BP Shotgun Reloading

[Dragoon 45]

I am seriously thinking about joining SASS. If I do, I want to shoot BP only.

Loading for the Pistols and Rifle will be no problem, but I have never reloaded for a shotgun. If I do it, I will find some brass hulls to use for my double-barrel.

My questions are:

What equipment do I need for reloading BP shotgun using brass hulls?

Will using plastic wads be alright, or will something else be needed for the wads?

What are the pitfalls and/or common mistakes made when reloading BP shot shells?

Thank You.

[Mike0904]

I shoot SASS and use BP. When I first started I used the brass shotshells but,
loading is slow and tedious I was shooting every weekend, plus with the brass
shells and using the BP wads (overshot, cushion and nitrocards) I didnt get a
tight enough pattern so I went to using the plastic shells and wads and load on a progressive SG loader really simplfied it and very good results.
I had an RCBS shellholder and a Lee sizing die and a punch for knockin out the old primer.
You will need to buy the wads for an 11gauge to fit the shell best even for the plastic I'm sure as it will not have a snug fit.
Never tried a plastic wad in the brass.
Pitfalls would be the shotpattern as mentioned and maybe cleaning if using plastic if done right is not a problem

[cajun shooter]

Dragoon45, You load the brass hulls with the fiber wads and not plastic. They can pretty much be loaded with hand tools. You will be much better off buying a single stage Mec press and reloading the plastic hulls with the BP. Your hulls will almost always work for one reload only because of the burn through you will have from the black. The snakeskin that will be left in your bbl will come right out with Windex that has Vinegar. You can find hulls (I use the old paper) for around .05-.07 ea. There are several postings on this forum and CAS CITY about this subject if you do a search. Later David

[Dan Cash]

Dragoon,
Brass hulls and fiber wads are not difficult. Buffalo Arms sells the works and it is relatively inexpensive. I shoot a 16ga sxs for a sporting gun and hand load BP for it, (Damascus). 50 cases cost about $40.00 and a thousand each nitro card wads, fiber filler wads cost maybe another $25.00. I use a drill press with a modified bolt chucked up to seat primers and compress the wad column. It takes about an hour to load the 50 hulls, case life seems indefinate, patterns look ok to me and sure do kill pheasant and grouse. Clean up is easy. Plastic wads don't work well in brass as they don't fit.

[KCSO]

http://www.huntingfirearms.proboards.com/ Go here and look in reloadng I wrote them a whole article on this covering brass and paper both. If you can't find it there PM me and I will send you a copy with photo's and step by step.

[August]

Brass hulls are a PITA. Every brass hull shooter ends up with shot rolling out of the front of their shotgun at some point during a match. In addition to their marginal durability, they do not go into the gun smoothly and don't exit very well either.

Plastic hulls are the way to go. Specifically, Remington STS (green or gold) hulls are the huckleberry.

A MEC 600 is THE press to use for black powder shotshell reloading (I've tried a few and am VERY happy with the 600)

Using STS hulls, a #40 powder bushing, and a 7/8 ounce charge bar, you will make perfect shotshells with black powder and PINK wads (Claybuster 1100-12, or WAA12SL -- the Claybuster wads make less mess).

I use the powder hopper on the MEC as it is anti-static. I'm sure someone will chime in saying that's a bad idea and that you should hand dip the powder.

The blackpowder shells I produce with this method are BETTER than factory. The 600 sizes the entire shell on the last station and those things really fly into, and out of the shotgun.

[cajun shooter]

Now August, you didn't give the brass hulls a chance. Ha!! Ha!! As I stated in my earlier post and others have followed with the same. If you can find a used Sizemaster don't pass it up as it is also a good one for the Bp hulls. If you just have to use the brass(I have and still do at times) use a overshot wad and seal it with a craft glue gun. It will not come loose or pour shot on the ground like what happened to August. You can also use them for loading up hulls with chalk powder for down range effect. Or for real fun try sparklers that are scrapped of the good stuff and put in for effect. For your everyday Cas match your standard hulls are still your best bet.

