bedbugbilly
06-24-2017, 08:34 PM
May sound like some "simple" questions but after shooting BP for 50+ years, the only thing I haven't done is load and shoot brass shotshells - I've shot a number of muzzleloading shotguns/trade guns but not being familiar with "shot shell reloading" - I want to ask before I pursue this little project.
I'm wanting to try some BP shut shells and am not looking to put a lot of $$$ into it - just for fun. Unfortunately, I don't hunt anymore and disposed of my double 16 gauge a number of years ago. Here's what I'm looking at . . .
Picking up a used single barrel 20 gauge - probably a H & R "Topper" or similar since I see them used every once in a while.
I'd like to get 50 of the brass 20 gauge shot shell hulls to use. I have reloading equipment for pistol and rifle but have no shot shell reloading equipment. That said, I figure I can pretty much make what I need to load them by hand - prime punch, primer seater, seater stem for seating wads, etc. Most likely, I'll make them to use in a drill press where I can set them up and use hand pressure to do the operations.
If some one sees a problem or issue as I go on, let me know please . . . .
The brass shot shells would be shot in just one shotgun - the single barrel. My first question is . . . do brass shot shell hulls have to be "sized" - either when they are brand new out of the box or after fired and cleaned? Or do they fire form to the shotgun chamber they are being shot in?
Primers? I'm not that familiar with shot shell primers - is there one that is preferable over another for BP shot shells? And yes, before I start this project I'll be reading up on shot shell re-loading in my loading manuals! :-)
I am assuming that some form of BP lube has to be used to keep fouling soft so is a "cake" inserted over the powder card and under a fiber wad sufficient to accomplish that? On a shotgun with BP shells, how often do you need to swab the barrel out? I realize each gun will be different as far as fouling build up but could you expect to shoot say 25 shells before running a wet patch down the bore or fewer than that?
I know that the over the shot card originally was secured with "water glass" and somewhere I read that water glass is available through ceramic hobby suppliers? Or, is there something else that is just as easy to use to swipe around the circumference of the over the shot card to secure it to the inside of the brass shell hull?
I'm not looking to use "heavy loads" - just a "comfortable load" that I could play with to see how it patterns and maybe kill a couple of clay pigeons once in a while - which with my eyesight would be just short of a miracle but when I was a kid, I loved using a double barreled ML 12 gauge that I had to shoot clay pigeons. In those days, I didn't have wads and would use newspaper wads which actually worked pretty well.
I have a flintlock "Fusil-de'Chasse" that has a 20 gauge barrel and I have taken game with that many years ago using lead shot. I use a .610 soft lead round ball out of that and if I find a single barrel 20 gauge,, I might even play with shooting some round ball loads from it. I would check the smallest size of the bore though and use the correct size ball for that to avoid trying to push a lead ball out of a smaller size muzzle. :-) For playing with RB, I think I would try and get some 1X fired paper hulls to use.
I'm also reading that a coarser grain BP seems to be the better choice? I have 2F as well as 3F but would stick with the 2F. Or, would 1F be a better choice for shot shells? I have always used DuPont/Goex over the years and I think I can get 1F from the LGS where I get my 2F/3F and 4F priming powder.
It is my understanding that for brass hulls you want to use the next size larger wads? (In my 20 gauge flintlock, I use wads/cards that I got from Circle Fly a number of years ago and I have to dig them out to see if they would work or if I would have to get different ones.)
About the largest diameter cartridge that I load with BP is the 45 Colt. On the 20 gauge, I'm thinking of introducing the powder charge by funnel with a short drop tube attached, introducing the over the powder nitro card and seating the card to give a "compressed load". I'm even thinking that a compression stem made with a compression spring might be the berries to give consistent powder compression. Then insert a lube cake and a fiber wad, seating those, pouring in shot load and then seating over shot card and then sealing it in.
Once shot is poured in, is it advisable to gently "shake" the hull to settle the shot in the hull and then seat the over the shot card or just pour it in and seat the card? Does the way this is done have any effect on "pattern"? My thoughts are that either way, upon discharge the fiber wad compresses the shot together as it travels down the barrel and pattern will be pretty much established by the muzzle bore diameter and speed at which the load leaves the barrel? Less powder charge = slower speed as opposed to larger powder charge = greater speed thus affecting pattern? But I'm not a "shot gunner" so perhaps someone could give a basic explanation?
I like playing with "historic cartridges" and just want to add a brass shot shell to say I've done it and loaded them as many would have been loaded by hand - I enjoy my old Ideal tong loaders as well as my Lyman 310 sets as well.
I did some looking to see if anyone made a "loading kit" for brass shot shells but I didn't have any luck in my search - I was thinking something like the old Lee classic loaders as far as depriving/priming punches, wad seaters, etc. If a brass hull requires "re-sizing" - can someone steer me to where I can find a fairly inexpensive one for brass shot shell hulls?
Thanks for any info and input - I know that a lot of CAS, etc. shooters load their own and many use paper or plastic hulls but I'd like to stick with the old time brass if I can. I apologize if I have posted this in the wrong section - just thought it was more appropriate in the BP cartridge than in the casting for shotgun. Probably "simple" questions but I'm sure others who are curious might get some good information out of it as well.
