Cost to Reload 12 ga

[dverna]

Quite frankly and this is based on when ammo was easy to get and not price gouged to heck . I had a good bit more confidence in my own handloads over the promotional stuff . WIN AA or REM STS I was fine with . But then again a fair portion of my 12 and 16 took into account I was using damascus or twist steel barrels so at first I loaded to a good bit less pressure . I will say however that in the pigeon ring you have no choice factory only , so with that being said I’ve laid in 3-4 flats of 12 gauge 1 1/4 ounce 7 1/2’s traveling at 1350ish . Three flats of those will last me for all the pigeon rings I’ll frequent the next few years . As generally it’s a 15-30 bird race so you need 30-60 shells for the entire event .

Don’t tell the snowflakes you shoot live pigeons.

[Soundguy]

I had avoided reloading shotshell for years since a box of commons was 6 bucks.. but now when a box can be 20-50$.. I'm glad I started. Im also glad that I can now make my own slugs, buck and shot. Have 2500 primers.. that's not super great.. but better than none.

[6pt-sika]

Don’t tell the snowflakes you shoot live pigeons.

Probably shouldn’t mention the drones either

[MarkP]

what are snow flakes?

[dverna]

what are snow flakes?

Drive to your closest college and observe.

[fivegunner]

A great Post Don , I`am down to 6 bags of shot, so I am only going to load 410`s and 28`s and maybe a few 20`sI will buy a flat or two of 12ga when I need them . My trap and skeet has slowed to two rounds a week .

[dverna]

TY fivegunner. I put the post up to show that cutting back on payload does not save much. I was shocked with the cost of a box of shells when I ran the numbers with current (or what I thought was current) component prices so that is why I posted the total cost information. It makes saving $.40-.50/box on shot even less attractive when the cost of everything else is nuts. Like another poster said, by the time you factor in the cost of targets and gas to get to the range, saving $2 of lead on 100 birds is not a big deal.

The only reason I load 12 ga target loads is because I have a deep inventory of stuff. At today's prices, I would try to find promotional shells like Top Gun, Estates, or Gun Clubs and stock up. Loading 28 ga, .410 and hunting loads has always saved significant $$$.

People who report 3/4 and 1 oz loads work just as well as 1 1/8 oz loads are fooling themselves. It might not matter in skeet at close range, but it matters in the other clay sports where ranges are longer. When the best trap shooters in the world use 1 1/8 oz, it tells us something.

[Scorpion8]

I reload shotshell, and do so much more than metallic now that I shoot trap. Practically the difference between my reloads and store-bought is only in that thru this shortage, I've been able to keep shooting while finding store-bought has been iffy at times. It's also a pleasurable pastime and relaxing. Having stocked up early on components was key, as I know a lot of reloaders who are high-n'-dry for components. I used to scoff many years ago at hose guys who proudly chirped "I always keep 25k of primers in stock...." and now I yearn to be one of them. Right now there's no shot to be had in my town, so would not be a good time to start reloading.

Cost? Performance? A double-blind taste test would probably be so far down in the static to be undecipherable.

[6pt-sika]

A great Post Don , I`am down to 6 bags of shot, so I am only going to load 410`s and 28`s and maybe a few 20`sI will buy a flat or two of 12ga when I need them . My trap and skeet has slowed to two rounds a week .

Last week weekend I was at a shoot in north central PA . On the way up Wednesday I stopped at Shyda’s and picked up twenty bags of West Coast 7 1/2’s . Ten for me and ten for a friend . The price was $14 a bag less than what the closest dealer in central VA is getting at the moment . I already had a fair supply but I buy it when I can get it !

[Soundguy]

Lucky people... I havn't found any in Florida..rotometals doesn't count..even with a distro here..a bag is still over 100$

[dverna]

Last week weekend I was at a shoot in north central PA . On the way up Wednesday I stopped at Shyda’s and picked up twenty bags of West Coast 7 1/2’s . Ten for me and ten for a friend . The price was $14 a bag less than what the closest dealer in central VA is getting at the moment . I already had a fair supply but I buy it when I can get it !

Just checked Shyda's site and the good shot (West Coast) is $52/bag. My current price from a distributor is $50 so that is a very fair price in today's market. The Eagle brand is $47. Makes the numbers I used look reasonable.

The issue most people have is they buy a couple of bags at a time from the LGS.

