Best tool set for brass 20 gauge?

[JuliettDeltaGolf]

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here. I'm just starting to load some 20 gauge BP shells with magtech hulls. Got 25 hulls and 500 each of the appropriate wads. I am planning to make up a set of simple loading tools if I have to, but was wondering if y'all had any suggestions to the best tool kit available for loading these. RMC has a kit, as does Lanes, and I know I saw a couple others. Or would an old Lee Loader do the job fine? I know I am definitely going to pick up a shell holder so I can prime on my press.

[RPRNY]

Let me know if you find anything that works.

RCBS does a 20 ga shell-holder. Magtech brass won't work with the old Lee kits. Magtech brass uses LP primers (so the Lee deprimer doesn't work) and is so thin that the old Lee sizing die doesn't work.

I use 30-06 depriming pin manually and have a taper crimp die that was partly made up for me (reamed and threaded) and finished by me. RMC does have a Magtech kit as I recall. If you go that direction, a review would be much appreciated.

Good luck.

[38-72]

I have several hundred magtech 20 gauge hulls that I load for cowboy action shooting. The sport can be rough on the spent hulls with folks walking on them. I anneal them at the beginning of each shooting season. I use a 20 ga sizing die from CH4D. The die works great, at de-priming and re-sizing (and it works good at getting the bent ones straight again). I load the shell using a 20 ga single stage RCBS rockchucher press (the one with removable bushing – necessary for the CH4D die). I use an aluminum rod (it’s a lose slip fit into the hull) to push in and seat the wads by hand. I also use a crimping die from my RCBS 20 ga plastic hull (single stage) set to put a slight crimp (roll the mouth in just a tad) in the end of the of the loaded hull and then glue the top wad in for insurance. Rolling in a crimp will work harden the bass causing it to crack which is prevented by the annealing.

One thing I do not do is use plastic shoot cups. They leave real sticky mess inside the barrel which is very hard to get out. I use traditional paper and cork wads along with a grease cookie – cleaning the barrel is a snap.

I tumble the hulls after each use in a ceramic media to clean them up. They come out looking like a new penny.

[sharps4590]

I ground down one of those pocket Philips screwdrivers for a primer punch. Glued a 44 Spl. case on a piece of dowel rod and use that and piece of left over granite counter top to seat primers. BP is dropped from my ancient Belding & Mull measure. Wads are probably the same as 38-72, traditional. I don't roll crimp my cases. I'll seat the overshot card and seal it with waterglass. That said I might load 100 a year. If I were match shooting or hunted a lot of upland game I'd be doing something different for loading.

[charlie b]

I have a 24ga with Magtech hulls (before that I used BELL). When fired with heavy 28ga loads I had no need to resize.

Reload kinda like sharps above. I do use plastic wads (20ga) and 20ga overshot wads sealed with hot glue. Never had any problem with plastic residue in the barrel, but, I've never fired more than a round or two of skeet between cleanings.

Since I don't use black powder I don't need to clean the cases between loading. I also do not shoot in competition so I removed the ejectors from my double. After shooting I just pluck the cases from the gun. No one steps on the cases :)

[GhostHawk]

You can make your own tools that will work just fine.

I use a Lee depriming pin for their universal depriming die. Costs less than 3$. Broomstick right size for the pusher. I have a small body man's hand anvil with 2 flat sides opposite each other I prime on. Set it on the primer, put in my broomstick piece, give it a tap with a plastic mallet. Primer seated.

You can spend more money but I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out my own tool set.

I have a MEC 20 ga sizing ring I can use if sizing is needed. Figured out how to make it work using my Lyman 12 ga easy loader. Press on, press off.