410 reloading?

[MBTcustom]

Hey fellers.
I bought a nice stevens 410 single shot for $50.
I have never even shot one of these little babies.
I would like to be able to reload for it.
I wonder if anybody can point me in the right direction to find data for simple fiber wads and #8 shot. I'm just wanting to use this for knocking squirrels out of the trees in the spring, and pest control. I would really like to be able to make my own wads out of common material (I have a Lyman wad cutting die for 410) and I have a bag and a half of #8 reclaimed shot. I'm looking into buying some brass 410 hulls (I understand they live forever?) and I would like to make some simple dies for my rock chucker or even make a lee loader setup.
Anybody got a lee loader I can pattern off of?
I bought a box of Remington 3", 11/16oz, #6 shells, but for $16 I could see me getting some "savings" by making my own.
Any thoughts?

[Andrew Mason]

i recently got my girl friend a 410/22 combo.
she loves the gun and loves to shoot, but the cost of ammo is killer

i built my own type of land loading system, i wont call it a copy of the lee
loader, because mine is much more crude.
i fold my crimps over by hand, they do not end up looking that great.

i do plan on switching over to metalic hulls so that i do not have to deal with crimps.
if you do choose to reload the plastic, buy some 410 crimping tools from midway.

[MBTcustom]

Got any pitchers of this corntraption?
I searched midway for "410 crimping tools" and I'm not sure what you are referring to. Care to elaborate?

[x101airborne]

hey Tim.
I have some partial boxes of Alcan overshot cards and fiber wads. I don't see me using them, so if you want em, they are yours. I also have a partial bag of plastic Winchester wads and some 2 1/2 inch hulls I could share with you. Don't have many, but enough to share with you.
Maybe if you happen to turn out a set of single stage dies for the 410, you could use these as a partial trade?

[jmort]

If you do not want to reinvent the wheel, which I believe you are generally inclined to do as you have the expertise, this makes sense:
http://zoned.fortunecity.ws/about.html

[MBTcustom]

Well that's mighty neighborly of you X, I'm willing to try it, but I need something to go on. I need to borrow a 410 conversion kit of some kind, or a Lee loader, or something so that I can come to an understanding of how this works. If I can get the critical dimensions set in my mind, then I can think as I build and come up with something. Then again, I could spend 35 hours on a few pretty looking trot-line weights and a pile of metal chips LOL!
I may have some 410 Texan parts up in the attic, but I thought I went looking for something like that for another member and struck out. Hmmm, maybe I was looking for the whole press and not the parts.

[MBTcustom]

If you do not want to reinvent the wheel, which I believe you are generally inclined to do as you have the expertise, this makes sense:
http://zoned.fortunecity.ws/about.html

$30? that's hard to turn down..........

[jmort]

I would be interested to know what you thing of the machining if you get one. Thanks

[jmort]

BTW, they have a "Brass" .410 reloader kit for $25.00

[MBTcustom]

That kit doesn't appear to have any way to resize the brass. Looks like a decapping anvil, primer punch, and a T-handle ram rod. So, that begs the question, Does the brass not ever need to get sized? If that is the case, then all I need is to make a primer knocker-outer and a dowel rod.
Also, I would really like to have a set of dies for my press. If there is nothing to be resized, then that simplifies everything.

[kenyerian]

Tim Here is a link to an interesting artical on making 410 shot shells from 303's. http://www.endtimesreport.com/410reloading.html
I wish some one would make dies for a single stage press that would work with 3". Due to the popularity of the the Judge 410 reloaders are hard to find and expensive when you due.

[gfisher]

At one point I was watching a friend reload for his .410 converted Enfield using brass shells. He used a .45 Colt sizing die with the top bored out to size the shell, a small drift punch to deprime, a larger flat nosed punch mounted in a unplugged drill press to seat the new primer on a block of wood. Powder was measured with a Lee measure, then a cork wad he made with a wad maker he cobbled himself, it was a thick walled SS tube the inside reamed to wad size, the outer edge sharpened and a oblong opening in the side about 1" up from the sharp end. It was 1/2" OD and fit in his drill press. As new wads were cut the previously cut wads would fall out the oblong opening. After the OP wad was seated, shot was measured, then a OS wad place on top. He used the .45 colt seating die with the bullet seater removed, and set way out in the press to put a nice rolled crimp on the top of the brass case. He also loaded up some slugs while I was there, same operation, just extra OP wads. Don't recall exactly what slugs he was using, it was a HP SWC design he cast himself. We shot some of both and both types of shells functioned fine in his old Enfield conversion.

-George

[kenyerian]

http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=RORCHV3675&src=sim Here is a link to Natchez Shooter supplies. When they are in stock Rios are the cheapest Shotshells that I have found.

[melter68]

Go get some brass from Rocky Mountain cartridge co, 10 for about 68 dollars, last a life time.
They also do the loading kiy too.

