May I ask some help with a 12 ga order

[x101airborne]

Hello all.
I am looking to place a rather large order with BPI for a large sum of shotgun reloading components. I am looking to accomplish two things with this order.
1. begin to immediately reload for our upcoming dove hunt. I used a box of high brass #6 last season and had the best season of my life. I would like to reload that round. I believe they used to call it "high brass Duck and Phesant". At factory cost of that approaching modern duck and teal shot, buying it is not an option. My question is.... What is a good hull to use for these 2 3/4 maximum loads? What wad would you suggest for these loads? I have most powders available and primers.
2. I am looking to make some 3" #4 buck coyote loads. I am looking at Fiocchi hulls new and I make my own buffered shot. Question is... again what hull?
Unfortunately...... I am not even potty trained when it comes to shotgun loading and would like some suggestions.
I would also like to order some useful nitro cards and over shot cards should the opportunity arise I get time to load my own BP shot shells or try my hand at 7/8 lee slugs.
Could someone tell me what I am going to need or what is useful to have on hand? I have a MEC loader and that is what I will be using for the time being. I will also be ordering 3 books on shotgun loading, but just thought I would ask here first.
Thanks in advance.
Trey

[UNIQUEDOT]

The duck and pheasant round is a 1 1/4oz load @ 3 3/4 dram Eq. I have two that I've used for years and one is using an sts hull with waa12f114 wads and 800x powder and for the other i use a federal gold medal hull with an 12s4 wad and blue dot. There are plenty of options for that loading though.

Fiocchi hulls are excellent for heavy pay loads of buckshot as they are a reifenhauser tube and have a large internal capacity. You need to match hulls and wads though even though there are plenty of published loads with straight walled hulls and tapered hull wads it doesn't mean they are good loads... it just means they are safe and perform well at the time they were tested, but the powder will migrate past the gas seal on the wad from carrying them around in your pockets or from the jostling around in the truck on the way to the field.

If you are going to be loading for the 12 gauge you will still need to order 20 ga nitro cards to use inside the 12 ga. shotcup and you will need 12 or 13 ga overshot wads if you plan on roll crimping any of your loads. For traditional wad columns such as blackpowder loads you will need 12 ga. card, cushion, and OS wads. Check with the manufacturer or wherever you buy the wads from to be sure of the fit in a 12 ga. hull as traditional 12 ga wads were sized for muzzleloaders of true 12 ga. and the wads that fit inside of 12 ga. hulls were actually 13 ga.

[x101airborne]

Thank you for the reply.
And..... this is where I get lost. I dont understand the difference in wads and why one 12 gauge wad will work and another wont. Could someone mentor me on this? Geese, this is like reloading 101. Another reason for ordering the three books.

So, what.... If I may ask..... are some of yalls favorite recipes? Any advice on how I can go with a proven load and minimize the amount of money I need to spend? I am thinking of leaving the slug and BP loads for another time. If I can just accomplish the phesant load and maybe just get the stuff for the buckshot loads, I would be very happy.

Someone please help me sort this out.

[UNIQUEDOT]

Thank you for the reply.
And..... this is where I get lost. I dont understand the difference in wads and why one 12 gauge wad will work and another wont. Could someone mentor me on this? Geese, this is like reloading 101. Another reason for ordering the three books.

It's actually quite simple. All of Winchester's wads are for tapered hulls and Remington only had a couple of straight walled wads (not sure if they still make them) and the rest is for tapered hulls. All of federal's wads are for straight walled hulls and all European wads are for straight walled hulls. If you plan on loading straight walled hulls (federal, cheddite, fiocchi) you will want to order federal or Euro wads, but if you plan to load tapered hulls such as Winchester AA or remington STS you will want to order winchester or Remington wads. You won't need any fillers (card wads) for most published loads either and it's usually best to use those that don't call for them when loading a load like you're wanting to duplicate. You will also want to use magnum shot (higher antimony content) to duplicate that loads pattern.



Any advice on how I can go with a proven load


When looking at data always look at the wad shown for the hull. If it shows a federal hull and winchester wad for example just over look it even if it say's it's the most uniform load as it will no longer be so uniform after getting shook around all day.




So, what.... If I may ask..... are some of yalls favorite recipes?


Here are a few for duplicating that load.

1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Remington STS
28.0 WSF -cci 209 -WAA12f114 (primer can be substituted for WIN209)


1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Remington STS

35.5 blue dot- cci 209M- SP12 (primer can be substituted for Win 209, but powder charge should be increased one grain in weight)


1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Remington STS
34.0 Hs-6 - WIN 209- WA12f114



1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Remington STS
23.5 800x- WIN 209- WAA12f114 ( a bit slower, but beautiful patterns. one of my favorites)


1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Fed Gold Medal
36.5 Blue dot- cci 209M- Fed12s4 (very good load) (primer can be substituted for Win 209)


1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Fed Gold Medal

31.5 WSF - WIN 209- FED12s4


1 1/4 oz. magnum grade shot
Fed Gold Medal
25.5 800x - FED209A- FED12s4

All of the above loads are published loads that work well and you will find a ton more in your manuals when you get them.


I am thinking of leaving the slug and BP loads for another time.

the federal wads and hulls in the above loads are also quite useful with slugs and buckshot as well.

[geargnasher]

Watching with interest, in my whole life I haven't reloaded a single shotgun shell, ever. Just bought a 16-gauge Lee Loader for dinkin' around with buckshot/slugs.

My FIL is an avid sporting clays shooter and I've picked up a few things from him, he loves the STS hull in 2-3/4", I think lots of guys who reload do, he reloads them until the mouth tears off the hull. I do have a general question here that relates to the component purchase question: What about "Claybuster" wads? Are they cheaper and are they any good? I know they make clones of some of the more popular wads out there, and I'm wondering if they make something that would work for the above listed STS hull field loads.

Gear

[UNIQUEDOT]

I do have a general question here that relates to the component purchase question: What about "Claybuster" wads? Are they cheaper and are they any good? I know they make clones of some of the more popular wads out there, and I'm wondering if they make something that would work for the above listed STS hull field loads.


Winchester no longer makes the WAA12f114 wad and your only choice is to buy the clones from either Claybuster or Downrange. They are cheaper than the OEM and both companies make some very good stuff. Don't buy any replacement federal wads from downrange though as their federal type wads are only good in tapered hulls. Claybusters federal type wads are excellent for shot loads but not for slugs. Some replacement wads won't work with slugs and are poor choices for buckshot as they have internal ribs on the petals like some of the older out of production wads did.

[geargnasher]

Thanks Uniquedot!

Gear