General reloading

[Flightstopper]

Yup, another question and be ready for more from this newbie. Where do I get my hands on an RSI manual? Their website doesn't have a online store from what I can see. Also do different shotgun barrels withstand different barrel/ load pressures or is there a line you draw across the board? I shoot a Xtrema2. Thanks fellas.

[dog walker]

Call RSI or bucks run, bucks run handles their wads,shot and has the guide. The number is 1-800-274-0403. Same people pretty much I believe.

As far as what your barrel will handle I think the SAAMI max pressure for that barrel is 14,000 psi. 2 3/4" and 3" barrels have a SAAMI max psi rating of 11,500 psi.

I have an Xtrema2 also and it really likes loads running between 1400 and 1500 fps. If I go with higher velocity loads its harder to get good patterns. By higher velocity I mean in the 1600+ fps range. I never did really try to get them under control because I was getting decent patterns and percentages from 1 1/4 oz and 1 3/16 oz loads. RSI 75 does pattern well for me but it takes a briley improved mod to get percentages up above 70% at 40 yards.


All I can tell you is good luck and start looking for patterning paper because you're gonna need it.

[Flightstopper]

Man I might be blowing up your PM box if you don't mind especially since we are swinging the same gun. Try any carlson's or angleport chokes in your's?

[dog walker]

I have an assortment of brileys partially due to having another beretta with an optima plus choke system. I do have a carlsons full but I haven't had a chance to pattern it or use it. The factory mod will also throw some nice patterns.

I will tell you that I wouldn't advise getting a terror choke for it. I had one swell up with less than a box of rounds run through it. They blamed it on the loose tolerances at beretta, anyway they wouldn't stand behind their product. It seems there is a common issue with some models and terror chokes.

Ned and Jehler both have a lot loading experience and can help a good bit,they've both helped me at times.

[Flightstopper]

Jehler already knows I'm going to be killing him with questions. He just doesn't know it's gonna hit him until he quits playing down there in LA and gets back here

[Flightstopper]

What percentage of steel loads use STEEL powder? Waiting on my books and manuals right now and my local shop has one pound of it left right now. Would like to pick it up if I can use it

[JGUN]

What percentage of steel loads use STEEL powder? Waiting on my books and manuals right now and my local shop has one pound of it left right now. Would like to pick it up if I can use it

Buy it now if it's still there. Seriously.

[dog walker]

What percentage of steel loads use STEEL powder? Waiting on my books and manuals right now and my local shop has one pound of it left right now. Would like to pick it up if I can use it

Buy it now if it's still there. Seriously.

X2 you need to get that ASAP. If you have to order it hazmat fees run 27.00 for up to 50 #'s. So instead of paying lets say 20 bucks you'd pay 47 if you had to order it. Steel is the most common powder from what I've seen.

[JGUN]

We couldn't find any here locally. Got one pound 60 miles from here.

[Flightstopper]

That's the exact reason I wanted it. What other powders are used if any though for RSI loads?

[cannon]

That's the exact reason I wanted it. What other powders are used if any though for RSI loads?

All the good ones use STEEL. 95% of the up-to-date loads will use that powder. Older RSI data uses 800x, 700x, 4756, Blue Dot, and several other powders, but if you want to load steel, scrap the rest and go with the powder that is definitely the industry standard. I use a few longshot loads and a few blue dot loads, nut Alliant steel is definitely the way to go. Almost all RSI's loads use Win209 primers. I load 14+ cases of steel shot annually, so I buy bulk on the powder, usually in 16lb shipments. Ordering big is the only way to save money.

For example: BPI'S has their steel shot on sale right now at 10% off, and there is an online promotion right now for $8.99 shipping. I'll order 240 lbs of shot tomorrow. It'll save me $100 on a +/- $385 purchase, shipping included.

I recently caught federal 209A primers on sale and bought 10,000 of em for $250.

When precision reloading has a shipping special, I'll buy a minimum of 5,000 wads

Where you don't find great sales, combine powder and primer sales to cut shipping and hazmat fees.

The load I use at least 80% of the time will cost me $7/box to load. Compare that to $18/box for DryLok's, and I save well over $1,000 annually on shells. To be fair, cost savings isn't the reason I load my own, but it sure soothes my conscience when I think about how much money I dump into the hobby.



Good Luck.

[Flightstopper]

Great info Cannon exactly what I needed. Stick around more I have way too many questions. Jehler has already been a huge help but surely I need someone else to bother

[Flightstopper]

Where is the best place to find hulls?

[Flightstopper]

What are good things to have on hand that are cheap and good to throw on top of orders? Like felt cards, overshot cards whatever else and of what sizes.

Like I said so many questions, trying to get the most I can before I start rolling and start learning from mistakes.

[cannon]

Where is the best place to find hulls?

Gunbroker. Also, let me highly recommend federal GM's for 2.75". There's a guy they call papcharlie that you can find on the Internet. He's a great source for GM's at certain times of the year.

What are good things to have on hand that are cheap and good to throw on top of orders? Like felt cards, overshot cards whatever else and of what sizes.

Like I said so many questions, trying to get the most I can before I start rolling and start learning from mistakes.

Forget overshot cards. They're a waste of time. Felt spacers can be good to have around, but if you don't have any, you can use cardboard, flax seed, or even a cheerio to do the trick.

What specific gun make/model are you loading for?

[cannon]

I wouldn't worry about too many extras, other than that. Let me second jehler's affection for the RCBS chargemaster powder dispenser. That thing's a legitimate life-saver. Make sure your bench has a sharp knife, some razor blades, a full set of open end wrenches, pliers, allen wrenches, a hammer, a small dust-buster type vac, and a tape measure and/or ruler. Those are the things you'll find yourself wandering around the house in search of most often.