I used the above and great results.
Also try 444 marlin cases and the lee dies.

I prefer brass to plastic hulls in the 410

[jmort]

I don't believe re-sizing will be an issue with your single shot. Auto-loaders, yes, and i suppose it would not hurt with a pump. The Rocky Mountain are real nice, but the Magtech's are much less expensive and use LP primers I believe.

[smoked turkey]

Tim I have an old set up that works quite well. It is like the Lee loader but the name of the loader in a box is Mequon Reloading Corporation, P.O. Box 253, Mequon, WI 53092. Not to complicate matters but also in the box is a load sheet that has an address of 46 E. Jackson, Hartford, WI 53027. I can't say which is the correct address. The set up appears to be fairly old. The phone number on the instruction sheet is 1-800-558-7836. In fact it came in an old Lee box. With your expertise you could make the die body that does most of the work. PM me if interested in seeing it.

[Andrew Mason]

look up both of these on midway usa, they are both 410 crimping tools for plastic shells.
i would coppy and paste the link, but my browser dose not display it, sorry :-/

BPI Roll Crimper 410 Bore

BPI Super Crown Crimp Starter for Mec Presses 20, 28 Gauge, 410 Bore Brass

goodsteel, i would be happy to send you some pictures of my loading kit,
PM me with either your e-mail address or telephone number if you recieve pictures.

[Denver]

I've loaded 410 for a number of years using a Mec 600 Jr tool, but have also loaded 444Marlin cases on occasion for use in single and double guns. The only tools needed are for decapping and repriming. I use over powder wads of whatever works and a plastic 410 shotcup. Top it off with an overshot wad and crimp slightly. I use my 44 Mag seating die. For more durability, I fill the space over the overshot wad with Elmers glue. Win 296, Alliant 2400, and surp WC820 are all good powders for the 410.

[melter68]

Use nail varnish to glue the overshot card in place, its easy and shatterings when the gun powder does off.

400 or 450 nitre cases cut down work well to, i did 20 of these cases and the primers work well, some other cal cases adaptered do not set the primer off.

[MBTcustom]

good info fellers! thanks!

[krag35]

I have been using one of these (or one real similar) for the past year or so, works good. It kills Grouse just as good a factory loads.

[JIMinPHX]

At one time, I used to make Lee Loader style gizmos in .410. I stopped due to liability concerns. If you PM an E-mail address to me, I'll send you my drawings & instructions.

I found that the Winchester .410 HS hulls lasted far better than any other plastic hull. I also found that .410 hulls vary so much, that a set of dies that will work well on one brand of hull, will generally not work so well on others.

I used to have a thread that explained everything in detail, but I think it got deleted when I gave up my vendor sponsor status.

This little thread still exists. It tells of the problems that I had loading buck in a .410. The wads I was using didn't seem to give enough padding. http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?117806-Fed-paper-base-wad-Fed-Gold-Medal-reloading-data&highlight=410

[lylejb]

I'm loading 444 brass for 410 2 1/2"

For deprime, I use a lee universal decap die.

for priming, I prime on my rcbs press, same as any other rifle / pistol round. I did have to buy the shell holder for 444. I use large pistol primers.

I charge with my lyman 55, same as any other

for wads, i'm using Federal plastic wads. They do fit a bit loose, but work fine. You do have to make sure it's firmly seated ( good wad pressure)

I made a ramrod to seat the wads. I took a 5/16 x about 4" bolt, and a wood drawer knob ( both from home depot) drilled partially into the knob. I glued the threaded end of the bolt in the knob, then ground the head down on the bolt till it was small enough to fit / clear inside the wads.

I give a firm push to seat the wad solidly.

For shot, I slightly shortened a 44 mag brass , to dip 1/2 oz shot. A 44 special case may work as is ( haven't tried the special).

I use a BPI 410 overshot card and a bead of elmer's glue all to finish the shell. The true 410 dia cards are a bit small, but do work. Next time, I'll probably go with circle fly wads overshot cards in .430, or maybe .450. I don't crimp.

For powder, I first tried a "by the book" load for 410 plasic cases, with win 296, as I had that on hand. It didn't work well. I had inconsistant velocity, lots of unburnt powder, and about 2 - 6 "bloopers" ( very low vel, barely makes it out the barrel) per box.

I posted a thread about this, and was recommended (here, on this board) a load of 8.5 gr herco. It works wonderfully, and very near duplicates factory I think. You won't find this load in any book. The case volume / expansion area of brass cases are not the same as plastic. As with any load, use at your own risk.

For sizing, it took about 3 or 4 firings to fully fire form the cases, so it's not something that needs done often. the one time I did resize, i used a 45 acp size die to size about half length. sort of a neck size. worked fine. The acp die is too short to go full length (crushed case trying) If / when I try sizing again, I think I'm going to try and use the lee 45 acp factory crimp die, with the insides removed. It may work better / greater length.

