Is shotshell reloading worth it?

Sasquatch

Sasquatch

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Due to low ammo prices, reloading some ammo isn't economical unless your labor is free- or negative.

I look at 115 grain 9mm ball as a prime example of this. I can buy it for $0.16c a round, and the cheapest component prices I could get would be something like brass: free, powder $0.02, primer $0.025, bullet $0.07. so, that's about 11c. Is my time worth more than 5c a round delta? Yes. I actually tore up my knee spending one afternoon doing deep squats picking up 9mm brass at an outdoor range. Then there's cleaning the brass, drying it, doing the primer tube shuffle, setting up the progressive press (no way I can imagine doing bulk on a single stage), pulling the handle, and then case checking each round looking for wrong primers, or .380 or otherwise out of spec.

Don't get me wrong- I love reloading. I do it for my competition 9mm ammo, my bulk 223 (thanks @Butter for the inexpensive bullets), and all accuracy non-bulk loads. There's definitely a zen-state to get in when unwinding and sitting at the press, but it's a lot more worthwhile if I'm getting a quarter in my pocket every time I pull the handle.

Which brings us to shotshells. I go through a ton of them because I've got an automated pigeon thrower and three boys who love to shoot. The price is around $0.25 a shot.

Is shotshell the same as other bulk reloading- only 'worth it', when it is more specialized ammo? (pheasant, buckshot, etc.)?
 
Sas quatch said:
Which brings us to shotshells. I go through a ton of them because I've got an automated pigeon thrower and three boys who love to shoot. The price is around $0.25 a shot.
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Sounds like the boys are old enough to handle a scatter gun they be old enough to pull a handle and crank out some shotgun shells. Gotta pay to play. Put 'em to work.

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"Is loading shot shells worth it"??

12 and 20, I say no since either can be purchased for 5.00 or less per box in virtually any shot size. Admittedly the grade of shot isn't the same as I load but it breaks birds at 21 yards.

28 and .410, by all means given the current price of quality shells (WW or Rem)
 
In standard 12/20 I’d say no, in less common gauges I’d say yes.

However, times change. Cheap now may not be cheap later, so never a bad thing to prepare.


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For me its not worth it. I probably only shoot about 50 shells a year at most. But if you're going through tons of them, it may be worthwhile. Could be something you could work on with the boys!
 
It's a nice skill to have but for the money? no
Last time I looked it was more expensive to load my own than to buy ammo for bustin' clays.
 
I shoot skeet about three times a month , using 12, 20 , 28 and. 410. Someone gave me presses for 12 and 28 gauge so I figured if I was going to be loading for some I would load for the other gauges as well. My club has a pretty good discount on reloading components so that helps as well. And , reloading makes me happy.
 
I think I need to figure out what it would cost to get started loading .410...
 
For 12 and 20, I dont think it's worth it. I have a 16 that I load for though.
 
I used to do a lot of trap and sporting clays and ended up loading my own shells after a while. Not because of the cost delta per se, but because i wanted to tune down the loads a bit.

The generic cheap stuff you get at walmart (or did in the old days) is actually loaded pretty hot. It's gotta work in every gun out there and cycle semi-autos so they're going to make it stout. I'm not that big, so shooting 100s of those out of a light weight O/U gun in a sitting was taking it's toll on my fragile self. You don't need that much oomph to bust clays, so I was able to load lighter loads with less shot and less powder simulating some of the higher quality loads you could buy at pretty low prices per round.

One downside I only learned recently; someone gave me an old single shot 12 gauge and I refinished it and took it to the range... and my old handloads wouldn't fit! I wasn't resizing the bases of my shells, they were essentially fire-formed to my O/U and wouldn't chamber easily in the other gun.
 
As they say, it depends. Off the shelf 12ga bird loads are cheap so it doesn't make sense for them. Now buck and slugs are most definitely worth it.
 