[McLintock]

Might as well chime in on this as I've loaded a few BP shotgun shells in the last few years for use in SASS matches. I use a MEC 9000, not hydraulic and with the auto indexing thing removed; this is for both smokeless and BP loads, saves lots of headaches when you have a screw up and you will on a progressive.
I use AA hulls, with a plastic wad I got from a big shotgun reloading supplier in the Midwest. It's a short, compact wad and allows me to load 1 1/8 oz whereas the AA red allows 1 oz, with a MEC #40 or so bushing. You have to put a lot of pressure (the wad pressure guage set on 70 or so) on the wad to get the powder compressed enough to get the 1 1/8th load in but it crimps up pretty nice and shoots really good in either my hammered double or my '97. AS stated already, the monkey snot from the plastic wads comes out pretty easy with Windex and vinegar squirted liberally down the tubes and a good tight patch.
McLintock

[KCSO]

The shot falls out because the best sealent is not redialyy available. In the old days water glass did the job and every farmer who had eggs had waterglass, now I don't know where you can find it. Dap works well for generall shooting and hunting.

[Dragoon 45]

Thanks everyone for their contributions.

[1874Sharps]

I shoot the holy black in CAS matches and am actually the only one who does so in the club. I have tried shooting BP in brass, paper and plastic hulls with varying success. I went with the brass shells because they look the part and a plastic shell just does not look right for the 1880s. The brass shells actually last a long time and are easily reloaded by hand. To reload the brass shell (after cleaning) I simply punch out the primer, seat a new primer, measure out 3 drams of BP, seat an over powder wad, install a 1/8" SPG grease cookie, seat a fiber wad column of proper height, load the shot and over shot card and crimp. I made a roll crimping tool that keeps the overshot card from coming loose and thus prevents the shot from spilling out of the shell. The only problem I have sometimes had is with extraction of the spent shell. However, with the application of a little bit of BP compatible grease in the chamber prior to shooting the spent cases come out fine. That is not something that should typically be done in a modern smokeless arm, though, as high pressures could result. All the materials are available from stadard suppliers such as Midway, Track of the Wolf, Buffalo Arms, etc. The good folks at Buffalo Arms have always been quite knowledgible and helpful to me. The paper and plastic hulls work just fine, too, but I do not reload them and I use only fiber wads (not plastic wads) with them. I just like the looks of the brass hulls with the rest of my 1880s gear. Hope this helps!

[Muddy Creek Sam]

The shot falls out because the best sealent is not redialyy available. In the old days water glass did the job and every farmer who had eggs had waterglass, now I don't know where you can find it. Dap works well for generall shooting and hunting.

I have about 450 of the Brass Shells, Both Magtech and 30 of the Rocky Mountain Hand Turned. I get me WaterGlass from a Ceramics Supplier. Have nevr lost the shot in a Shell. I use the RCBS Cowboy Dies and A Mec Supersizer as I use thenn in Multiple Shotguns. I prime with an older Hornady Hand Primer with the Adapter and the RCBS Shell Holder. 3.1 CC of 2F Goex with 1oz. of #9 Shot. I load light because Katie has RA in Both hands and they are easier on her. Used to load 4.3 CC of 2F with 1 1/8 oz of #9.

Sam :D

[northmn]

I do not shoot SASS but have shot a few birds with BP shells and a double hammer gun. Recommendations are to use larger wads than the gauge for brass hulls (like 14 gauge). I live close to a shooting range where they throw away more cases than I can use. For BP I use plastic cases, usually straight walled like Federal or Fiochi as they have more capacity than the STS or AA. I have a Ballistic products roll crimper (some swear by the Precision Reloading model) you cut the cases down a little on the crimp so the roll takes better. Buy card wads and split the card wads for over shot sometimes. Went through 2 old 12 gauges and now have a very nice 16. For that I have a bunch of Cheddite cases that are have never been crimped. Never had any problem with the plastic cases and only use the card wads except for very light loads. Its a lot of fun on grouse.

Northmn

[Dale53]

I used to load Brass Shells. I loaded simply - 3 drams of black and 1 1/8 ounce of shot. I used only 12 gauge shells and that calls for an eleven (11) gauge set of wads. I used a nitro card overpowder wad, a 3/8" filler wad, and an over shot wad. I sealed the over powder wad with water glass and later with Dupont Duco cement. The duco was easier to use. I NEVER had the overshot wad fail. I bought all of my supplies from Ballistic Products:

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

Dale53

[Muddy Creek Sam]

http://www.tbullock.com/bpsg.html

Sam :D