At the time I started this, I was on a tight budget, and didn't want to spend a bunch on a press for 410. The goal was to to use as much of what I had on hand already, and I'm happy with the results. I don't shoot a large volume of 410's so this works fine for me. I fire these in a Rossi 410 single shot, not sure if these would feed in a pump or auto.

hope this helps.

[Lefthandshooter]

Save your money and instead of buying all that reloading stuff and cluttering up your bench, just send me the gun.

I'd love to have a .410 single shot. Maybe I could get the wife to shoot it....

[MBTcustom]

Just put an add in the paper: WTT AR-15 for 410 single shot.
Heck they might even throw in a box of shells LOL!

[Lefthandshooter]

Just put an add in the paper: WTT AR-15 for 410 single shot.
Heck they might even throw in a box of shells LOL!

I don't own an AR, or a 1911 either.

[x101airborne]

I don't own an AR, or a 1911 either.

That's Herresey!
Heathen! LOL. JK.

No single shot,
No AR,
And no 1911?
Youre not democrat are you?
Just poking fun.

[Lefthandshooter]

Barry Goldwater was a liberal compared to my beliefs back in the 80's, but I've mellowed a little.

As for the other stuff, I prefer my revolvers over my semi-autos, and bolt action rifles over semi-autos too.

In fact, the only semi-auto rifles I own are .22 caliber.

I do have a single shot 20 gauge Winchester shotgun. Dad told me and my twin brother on out 16th birthday "You want a class ring or a shotgun?". There was only no decision needed to be made - the shotgun!

[rbuck351]

Here is how I do this. Start with 444Marlin cases and run the through an old rcbs 45acp sizer. The one that just sized before they went to sizing and decapping in the same die. Lee universal decapper and prime as normal. I use data from a very old Speer manual for 3/4oz loads. charge with powder and put a 44 gas check cup down over powder. You can either buy or cut your over shot wads from cereal boxes. Put one over gas check, install shot and one more over shot wad glued in.

[oldtoolsniper]

I can attest to the fact that Jiminphx made a nice tool. I have one with the full understanding that I and I alone am responsible for my actions with it. I have a coveted .410 lee loader I would be willing to loan out to you, Tim if you want to combine what Jim did and what lee did. I have a lee loader for about all of the shotguns. Still need a few to round out the collection. Feel free to shoot me a PM.

[richhodg66]

I became the owner of a nice Iver Johnson single shot .410 a while back. It was in my Uncle's stuff when he passed and no one in the family had ever seen it before (he wasn't really a gun enthusiast). Nice little gun, we were gonna shoot it, but shells are crazy expensive. Hard to understand as popular as the .410 is.

Been casually looking for an old Lee Loader, but those are getting some pretty healthy prices now too.

[woody1]

I'm loading 444 brass for 410 2 1/2"


I use a BPI 410 overshot card and a bead of elmer's glue all to finish the shell. The true 410 dia cards are a bit small, but do work. Next time, I'll probably go with circle fly wads overshot cards in .430, or maybe .450. I don't crimp.

A 7/16" hollow punch makes the correct size wad for 444 brass .410's. 9 Piece Hollow Punch Set is about $7 from Harbor Freight. Regards, Woody

[jim4065]

Are these brass cased loads with a glued-in overshot card standing up to recoil? Been thinking about trying some of these in the Governor - just for fun. Waterglass is about $27 a gallon with shipping on ebay, so I may try it instead of glue.

[rbuck351]

I have only shot them in single shot guns so I don't know if they will stand up to repeated recoil or not. I have been using silicone for glue and it seems pretty tough but I don't know for sure.

[Andrew Mason]

okay, so. a few PMed me for pictures of my own personal 410 loading kit.
it is a very crude, yet effective loader.

i use a 14mm 12point 3/8" drive socket and a long punch for depriming.

for priming i place a primer on a flat, hard, clean surface and i push the
hull over the primer, then place the sized .50BMGcase over the 410 hull and tap it down

for my powder i use a 12 grain charge of 2400. a 9x18mm makarov case works great for this.

i then push a wad down with the same punch that i use for depriming.
i have not done allot of experimenting with wad pressure, recently, i have
just been pushing as hard as i can.

my shot measure is a .50AE that has been slightly trimmed.
it gives me right around 1/2oz of shot, i try to load it a bit on the
high side so i get a better crimp.

for crimping i just do it by hand with my fingers, once i get the crimp
folded about 1/2 over, then i press the rest of the crimp down with either
the flat bottom of a primer tray, or the bottom side of the desk or bench i
am working on.

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/ANDY_MASON/loader1.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/ANDY_MASON/loader4.jpg

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj143/ANDY_MASON/loader3.jpg

i can add more pictures later if there is enough interst


oh, pay no serious attention to the two small jars and box for the wads.
those are my containers for powder, shot, and wads when i travel
and want to do some 410 shooting