,

[Flightstopper]

Xtrema2. You, primarily?

A good bit of RSI loads I'm looking at call for overshot cards or felt from what I can tell. Not needed? I'm still waiting on my manual to show up but John scanned in some pages for me to look over for now.

991010 AL load is one I was looking at to try off the bat. Your take?

[Flightstopper]

I wouldn't worry about too many extras, other than that. Let me second jehler's affection for the RCBS chargemaster powder dispenser. That thing's a legitimate life-saver. Make sure your bench has a sharp knife, some razor blades, a full set of open end wrenches, pliers, allen wrenches, a hammer, a small dust-buster type vac, and a tape measure and/or ruler. Those are the things you'll find yourself wandering around the house in search of most often.



,

Beautiful sight there Cannon. I looked at those powder dispensers but wasn't sure how they would meter the STEEL powder. You just made me very happy if they are the ticket. Will probably make myself do it all by hand for a bit so I can really appreciate it (and my wife might kill me if I drop more money right now )

[jehler]

I wouldn't worry about too many extras, other than that. Let me second jehler's affection for the RCBS chargemaster powder dispenser. That thing's a legitimate life-saver. Make sure your bench has a sharp knife, some razor blades, a full set of open end wrenches, pliers, allen wrenches, a hammer, a small dust-buster type vac, and a tape measure and/or ruler. Those are the things you'll find yourself wandering around the house in search of most often.



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I'll add a small flashlight, micrometer an a magnet if your a shot spilling clutch like me...

[Flightstopper]

Some loads on those scans call for federal paper base hulls. Is there a substitute for those or are they good? From what I read in Lyman's is that they don't last as long as all plastic hulls

[jehler]

Federal paper base hulls are great....but they suck

I you shoot fed loads and you an get them picked up and put away before the get wet or damp you will get some good loads out of them. Problem is that paper at the bottom gets damp and it swells and or makes your powder wet and gives you bloopers or a hull malfunction. I got some great velocities and patterns with both 2 3/4 inch and 3 inch federals but gave up on them as we re always wet where we hunt. I use cheddite for everything and buy them new by the 2500 count, I have to press out the crappy primer that they come with which is irritating but a lot easier than buying once fired. Cannon can fill you in on rem hulls, I avoid them like the plague

[jehler]

I buy primers in bulk like cannon does, my favorite loads use cci 209m, you use those at all cannon?

[jehler]

I should add that I do not substitute anything for the paper base hulls. I will swap a cheddite for a fiochi or rio here and there but that's about it, till you get te hang if things, start getting good consistent velocities I would be shy of too much subbing. Oh yeah, you'll need a chronograph too, don't you feel the savings already

[cannon]

I buy primers in bulk like cannon does, my favorite loads use cci 209m, you use those at all cannon?

Never have. Never heard anything but good stuff about em, though.

Flightstopper, I tend to vary on what I carry, but if you're loading for an xtrema2, I'll send ya some load data and pattern pics from my tests with an Xtrema2, 26" barrel. FYI, for patterning, I'd start with your factory IM.

[Ned Swygard]

Federal plastic hulls with the paper basewads make excellent loads, so does the Estate hull which is the same. I load them per Lightning Steel manual just once then pitch them. I get them free at the local gun club. Also most gun clubs order components a couple of times a year. You can buy wholesale and the suppliers deliver free. You can save a helluva lot this way. I use to buy this way all the time but have enough shotcups and primers to last me my lifetime. I now buy my powder and steel shot at Gene Sears in El Reno, Ok when I go thru there at least twice a year. I would only use Alliants STEEL powder for steel loads, great stuff. I use mostly Cheddite, Fed, and Rio primers. I also have the white box Win209, Fioochi primers and CCI 209M. Ned S

[Flightstopper]

I should add that I do not substitute anything for the paper base hulls. I will swap a cheddite for a fiochi or rio here and there but that's about it, till you get te hang if things, start getting good consistent velocities I would be shy of too much subbing. Oh yeah, you'll need a chronograph too, don't you feel the savings already

I'm gonna give my wife your number so she can bitch at you instead of me. I'll know it's you when she takes the phone to the other room

[Flightstopper]

Thank you, thank you, thank you fellas. Wealth of knowledge in this thread right now

[cannon]

Xtrema2. You, primarily?

A good bit of RSI loads I'm looking at call for overshot cards or felt from what I can tell. Not needed? I'm still waiting on my manual to show up but John scanned in some pages for me to look over for now.

991010 AL load is one I was looking at to try off the bat. Your take?

A lot of RSI's loads call for felt under the shot. You'll need something for those to ensure a snug fit & good crimps. Like I said, almost anything will do. I've used cotton balls and paper towels.

I don't recognize the load number you mentioned. But I'll guarantee you that I can give you a very good starting point. For a load/choke combo outta that gun. What shot sizes do you have?

John mentioned flashlight & magnet. I forgot about those. A good magnet is indispensable. If you get one of those extending pen type magnets, it'll fit down in a hull, which is a very good thing for the unavoidable situation where you dump your shot into a hull before you put the wad in. Magnet pulls the shot out of your powder and saves the whole mess from going in the trash.

[DeadEye_Dan]

Any reason I can't load AA's?

[cannon]

Any reason I can't load AA's?

Nope, but they tend to short ya on capacity. 1 oz is an absolute max for those hulls if you use alliant steel powder. I have used one of RSI's loads through 'em in a 7/8 oz offering with some degree of success, but the nature of the tapered wall that the shell employs lends itself to lead shot, not steel. It's just hard to cram stuff in 'em without running pressures up. I feel certain that you could stuff an ounce and an eight load in 'em using longshot, but that powder comes with a lot of caveats and is a good candidate for being the one that blew someone's face off. Longshot is volitile and very much prone to pressure spikes.