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Good Morning to All,

My hunting/shooting partners and I are new to reloading. That being said...are there any reloaders in or near SE PDX that would mind breaking us off an hour of their time...I'll pay for gas, buy some pizza, whatever....to help us to answer some questions regarding bushign conversion for lead vs. steel, seating wads and crimping, differences between "steel" grade powders and "lead" grade powders....and on, and on, and on...

we are trying to work up specific loads for 1 1/8 oz steel (Number 2) and have hulls, wads, a verified recipe, and all of the trimmings...

our loaders seem to have a small problem with high brass hulls...closing tyhe crimp, etc.

Help for some brothers in need?

shoot me a message.

thx.
 
The best thing you can do for yourself if you haven't already done so is go out and buy the Lyman Shotshell Reloading Handbook. It is THE BIBLE for shotshell reloading. No one reloading shotshells should be without one.
 
We were told to use high brass for reloading steel...again, this is why I'm looking for an hour of someone's time...

I'm curious who told you to use high brass for reloading steel and why? I have to admit, I have never reloaded steel, but I have reloaded both trap loads and magnum duck and goose loads with lead using Winchester AA and Remington Blue Peters trap hulls.

Many people assume that high brass hulls are somehow more durable or can handle more pressure than low brass hulls. This is not true. The shotgun ammo makers early on used high brass hulls for more powerful hunting loads so that hunters who carried both small game or quail loads for example in their hunting vests could tell the difference at a glance whether they were loading small game or quail loads into their guns rather than more powerful duck or goose loads with larger shot sizes into their shotguns. It was also marketing driven to make people thing they were getting much more powerful loads than trap or small game loads. In many cases they were a little more powerful or carried more shot, but they just looked more impressive.

Just my $.02 worth.
 
I think once you recieve the Lyman book and take the time to read through it most of you're "steel" questions will be answered. Most guys I know (including myself) only reload lead. This is done for clubhouse use only on claypigeon, and any serious-use loads e.g, hunting loads requiring Bismuth, steel, Hevi and the like, are left to Federal and Winchester.
That being said... What type of reloader are you using? As not all presses are built to load "steel, bismuth, hevi, etc." you may want to find out the details of that particular model. Did you use case lube for increase in brassmass through the sizing die? Just like rifle brass, more brass = more friction and stress on the press and it's ability to operate smoothly. Is you shotgun capable of handling "steel" in the first place? Don't shoot grandpa's bolt-action Stevens... Double check with the manufacturer that you won't wear out the forcing-cone or chokes before you reach the bottom of the ammobox. Will the press handle "steel" wads and does it have a ft lbs gauge for consistently seating them into the charge? Don't forget that three inches in front of your eye is a tiny explosive you, and only you, can take ownership of everytime the trigger is pulled. Buy a good scale and never rely on published bushing-charge. Chamber-pressure is a killer...seriously... don't take chances on the consistency of your ammo. If the press doesn't want to crimp the shells closed it might be due to the fact of case capacity over leadshot. Steel weights less than lead and therefor takes up more volume to equal the same load weight as lead, and so on...
My advice (and I'm not being arrogent, snarky, or am in anyway trying to deter you from great hobby) would be to "cut your teeth" and learn your way around your equipment by loading low-pressure, modest-velocity reloads using lead until comfortable. Sorry for being a touch long-winded!
 
@ Humdrum...

Thanks so much for your input. Many of the issues that you are describing I have confronted as I endeavor to break into reloading. I have come to understand that steel and lead are opposite worlds. I have done a lot of reading in anticipation of the arrival of my Lyman guide and have acquired a Bair Mach loader (exact copy of the Pacific dl-150) and also a single stage Texan.

I have spent countless hours on the phone and internet researching recipes and got a great push in the right direction from the folks at Ballistic Products...reloading recipe included.

I don't take any of your input as snarky...moreover I'm thrilled to have the info. I am excited to reload lead....the steel was a hope to save some coin in anticipation of doing some hunting on some private lands where lead is not welcome. I have a 12 year old son and am concerned with safety no matter what we are doing. As we have acquired some older materials, I was hoping that someone could walk me through the set up of the loaders, help with parts identification...etc.

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to contribute.

Best,
Mike
 
Outstanding, Mike! It sounds like you're off on a good foot and not rushing haphazardly into the process blindfolded! I love my Pacific press BTW. Good news on set-up: If I remember correctly the Lyman book has a chapter or two that goes into detail on how to set-up a MEC reloader (information will transfer to the Bair) for proper loading. Read through and take notes, as most of the fundamentals are spread throughout the various chapters of the manual, but are definitely covered in detail with lotsa illustrations. Keep us posted and we will try to help with anything else that may come up. Good luck, Ray.
 
Here is a link to the manual for a pacific dl-155.Your dl-150 is very much like it except the 155 has several upgrades,still there is quite a lot in common in the two.
<broken link removed>
It should be a big help.Hornady powder and shot bushings fit and are available....Robin
 
I started reloading shot about 6 months ago and boughtmy Mec progressive from a fantastic guy that sells them and he spent time showing me the ins and outs of it. I can't just give his info on the Internet without asking him, but if you PM me ill give you his number. He's in Portland.
 

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