A couple of questions........

[3006guns]

I've just started playing with reloading shot shells....black powder no less. This is strictly for fun, using hand tools and roll crimping paper Federal hulls and a very modest load. Now for the questions:

I obtained a quantity of Federal papers from one of the forum members and when I reprimed them I was astonished that the new primers could be thumb pushed into the pockets with only a minor effort. Is this normal? The bases don't seem to be deformed as if they were subjected to abnormal pressures. Remember, I'm used to repriming metallic pistol and rifle cartridges so this is my first experience.

Also, I was given 1lb. of Pyrodex, equivilant of 2fg. I'm assuming it can be used, volume for volume for 2fg black without any bad effects but I want to be sure before I load any.

Thanks!:p

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Down here BP (about 3F) is all that is shelf available. I have gone a couple different routes and both worked fine.
85 grains is about the minimum I found that gives enough velocity to drop pigeons & doves at 35 yards with #6 1 ounce loads in my Mossburg 12 guage 28" modified. I have used a simple wad of newspaper over the powder enough to raise the shot charge to get a good compression fold of the shell on top of the shot. Works OK.
Better I use whatever plactic shot cup I can get here. Cut off the bottom compression system of the wad and adjust that for hieght so the shot ends up at the correct height for proper compression as the shell is closed. This patterns at least 15% better. If I had access to wads & other reloading items I could improve patterns. For my hunting here it works fine though.
Mike in Peru

[elk hunter]

30-06,

I've never used Pyrodex, but as I understand, it is used as you stated volume for volume.

As for the loose primer pockets, many older shotgun chambers are larger than they need to be and as such the cases fired in them swell up a bit and that can lead to loose primer pockets. Plus the Federal paper cases have paper base wads and they aren't very elastic. So long as the primers don't fall out they are probably usable. Paper cases only last for a very few loadings before they burn through so I generally only load them a couple of times and then toss them.

[UNIQUEDOT]

That's normal for those federal paper hulls. Even after one firing many of them have loose primer pockets. I used to load a good many of them especially when i was heavily into blackpowder, but i recently gave away my last few hundred of them. You need a primer pocket peener or you can make your own. Ballistic products and precision reloading sells them and i have seen used ones for five bucks on the auction sites. The last paper hulls i loaded were cheddites from France, but they have a plastic base wad, they are inexpensive though and come primed and ready to load. BTW those federal hulls are high brass and they are brass so when you're done loading them burn them off and keep that brass in circulation.

[sargenv]

Hmm... I never had that problem with primers.. I was using Rio's, Winchesters, and Cheddites. The Cheddites and Rio's fit a bit more snug, so I didn't run into that problem at all.. (I'm the person providing the hulls to 3006). In the past I've had that problem with Federal hi-power hulls, but if I switched to CCI or Cheddite primers, that problem went away since those primers are both a bit oversized.. I've loaded light 1 ounce, up to medium heavy 1 1/8 oz loads utilizing red dot, green dot, and unique and haven't had any problems with them.. I'm sorry to see you are though. :(

[heathydee]

Winchester used to make two different sized primers to solve the loose primer pocket problem .
243s and 245s .
Years ago I had to reload a couple of hundred shells for a skeet shoot and found to my dismay that primers were literally falling out of the shells . I found a tube of glue labelled "Tarzan's Grip " and glued the primers back in .
The problem involved Federal primers and Winchester hulls which had had the larger primer installed previously . Until I had used all of the Federal primers (5000) the reloading process included an extra step between de-priming and priming .

[sargenv]

It's funny, I've never heard of the larger Winchester primers.. but my reloading experience only goes back to the mid to late 80's.. in all of my reading of old manuals, I never ran across that information.. I know that CCI's are a bit oversized as are the Cheddites, and Fiocchi's.. that could be a good substitution.. I could send some Cheddites up to you via your son if you like..

[heathydee]

It's funny, I've never heard of the larger Winchester primers..

The two sizes may not have been available in the States but here in Australia they were in every gunshop .