How many rounds of buckshot or slugs are you going to shoot? Are they for hunting or for some type of competition?

It may be worth getting set up for 16, 28, and .410 if you shoot a lot, but I would buy shells for 12, 20, buck, and slugs.
 
Jayne said:
I used to do a lot of trap and sporting clays and ended up loading my own shells after a while. Not because of the cost delta per se, but because i wanted to tune down the loads a bit.

The generic cheap stuff you get at walmart (or did in the old days) is actually loaded pretty hot. It's gotta work in every gun out there and cycle semi-autos so they're going to make it stout. I'm not that big, so shooting 100s of those out of a light weight O/U gun in a sitting was taking it's toll on my fragile self. You don't need that much oomph to bust clays, so I was able to load lighter loads with less shot and less powder simulating some of the higher quality loads you could buy at pretty low prices per round.

One downside I only learned recently; someone gave me an old single shot 12 gauge and I refinished it and took it to the range... and my old handloads wouldn't fit! I wasn't resizing the bases of my shells, they were essentially fire-formed to my O/U and wouldn't chamber easily in the other gun.
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In a nutshell that's basically why I want to reload. Jenny and her daughter weigh 200lbs combined and off the shelf loads would turn them off to clays within a shot or two. I want to be able to load lighter loads for them. I know said animal is available commercially but they're often tough to find locally.
 
When I was shooting Cowboy action, I needed a light load for the daughter. Two card wads, but from cereal boxes, and 3/4 oz of shot filled the bill. I also could stick a small war of yellow feathers instead of the card wads. Boom, boom, boom with feathers followed by a shout of "Daddy!!!!" , was worth it.
CF
 
Now the feather thing is hilarious. If only we could figure a way to have a small flag pop out that said "bang" instead of a load of shot.
 
When I did a lot of quail hunting, I reloaded because the store bought loads that I used were expensive. Loading shotgun shells is much easier than centerfire ammo. I think it would be a good learning experience for your kids and might even save you a little bit of money.
 
Shotgun shell reloading is easier than metallic cartridge reloading once you get all the components that work together. That can be frustrating but is a lot better than it was 50 years ago when there were so many differences among types of cases, types of primers, and types of wads. The main limiting factor is getting enough of the same type of suitable cases. Some cases are not very good for reloading. Those with a solid plastic case without a separate base wad are great. Some base wads do not hold up very well to repeated loadings. The old (not recent) Winchester AA cases and several of the Remington cases (Gun Club is fairly common) are good for several loadings. The modern wads are easy to match to the desired case and weight of shot if you follow the loading data exactly. Once you get all the components to match properly and get the press , especially the crimping die, set up properly, loading is a piece of cake. I have not changed the settings on my MEC presses or changed components in decades. I load 7/8 ounces of shot in both 12 and 20 gauge for Cowboy, bird hunting, and shotgun games. I buy shells for deer, ducks, and turkeys. I load all my rifle and handgun ammo.
 
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one of my shooting buds is an avid and excellent skeet shooter. He is also a mechanical engineer and CFP. He says no. You cannot load 12/20 with the same amount of lead and powder as factory fodder, even using free hulls and save any money. He loads because he shoots 3/4oz of lead with a pinch of powder for cream puff loads as he has had shoulder surgery and has become very recoil sensitive. I would load shotty shells but I just dont have any room for the press or the supplies. But if shells keep going up or stay at current price levels, I will find a way. Shotguns shells right now are at Corona Virus price levels not realistic price levels. Federal and WW have rebates and the prices are still too damn high. I say if you have the room for a press and supplies, go for it.
 
Brian K said:
In a nutshell that's basically why I want to reload. Jenny and her daughter weigh 200lbs combined and off the shelf loads would turn them off to clays within a shot or two. I want to be able to load lighter loads for them. I know said animal is available commercially but they're often tough to find locally.
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That is a good reason to do it and totally bypasses the "is it worthwhile" aspect.
 
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