Source for practice ammo and best suggestion for reloadable hulls?

[Jesse Jaymes]

My shotgunning is TERRIBLE. It's embarassing. I really need some work. Some time on clays and probably professional instruction. It's been decades since I've reloaded shotgun ammo. But I am anxious to get back into it. No progressive press, but a few hundred or more per year would keep me dedicated to practicing. And retiring soon, I'll have plenty of time.

Way back in my day, everything was Winchester AA hulls. Every book and recipe was AAs. Or Remington golden somethings.

For clays...I am looking to buy a case or two to get started. But I would like something that is readily reloadable.

Is there anything Fiocchi in play? Specifically 12 gauge, is loaded ammo, is there anything specific I am looking for for clays?

Lastly, sourcing. I buy cases of steel and waterfowl ammo from Rogers over the years. Generally catch some rebates and free shipping. Seeing several options near .40 cents a round. Are there Trap/Skeet online sources that may be cheaper?

Montana having no sales tax, I may be able to snag a case or two off the shelf next trip through to a Scheels. THis a dumb idea?

 

[Spoonbill]

My shotgunning is TERRIBLE. It's embarassing. I really need some work. Some time on clays and probably professional instruction. It's been decades since I've reloaded shotgun ammo. But I am anxious to get back into it. No progressive press, but a few hundred or more per year would keep me dedicated to practicing. And retiring soon, I'll have plenty of time.

Way back in my day, everything was Winchester AA hulls. Every book and recipe was AAs. Or Remington golden somethings.

For clays...I am looking to buy a case or two to get started. But I would like something that is readily reloadable.

Is there anything Fiocchi in play? Specifically 12 gauge, is loaded ammo, is there anything specific I am looking for for clays?

Lastly, sourcing. I buy cases of steel and waterfowl ammo from Rogers over the years. Generally catch some rebates and free shipping. Seeing several options near .40 cents a round. Are there Trap/Skeet online sources that may be cheaper?

Montana having no sales tax, I may be able to snag a case or two off the shelf next trip through to a Scheels. THis a dumb idea?

You can sometimes find AA shells for a good price at Scheels. May be worth checking online and seeing what is available. Rogers and Academy have good prices on shotgun shells, you can also hit ammoseek for something cheaper.

 

[RockAndSage]

For just basic practice ammo of any kind, it's extremely hard to beat the prices you find at walmart - especially when you take shipping costs into account.

If you want something more specific, or want to see what's out there, the first place I look is AmmoSeek. You can get extreme specific, including looking at prices that come with free shipping. Here's what 12ga cheap practice ammo looks like, with the free shipping filter:

12 Gauge Ammo

In-stock best prices for 12 Gauge Ammo | Best 12 Gauge Ammunition - AmmoSeek.com

ammoseek.com

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

I maybe didn't fully explain very well. I want practice ammo....that is made with quality reloadable hulls. So I can burn and re-use.

I can find Fiocchi target loads around .40 each. But are the hulls worth a shit? Same with Winchester. I can find Winchester clay ammo at .40 each. But upgrading to some loaded Winchester ammo built with a AA hull bumps the price into the .52 each shell range.

I see Fiocchi hulls for sale on shotgun loading sites, both once fired and new.

But in my recollections...most shotgun loading data is VERY specific about which hulls you use. Not quite like pistol brass, or 223 brass where it's not terribly specific if it's all trimmed to the same length.

 

[RockAndSage]

That's really interesting. I don't know a thing about reloading shotgun shells, but I have been saving a bunch of 3 1/2" hulls from my hunts for whenever I do get into it, on the assumption those would be the hardest to find or the most expensive to purchase. And that would be my interest in handloading - just for custom hunting loads, not for practice ammo.

Fiocchi loads have done extremely well in my shotgun, across a number of different game loads, from 2 3/4" to the 3 1/2". I can tell you, their hulls stood out to me early on - they seemed to be in notably better condition after firing than other hulls. Less little cracks and missing bits of plastic at the ends and in the corners. The material seems to be a bit more pliable, and just "feels" like a better quality.

Can't help with your question, but from a fairly inexperienced perspective, the Fiocchi shells do seem to be a better quality material.

 

[chemist]

Almost any hull is reloadable at least once. That said, remington or winchester AA are most people's favorites. For a cheap hull the remington gunclub is the best. You should be able to find a case for about $90, or by dumpster diving at your local range. It has a steel case head so it is a little more difficult to resize but I reload a bunch of them. All of the current make remington hulls and the new federal HOA use interchangeable load data.

