, the 600jr uses a simple ring, think lee bullet sizer, vs the collet on sizemaster, grabber,9000 ect. Collet better, yep but I have loaded lots of range pickup 410 on my 600jr.

[PerpetualStudent]

Do not try to judge pressure on shotshells by metallic measures. Remember , the GUN is designed for 12,000 psi centerfire rifles are 3 to 5 times that pressure. If you flatten a rifle primer in a 410 shotgun you probably will have more exciting overpressure signs than the primer.

That's what I thought. I know the pressure differential on shotguns (even with .410 being higher pressure than its larger brethren) up to centerfire was very large. I'm loathe to take risks with my own body and even more so with my kids.

[ncmn]

gunarea
I appreciate the information as I am just starting to look at them. I have loaded a few 12 gauge rounds on a Lee Loader, but I do not shoot enough 12 gauge to invest in a Mec. The .410 on the other hand is a different story with the cost of the rounds. I hope that I can pick up a bunch of shells at the range, but if all else fails I will just save what I shoot. Thanks

[Markopolo]

Lots of great ways to size somebody else’s 410 shells. You can always use a 45 cal sizing die as some have stated. I have a simple sizer that came from a prepper site, but even the correct washer size will work. Take a look at what Ghosthawk stated... there are so many trails that lead to the same thing. Just choose one and follow it.

If you want to know more about how to do it, just pm me.

Marko

[trapper9260]

If you want to size your hulls and do everything that you make up. You can just get the sizen die from Mec for the single stage and then make the rest of what you need from there. I have the Lee hand loader for the 410 to do 2 1/2" and also 3" beside I have a Mec single stage press. I found it easy to finish the 3" with the lee hand loader but do everything else on the press. I use all single stage press for all my shotgun I see no need for a progressive press for myself.

[Texas by God]

Lee would be wise to offer .410 loading dies for a standard press. They’d sell a plenty.

[psweigle]

Lee would be wise to offer .410 loading dies for a standard press. They’d sell a plenty.

I know I would buy them! Or even a conversion kit for the lee load-all.

[Tonerboy]

I started with a Lee 20 ga Load All and loved it, I wore out 2 handles and all the linkage parts even though I kept them lubed well. That's how much I used it. When I inherited a .410 shotgun, Lee didn't make a Load All for that gauge so I bit the bullet and bought a MEC. Dang, I didn't know what nice was. That MEC crimps so nice and operates so smooth, its unbelievable. So from my limited experience you can't go wrong with a MEC in .410. I've had many offers to buy my press since, so if you don't like it there is no shortage of buyers. I don't shoot my .410 as much as I would like. But I haven't had to pay the $14 a box they want around here since I have reloaded everything I shoot. Its paid for itself and more over the years. Plus the fun you will have making coyote loads with buckshot and light bird loads and target loads and..... you get the picture. Your not stuck shooting the only load available at your local store. The fun in creating your own loads is worth the price of admission.

[PerpetualStudent]

Got it back from the gunsmith. He says the wiggle in the barrel is enough that he doesn't think it is safe to fire with modern ammunition. And he's not interested in fixing it up, as it will cost more than it's worth. I hate the idea of having a wallhanger I know some people like just seeing a piece of history but I'm more in the "what's the use of a gun that can't shoot?" school. So I've been looking around I found one source where replacing the hinge pin doesn't seem too onerous (https://www.shootingtimes.com/editor..._200807/100270). If that's all it needs, great. If that doesn't fix it I have an idle thought that it might be possible to turn it into a muzzleloader.

If you guys have any reading suggestions or other suggestions for getting it up and running. Or a "Son you just have to accept its life is over" let me know.