Not a lot of people reload 12ga shells anymore due mostly to the cheap price of slabs of shells these days. That cheap price goes right out the window though once you start shooting slugs and buckshot.
To be honest the Lee Load All is the only shotgun press I’ve used but it works so well I’ve not bothered looking into other presses. The only downfall I’ve found is once you bolt / screw it down to a bench all the spent primers build up inside of the base of the press.
My solution to this was to drill a hole through a block of pine with with a step drill (making a cone) under where the primers are pressed out and screwed an old peanut butter jar lid (with a hole through it) to it.
When I use the press now I secure it in the vise on bench and the primers when they’re pressed out collect in the jar for easy disposal, this has the added bonus of freeing up space on the reloading bench as I can hang the press up on the wall when its not in use.
Slugs are definitely expensive. Like $4+ per shot. Say, we throw in press, primers, powder and lead… That’s like 200 shots and everything is paid off. That’s nothing really, when you get into it.
Interesting. Scrounging lead definitely works and once I’m back to shooting regularly at my club, I’ll be bringing a bucket along… However, I thought that you can’t use that in a shotgun, because it’s a harder lead alloy. I was of an opinion that only pure (soft) lead can safely be used in a shotgun.
It depends on what gun you are using to shoot said slugs.
A rifled shotgun will prefer hardened slugs or at least you’ll get less leading in the barrel.
A smoothbore with an open (cylinder) choke shooting slugs that fit in a regular shot cup (like the Lee Keydrive slugs) will make no difference as the slug will not contact the firearm at all.
A smoothbore with a choked barrel will be best used with pure soft lead, allowing the slug to swage through the choke. It is not recommended to shoot slugs through a choke tighter than 3/4, Improved cylinder is the way to go from what I’ve read.
Another important thing to do with these presses is to actually measure and record how much powder each bushing throws with the powder your using, I have found there is quite a bit of difference to what is advertised.
Hrmmm, not good (assume you’re talking about 500). You shouldn’t be getting lots of leading. Probably time to start casting, swaging and lubing/powder coating (will be posting on that soon, here). Really though, you shouldn’t be getting lots of leading with factory rounds, that’s shit.
Fairly sure, i get alot more plastic in the beretta ( clay loads ) but have literal chuncks of lead in the mossberg but i don’t think the slugs i have ride in s shotcup
