What is required to start reloading shotshells? Does everything that is needed come in something like the LEE Load All or is more equipment required? All that I do with my 12 guage is varmit control , so I am not too picky on patterns, etc. I normally buy the 100 pack of Fedral at Wal Mart and they serve me well for what I do. I have a ton of these used cases in a box and thought about trying my hand at reloading them and maybe save a little. Thanks for the help.

Wads, Powder, Shot, and your hulls are all that is really needed. A Lee Load - All is a good little press. I have an RCBS Mini-Grand that was about $100 or so.

Those Federal hulls use the same data as Federal Gold Medal hulls.

I own a MEC 500 JR also, and I like the RCBS unit better, the stations don't swap around and the powder and shot drop tubes are seperate.

I'm not aware of what powder and shot bushings the load all has, but thats the only other equipment you will need.

Started out with a MEC and that's not a bad way to go. One thing to keep in mind, shotshell reloads are no place to experiment. Stick with loads that are EXACTLY as you find them in the reloading manuals, and you shouldn't have any trouble.

A good shotshell reloading manual like the Lyman is recommended.

Best of luck.

Mike is right, don't experiment with the shotshell loads. I don't even test at max published loads.

I have the Lyman shotshell manual, its about the only one on the market, I like the readability of it.

Wow. That simple as far as equipment goes. How cheaply should I be able to load a box of #6 or #8 for squirels, etc? Thanks again for the help.

Here's my setup, it's two Lee loaders, a 12 and 20 gauge on a small turn table that I just spin to the gauge I want to load. I have to say for just a few boxes your probably better off to just buy a few boxes of shells at Wally world. The loaders aren't much money, but you've got to buy shot in 25 pound bags and wads and hulls usually come a hundred to the package minimum and a pound of powder and primers. Once your set up it is a little less expensive to load, but not a whole lot. One wingnut and I can spin the loaders or just set the whole thing under the bench for extra bench space.

I've used the MEC 600 Jr. and frankly I like the straight across feed, one side to the other of the Lee's better than the back and forth feed on the MEC. Once you get into the bigger progressive MEC's they are better and faster, but much more money.


http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q172/faucettb/Reloading/shotgunloaderturntable.jpg

Just a note to announce that the LONG-awaited Lyman #5 Shotshell Manual is now out. LOTS of new data.

It's a fun hobby, but as Bob says for a few squirrels here and there it's cheaper in the long run to just pick up a box. Get them around bird hunting season on sale.

Reloading makes a lot more sense if you are shooting a bunch of clay targets every week.

Thanks for the heads up on the new manual, Rocky.

for the 300.00 it'll take to get a good start i'd probably just buy
a few cases of shells
if you shoot a lot then reload
i have two ponses two mec's and a hornady and with the price of shot right now they just
sit there about 3500 worth of machines and i can't afford to operate them
i even have a machine to make my own shot and can't hardly find any lead

I have an old Pacific DL-266 that is a dream machine. My other shotshell reloaders are MEC SizeMasters and 600 JR. The SizeMaster resizes the brass and the rim. Otherwise, a MEC SuperSizer is helpful to assure shells work well in pumps and autoloaders. All the best...
Gil