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Thread: Vintage shotshell reloads

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Vintage shotshell reloads

    Well, not vintage new ammo, but vintage 12 guage component reloads.

    New primed Western paper hulls
    Alcan AL-120 powder
    Alcan #2 Flite-Max wad
    1-1/8 oz shot
    Shot size numbered over-shot card
    Roll crimp

    The slug load (reject slug-mashed nose pushing out of rifling die) uses-
    Alcan Air wedge
    3/8 Alcan Feltan Bluestreak wad
    135 card wad
    Lyman hollow base slug (rifled)
    Roll crimpClick image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by curiousgeorge; 02-14-2021 at 10:16 AM.

  2. #2
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    Nice reloading work, George. So, you just happened to have these old components on hand? Well, they worked "back then", so they should do fine now.

    DG

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    DG
    Yes, I have a lot of old "vintage" reloading equipment and components. Was fortunate enough to hang out with the middle-aged reloading guys when I was a teenager in the 70's. I either bought from them, or sadly inherited, a lot of older supplies and equipment.

    And you are correct: Star, Hollywood, Texan, Lyman, C-H, and Pacific equipment still load old powders, primers, wads, paper hulls, cast slugs, cast boolits, and large primer 357 mag cases very well. Yes, it's old school, but you are correct that it still works.

  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    curiousgeorge:

    Just a comment about large primerd 357 brass, few have ever seen or are aware that such a thing exists! I have several full boxes of Winchester, one box of Western, one box of Peters, and one Remington dogbone box of large primer 357, all of which predate WW2. The 357 was introduced in 1935 with the S&W Registered Magnum (that is registered to the owner by Smith and Wesson, not to the government). United States Cartridge Co made the first ammunition, followed by Winchester, Western, Peters, and Remington UMC. It seems to me that Winchester ammunition is by far the most commonly encountered ammunition, followed by Western and Peters. USCCo is considered rare, and some people have even speculated if Remington UMC actually made prewar 357 Magnum cartridges. I wondered myself, 'till I found a box last year. Chuck Suydan in his US Cartridges And Their Handguns doesn't even show a prewar Remington UMC large primer cartridge. It is my belief that 357 cases with large primers were only made from 1935 to 1941 or 42 when all the ammunition companies stopped making ammunition for the civilian market, and began working almost exclusively on military contracts. After WW2, the 357 had the small primer as we know it today.

    Congratulations on having a unicorn!

    There are also some 38 Special cases with large primers...................that's another story.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    Yessir, that brass is a little rare. I have 2 boxes of brass WRA headstamp and 20 nickled Peters cases. The notes thst came with these state that he bought 100 pcs of the WRA factory primed. There are 16 cases still loaded with a Lee Jurras 145 gr HP from 12/16/1961. Notes said "Last of my new brass. Lee Jurras was a young bullet maker just starting out when I got these from him." The primers are domed and have a purple sealant around the edge.

    The gentleman that I got these from came back from WWII and worked as an armorer at Ft. Knox, KY not too far from here. A wealth of knowledge about guns, reloading, and shooting.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    curiousgeorge:

    Winchester Repeating Arms (WRA) made early 357 in both brass and "nickle plated shell" versions, all with large domed primers. The brass cased ammo did not have a notation on the outside of the box, I'm assuming because the brass case was the "norm" back then. The nickle cases carried Nickle Plated Shell on the top of the box. Funny thing, both versions carried the same catalog number of K3570T. I have seen more of the nickle versions of the boxes, but can't really hazard a guess as to which is more or less common.

    It's amazing that you have notes for all you have, and it would be interesting to know why Lee Jurras was using this particular brass back then in his early Super Vel development.

    Funny, we love large primer 357 brass, but everyone hates the small primed 45 brass!

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    Quote Originally Posted by curiousgeorge View Post
    Well, not vintage new ammo, but vintage 12 guage component reloads.

    New primed Western paper hulls
    Alcan AL-120 powder
    Alcan #2 Flite-Max wad
    1-1/8 oz shot
    Shot size numbered over-shot card
    Roll crimp

    The slug load (reject slug-mashed nose pushing out of rifling die) uses-
    Alcan Air wedge
    3/8 Alcan Feltan Bluestreak wad
    135 card wad
    Lyman hollow base slug (rifled)
    Roll crimpClick image for larger version. 

Name:	20210213_134638_compress27.jpg 
Views:	28 
Size:	56.2 KB 
ID:	277549
    curiousgeorge

    I have the Lyman slug making kit for the 12 gauge, I see your list of components used, have you shot these to see how these pattern?

    Would love to compare notes fi you've actually put these loads down range!!!

    Scott
    Scott

    You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check