A few years ago I was at a trap shoot and bought 20 bags of shot. My buddy knew I had bought 80 bags about 6 months earlier and wondered what I was doing. I told him the price was decent and I like having stuff on hand to ride out market swings. I wound up selling him shot a couple of years later...LOL. If he had not been a good friend he would have paid a lot more, but at least he learned his lesson.

80 bags sounds like a lot but I used to load 15-20k rounds a year. Most were 1 1/8 oz loads but some were 1 oz for doubles and my lady. I would go through 45-50 bags a year. One winter day I loaded 4000 shells...over 11 bags of shot.

You are smart to buy when you see a good price. I know some of my married friends cannot do that. It is difficult to deal with a wife, who is not into shooting, when you come home with $1000 of shot. More so now that gas is over $5 and everything is up in price.

[Soundguy]

Went to a show today. Bags of 7.5 at 75$

So glad I drip shot now...

[MarkP]

I bought 2 bags of Eagle 8-1/2's today they only had 8-1/2's & 9's. $56.95 --- $121.87 with tax.


Lighter payloads of shot at high velocity loads will crush targets.

[6pt-sika]

Just checked Shyda's site and the good shot (West Coast) is $52/bag. My current price from a distributor is $50 so that is a very fair price in today's market. The Eagle brand is $47. Makes the numbers I used look reasonable.

The issue most people have is they buy a couple of bags at a time from the LGS.

A few years ago I was at a trap shoot and bought 20 bags of shot. My buddy knew I had bought 80 bags about 6 months earlier and wondered what I was doing. I told him the price was decent and I like having stuff on hand to ride out market swings. I wound up selling him shot a couple of years later...LOL. If he had not been a good friend he would have paid a lot more, but at least he learned his lesson.

80 bags sounds like a lot but I used to load 15-20k rounds a year. Most were 1 1/8 oz loads but some were 1 oz for doubles and my lady. I would go through 45-50 bags a year. One winter day I loaded 4000 shells...over 11 bags of shot.

You are smart to buy when you see a good price. I know some of my married friends cannot do that. It is difficult to deal with a wife, who is not into shooting, when you come home with $1000 of shot. More so now that gas is over $5 and everything is up in price.

I saw the same price you saw . But I wanted to call before I went to make sure they had what I wanted and they quoted it at $49.99 a bag . They wouldn’t accept our tax. Umber however so we paid tax on $999.80 which was $60 . Their price on Eagle shot when in stock was $42.99 on their webpage so makes me think if they’d had Eagle and I’d called in advance that mighta been $39.99 a bag ! I’m going to another shoot in PA in late July I might buy another ten bags .

[6pt-sika]

Last year when I did the July shoot at Rock Mountain in PA my friend that owns the club got shot for me . When I left Sunday to head home I had FIFTYTHREE bags of shot on my Toyota Tacoma of which twenty bags were for two other folks . That haul was I think $44@ bag .

[6pt-sika]

I bought 2 bags of Eagle 8-1/2's today they only had 8-1/2's & 9's. $56.95 --- $121.87 with tax.


Lighter payloads of shot at high velocity loads will crush targets.

I’ve got several friends that have a fair amount of 9’s and 8’s they wanna trade for 7 1/2’s . I used to keep 9’s , 8 1/2’s , 8’s , 7 1/2’s , 6’s and 4’s . Now I keep a bag or two of Magnum9’s for the 410 , a couple bags of 6’s a bag or two of 4’s and I try and keep 10-30 bags of 7 1/2’s now .

[6pt-sika]

Seems to me Shyda’s had CB wads for if memory serves $99.99 a case . Fortunately or unfortunately however you look at it I’ve got a good stock of CB wads for the 12-16-20-28 and 410 . Just wish CB made copies of the REM SP-10 and SP-8 wads !

[Half Dog]

You are smart to buy when you see a good price. I know some of my married friends cannot do that. It is difficult to deal with a wife, who is not into shooting, when you come home with $1000 of shot. More so now that gas is over $5 and everything is up in price.

Well...my wife quilts so I don’t feel too awful buying components.

[trapper9260]

I first started loading 12 and 410 many years ago in the mid 70s , did it with my Dad and brother . For how things was for us it was cheaper to load it then to buy it from the store loaded, I went to do center fire on my own and I still load shotgun in 10,12, 20, 410 . Since i have most of what is needed, why not load your own .I use it for hunting and I can load what ever I like in the shell for what I shooting.I am not confined to what the store will sell .

[Geezer in NH]

International Skeet dropped shot charges trying to get scores to separate on the shooter. That failed, lighter loads and scores went up.