For 12 gauge there is not much cost savings unless you reduce payload. For practice you don't really need more than 3/4 ounce of shot for skeet and don't need more than 7/8 ounce for 16 yard trap.

Most 12 gauge I reload is with titewad and the cb0175-12.

 

[chemist]

In response to the fiocchi hulls, they are straight wall which means a bigger volume and thus using slightly more powder and they are a little more difficult to get a good stack height for reduced payloads.

 

[Bluefish]

First figure out if it’s worth it. I have not bought components in years, back then it cost about $3/box to load, plus labor. Flats were about $55, so $5.50 a box for cheaper loads.

Promo loads are still probably less than $10/box if bought by the flat.

For hulls, AA-HS is popular, these replaced the original AA one pc hulls but load mostly the same. I found the AAHS like a slightly shorter wad, ie use a 1 oz was for 7/8 oz loads and 1-1/8 wad for 1 oz loads.

Remington gun clubs, gold and sts are the only one pc hulls left in production. If you can live with the steel heads on gun clubs you can find all you want dumpster diving at a clay range. The sts and gold are harder to find, but I find they all work the same.

All the euro hulls are two pc and most people don’t reload them. You can, but serious loaders use the rem or win hulls.

 

[flyfisher117]

There is not much for cheap factory loads with quality hulls. I'd bite the bullet and buy 2 cases of AA shells or buy fired AA hulls.

I tried reloading a few of the cheap target ammo hulls and they just didn't last. Many were done their 2nd firing. I now only load AA.

 

[Corvus Corax]

Remington gun clubs. I’ve reloaded these hulls a few times. A case (250ct) of loaded shells goes for about $90.

 

[Dos XX]

I reload Remington STS. I have reloaded Win AA but don't mess with them anymore. Fed HOA are the same hulls as STS but a different color. They don't use the same factory shot, though. I don't like them as much as a factory load but they reload the same as STS.

I have reloaded Federal Top Guns. They are steel head so I load them once and toss them.

I think the STS shells have $1 a box rebate now, up to $ 50 max.

 

[flathead#2]

I just bought a MEC 600 Jr. and been looking at Ballistic Products for components.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Many thanks....these last couple posts have helped.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Secondary questions since a few Shotshell loaders were available.

Is there cost savings in loading Game loads? Heavy pheasant loads or custom chukar loads in 5s or 6s?

Can you load bismuth in a standard charge bar? I've already looked at the price, pen to paper....can you save any cash home rolled?

 

[chemist]

You will save a lot more per box reloading lead game loads in #5 and #6 than you will per box on target loads. The question is if you shoot enough lead game loads per year to make it worth it to you.

Are you using a mec single stage with fixed charge bars? I imagine your your press will drop the bismuth but it will be lighter than the bar indicates because it is less dense than lead. If I were loading bismuth I would just handweigh the charges. I have never done the math for its cost per shell.

I reload as its own hobby and to be able to shoot the loads I want more than I do to save money. Cheaper ammo is just a little bonus.

 

[Corvus Corax]

^^^^^
I shoot far more trap and 5 stand than I do hunting. With cases of target loads being $80-$90 bucks I don’t even reload those shells very often. I got started reloading as a side hobby when I got a hot deal on a progressive setup. I would think with the right charge bar and dies you could reload just about whatever you want. I just buy field loads when I find a good deal.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Not yet bought a press. Would do single stage MEC with primer drop.

 

[Bluefish]

Not yet bought a press. Would do single stage MEC with primer drop.

If you are doing any volume that’s a really slow way to make shells. When it was shooting a lot, I would load for an hour on an pw800, every other week and have 500-600. That was enough to last the next two weeks with two shooters.

I do have a single stage mec that I use for hunting loads. It does work well for that, but not for volume loading.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I have, had a source for AA hulls in SD. I see if he still sells them. Very cheep.

 

[Dos XX]

Fiocchi hulls are straight wall. STS, HOA, and Win AA are tapered hulls. Powder availability for 12 ga target loads is pretty limited right now, and what is available is mostly dense powders. I am not real familiar with wad selection for straight wall hulls, but using dense powders can mean using different wads than with a bulky powder.

In tapered hulls, when using dense powders, you can use a 1 oz wad for 1 1/8 oz shot drop to take up some space caused by the compact, dense powder. It works with 7/8 oz wads for 1 oz shot drops, too. You may be able to do the same thing in a straight wall. I just haven't done it and don't automatically now what wads for that situation. Straight wall hulls also use more powder for equal velocity compared to tapered hull.