WaterfowlForum.Net

I can definitely tell the differnce in knock down power when I use hevi shot or black clouds vs the $12.00 a box Winchester Super X so I was considering getting into reloading. I was sitting in the blind today and one of the guys said reloading steel was a pain and not worth it. I only want to reload waterfowl loads because I can buy a case of Remington heavy dove for $60.00 and that will last me the whole dove season and it does the job just fine. Anybody have any opinions about reloading steel?

Check out the Reloading and Shotshell forum. You are sure to get some answers there.

Once you get the loads down that shoot good out of your gun they're great. But we've blown thru hundreds of rounds patterning and testing to get loads we like for different situations. I definitely notice a difference over factory loads. Start up cost is the biggest factor but once you get into it it's not as bad. Jehler, Ned and a couple others will be your biggest help on this forum.

It's cheaper to just order them by the case from Rogers.

It is a labor intensive endeavor but I knew that before I started. You have to hand weigh the powder and shot drops unlike loading lead.

I go through several cases of steel a year and wanted more control over what I was shooting. I can load as much or as little as I need in different shot sizes and hull lengths.

This isn't something I'd get into if I shot less than a case a year. As jgun stated you will load,pattern and test countless loads in your guns to see which ones look good. Then you have to see how they perform.

I just started loading last year and used my reloads last year and this year. I have a notebook full of notes,pattern results and recipes. Now I'm going back and adding notes about how each load performs in the field in various conditions.

When you can find the heavier shot on sale is when you'll really save your money. I still have several boxes of tungsten we loaded last year for my 10ga at $1.03 per shell. Much cheaper than any sale on factory loads.

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Hevi-Shot/products/67/

You get 90 ,1 1/4 oz shells out of a bag of Hevi shot thats $2.56 just in shot...

Right now I go through less than a case a season as I'm picky with my shots. But my little boys are not too far from the blind plus my wife likes to hunt so I'll probably need to start thinking about reloading. Thanks for the info everyone.

If you belong to a trap or skeet club you can buy your reloading supplies delivered a couple of times a year. buy 5000 primers and at least 4 lbs of powder at a time and you will be able load cheaper than buying the shellls plus they will perform better than the boughten stuff. 1 oz of 3's at sea level and 32 f and 1650 fps will kill to 54 yds, BB's' to 65 yds at 1550 fps. I shoot BB's at 1640 fps. 7/8 oz of steel 4's at 1724 fps will penetrate to kill to 50 yds. Ned S