Thanks!
I'm wanting to try some BP shut shells and am not looking to put a lot of $$$ into it - just for fun. Unfortunately, I don't hunt anymore and disposed of my double 16 gauge a number of years ago. Here's what I'm looking at . . .
Picking up a used single barrel 20 gauge - probably a H & R "Topper" or similar since I see them used every once in a while.
I'd like to get 50 of the brass 20 gauge shot shell hulls to use. I have reloading equipment for pistol and rifle but have no shot shell reloading equipment. That said, I figure I can pretty much make what I need to load them by hand - prime punch, primer seater, seater stem for seating wads, etc. Most likely, I'll make them to use in a drill press where I can set them up and use hand pressure to do the operations.
If some one sees a problem or issue as I go on, let me know please . . . .
The brass shot shells would be shot in just one shotgun - the single barrel. My first question is . . . do brass shot shell hulls have to be "sized" - either when they are brand new out of the box or after fired and cleaned? Or do they fire form to the shotgun chamber they are being shot in?
Primers? I'm not that familiar with shot shell primers - is there one that is preferable over another for BP shot shells? And yes, before I start this project I'll be reading up on shot shell re-loading in my loading manuals! :-)
I am assuming that some form of BP lube has to be used to keep fouling soft so is a "cake" inserted over the powder card and under a fiber wad sufficient to accomplish that? On a shotgun with BP shells, how often do you need to swab the barrel out? I realize each gun will be different as far as fouling build up but could you expect to shoot say 25 shells before running a wet patch down the bore or fewer than that?
I know that the over the shot card originally was secured with "water glass" and somewhere I read that water glass is available through ceramic hobby suppliers? Or, is there something else that is just as easy to use to swipe around the circumference of the over the shot card to secure it to the inside of the brass shell hull?
I'm not looking to use "heavy loads" - just a "comfortable load" that I could play with to see how it patterns and maybe kill a couple of clay pigeons once in a while - which with my eyesight would be just short of a miracle but when I was a kid, I loved using a double barreled ML 12 gauge that I had to shoot clay pigeons. In those days, I didn't have wads and would use newspaper wads which actually worked pretty well.
I have a flintlock "Fusil-de'Chasse" that has a 20 gauge barrel and I have taken game with that many years ago using lead shot. I use a .610 soft lead round ball out of that and if I find a single barrel 20 gauge,, I might even play with shooting some round ball loads from it. I would check the smallest size of the bore though and use the correct size ball for that to avoid trying to push a lead ball out of a smaller size muzzle. :-) For playing with RB, I think I would try and get some 1X fired paper hulls to use.
I'm also reading that a coarser grain BP seems to be the better choice? I have 2F as well as 3F but would stick with the 2F. Or, would 1F be a better choice for shot shells? I have always used DuPont/Goex over the years and I think I can get 1F from the LGS where I get my 2F/3F and 4F priming powder.
It is my understanding that for brass hulls you want to use the next size larger wads? (In my 20 gauge flintlock, I use wads/cards that I got from Circle Fly a number of years ago and I have to dig them out to see if they would work or if I would have to get different ones.)
About the largest diameter cartridge that I load with BP is the 45 Colt. On the 20 gauge, I'm thinking of introducing the powder charge by funnel with a short drop tube attached, introducing the over the powder nitro card and seating the card to give a "compressed load". I'm even thinking that a compression stem made with a compression spring might be the berries to give consistent powder compression. Then insert a lube cake and a fiber wad, seating those, pouring in shot load and then seating over shot card and then sealing it in.
Once shot is poured in, is it advisable to gently "shake" the hull to settle the shot in the hull and then seat the over the shot card or just pour it in and seat the card? Does the way this is done have any effect on "pattern"? My thoughts are that either way, upon discharge the fiber wad compresses the shot together as it travels down the barrel and pattern will be pretty much established by the muzzle bore diameter and speed at which the load leaves the barrel? Less powder charge = slower speed as opposed to larger powder charge = greater speed thus affecting pattern? But I'm not a "shot gunner" so perhaps someone could give a basic explanation?
I like playing with "historic cartridges" and just want to add a brass shot shell to say I've done it and loaded them as many would have been loaded by hand - I enjoy my old Ideal tong loaders as well as my Lyman 310 sets as well.
I did some looking to see if anyone made a "loading kit" for brass shot shells but I didn't have any luck in my search - I was thinking something like the old Lee classic loaders as far as depriving/priming punches, wad seaters, etc. If a brass hull requires "re-sizing" - can someone steer me to where I can find a fairly inexpensive one for brass shot shell hulls?
Thanks for any info and input - I know that a lot of CAS, etc. shooters load their own and many use paper or plastic hulls but I'd like to stick with the old time brass if I can. I apologize if I have posted this in the wrong section - just thought it was more appropriate in the BP cartridge than in the casting for shotgun. Probably "simple" questions but I'm sure others who are curious might get some good information out of it as well.
Thanks!