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Is there anywhere I can find (or have imported at a reasonable price) American cartridges in the UK? I'm finding the range of commonly available European ammunition woefully limited. In particular I'm looking for slugs and buckshot, especially in 3" magnum and low-recoil varieties.

I doubt you could import them at any kind of reasonable price, but i'm more than happy to be proved wrong on that!!

Have you had a look on http://justcartridges.com/index.html? Prices aren't great, but where is in this country for buck and slug (IF you can find any!) :roll:

I did once read somewhere that because of the amount of cartridges used in the UK and the only real sector of ammo producers we have left, that shotgun cartridge prices are cheaper than the US......

Don't know if that is true or not!

Just had a really quick look and compared two cartridges in the UK and US.

Kent All Purpose, box of 25, in the US, $11.99. In the UK, £4.05
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, box of 25, in the US, $18.99. In the UK, £8.50

Perhaps there was something in it?

On the other hand:

Winchester Supreme XX Mag in the UK is £35 a box, and in the US $36 (£22)

Blackstuff wrote:Have you had a look on http://justcartridges.com/index.html? Prices aren't great, but where is in this country for buck and slug (IF you can find any!) :roll:

Well this is the problem, there's only one brand of slug and a couple of brands of 'SG' which is smaller than 00 buck and nobody is selling SSG (equivalent to 000 buck). Nobody that I have seen is selling true 00 buck from a brand like Remington, let alone specialist loads like magnums and low recoil. You would think with the rise in target and practical shotgun (and 3-gun on the continent) there'd be plenty available.

Yep, point taken. Have you thought about reloading shotgun for your needs?

Porcupine wrote:Is there anywhere I can find (or have imported at a reasonable price) American cartridges in the UK? I'm finding the range of commonly available European ammunition woefully limited. In particular I'm looking for slugs and buckshot, especially in 3" magnum and low-recoil varieties.

What about Gamebore Buffalo - they produce sg and slug loads?

Edgar Brothers import the heavy shot cartridges - in fact they only bring those in as it's not worthwhile to bring in regular birdshot, or so I was told.
I just bought some Remington 4"O" buck that was imported by them, not had a chance to try it yet...

In the UK I have also seen slug by CBC (1oz?) & S&B (1oz & 1 1/4oz) for sale - mainly at Bisley, but nothing to stop any regular RFD from stocking such items.

I also bought a Lee-OO-buck 18-cavity ball mold from Tim Hannams just before Xmas, but not tried that yet either as they didn't have the handles for it!!
I also have a couple of the Ideal/RCBS slug molds - one the traditional round nose, hollow base (to be used in a roll-crimped case) - the other mold makes what looks like an airgun diablo pellet on steriods (this one can be used in a normal crimped case)
This latter one makes really nice clean holes in card/paper targets...

I have a few of the CBC Magtech brass shotshell cases - plan to use them with the OO-buck to replicate the US Army M19 loading - or as close as I can get to it.

My conclusion is that - as heavy more exotic shot is always going to be a double-whammy of hard to find at your RFD AND hard on the pocket - I am going down the route of rolling my own!
Have an old RCBS 99000 die set...waiting for the press to use it in....and an old Pacific 366 machine that I am busy restoring (awaiting a few parts from the USA) - a basic Lee Loadall would do the job for a few specialsit loads without too much outlay

Have a look at some of the clips on making such things on YouTube