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Hi All,

Can someone give me a brief overview of what's required to load 12 bore slug - I have no reloading experience so please keep it simple

Hopefully getting my first Sec1 shotgun tomorrow (Mossberg 500) and while I'm only planning on a bit of informal target shotgun I'd like to try some solid slug but can't afford the cost of shop bought cartridges. Saw on another post techguy mentioning he reloads his own slug and thought it might be worth investigating.

Cheers

Prime & size the hull
Add the powder
Drop the slug into the wad
Seat the slug/wad over the powder.

Pre-crimp then crimp the case closed.
Some use a roll crimp instead

I use the Lyman sabot slug....can sell you a few if you want to try them.

Presses.
Anything from the Lee Loader II upwards.
I use an MEC Sizemaster & a Ponsness Warren 375C.
Look for used Pacific presses and/or MEC presses.

Easiest and cheapest way? Lee 1oz slug mold and cast your own from pure lead. Get a Lee Load All press. Buy new, ready primed cases. Decide on your powder/wad combination from the included Lee data.

Get a small, but long tubed funnel for charging new cases, it helps prevent the powder from sticking to the inside of the case because of static.

It's a doddle.

I roll crimp and don't even bother with a press any more and just drop the powder directly with a cheap Lee Powder measure. I stick my Lee slug in the wad and poke it into the cartridge with my finger. Cheap and easy.

The significant advantage of roll crimping is that you don't need to match the crimp length of the press to the height of all the stuff you put inside the cartridge. I tried doing that with a load all and found it a bit hit and miss. I now just roll crimp down to a snug finish.

The disadvantage is that you probably can't reuse the cartridges. I say probably because I've never tried to do it. They always look a right mess afterwards.

I also roll crimp and I use my bench top pillar drill to do so, with a clear disc on top of the slug just to make it look neat. Really really easy and quick too!

I'm too cheap to put the plastic disc on.
Still works fine.

It does work just as well.. but looks better with the clear disc on top :)

I bought a job lot of ready primed fiocchi cases, wads and discs so have enough to last my slug reloading for about 10 years

walesdave wrote:Hi All,

Can someone give me a brief overview of what's required to load 12 bore slug - I have no reloading experience so please keep it simple

Hopefully getting my first Sec1 shotgun tomorrow (Mossberg 500) and while I'm only planning on a bit of informal target shotgun I'd like to try some solid slug but can't afford the cost of shop bought cartridges. Saw on another post techguy mentioning he reloads his own slug and thought it might be worth investigating.

Cheers

Where abouts do you do target shotgun shooting Dave, if you are still living in Wales that is.

Hi All,

Thanks for all the replies - I get the general idea, but how do you do a roll crimp? I've Google imaged roll crimp v's star crimp so understand the difference, just not sure how you do the roll one??

WelshShooter - I shoot at Severnside with Dursley rifle and Pistol club. There's also a small practical range down the side of the main range - it's basically a path with some falling plates hidden in the bushes, nothing fancy but a bit something a bit different :-). We meet last Sunday of every month at 11a.m. if you fancy coming along....

Google is your friend, Googled "12g roll crimping",

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlysb5JuKVg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjbLdy6i5u4