[47_MasoN_47]

I plan to get one of the Lee Load All 2 presses within the next 2 weeks or so. I've accumulated about 100 shotgun shells that I've fired (from 7 to 8 shot mostly, with a few buckshot and slugs) and was wondering if I can load all these up with buckshot without a problem. I'm planning on reloading my used shotgun shells with buckshot to put back for storage, since buckshot is pretty expensive, and then once I reach the amount of buckshot I'd like to have back I'd like to start reloading birdshot and target loads. Does it matter what the shell was used for previously? Can I safely load buckshot into a 7 1/2 shot shell?

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

depends on the shell. some work, some dont. if you want to load a batch for sotrage ammo, buy a batch of 1000 hulls you have previously found a load for, then load and store them. use the hulls you have for low power shot rounds as those are much more forgiving than buckshot is.

do yourself a favor and get two books: the precision relaoding blanks to supersonics manual:

http://www.precisionreloading.com/m...roduct_Code=PRBK01&Category_Code=REL_MAN_SHOT

and the lyman shotshell handbook

http://www.precisionreloading.com/m...uct_Code=LY9827111&Category_Code=REL_MAN_SHOT

some hulls are unsuitable for some applications where others are. for buckshot i prefer either remington "black beauty" or federal gold medal plastic hulls. pick a load you feel applicable to your situation, and stick with that combination of compnoents. buckshot isnt nearly as forgiving as target shot loads are.

SW

 

[47_MasoN_47]

Thanks, I'll check out those books. I definitely don't want to do it wrong and mess up one of my shotguns.

 

[roland45]

I have a load all that I have been loading shells with for about 25 years or so. I must agree with Wolverine,
get a good book on the subject. The trick to loading any shotgun ammo with the lee is knowing how many grains of a certain powder ( blue dot, red dot, unique, ect) your powder bushings will throw. each powder bushing has a certain number on it, and each bushing is supossed to through a certain charge weight of powder. Most reloading manuals have a powder bushing chart for the lee load all and others posted in their manuals. I just loaded a few hundrend rounds of 2 &3/4, 1 and 1/8 ounce 5 shot for pheasant hunting. The manual gave me the charge weight of powder, what wad, and what hull and primer to use. I dont want to post a recipie, but lets say a winchester super x hull, a federal 209 primer, a remington figure 8 wad and umteen grains of unique powder, (3 and a 1/4 dram). After looking at the Lee powder bushing chart in my alliant manual, I found a powder bushing number that came close to the charge weight of unique that i wanted to load. I put the powder bushing in the loader and ran 10 charges throught it, weighing every other one. The powder bushing did not throw the same weight that the bushing chart listed in the manual. It threw well under what the chart listed. all of my powder bushings are like this. i suposse lee does this for saftey concerns, not knowing what kind of condition the gun powder is that people try to load with. The amount of powder in the of the hull, and what type of wad used, and the amount of shot will determine what kind of crimp you will get. not enough powder, wrong kind of wad, you will get nasty crimps. Stik to what is listed in the manuals, and you should be fine.

The PITA about a lee load all is that you can not adjust the powder charge or shot charge , with out emtying everything, powder and shot, from the unit to change bushings. and there is no adjusting wad pressure at all.
the nice thing about the load all is its relativey inexpensive, and after trial and error, will load very fine ammo rather quickly.
It doesnt matter how big or how small the shot is, a oz of 9 shot weighs the same as a 1 oz slug or 1 oz of buck shot, but you would need to use a different wad for the 3 different loads to get a good crimp. and as wolverine stated , some hulls will not be suitable for reloadng buckshot or slugs.
With outa good crimp, all the shot will fall out of the shell when carrying them.
My 2cents,
roland45