12 gauge Magtech brass-a little help please

[Haggis MacGurk]

Hey fellers,
                 I know this has been done on previous threads, but I want some opinions on loading methods for these. Just made my first ever trip to Cabelas in Lacey, WA, and picked up a couple boxes of shells. My question is, do I need a press to load this stuff? Or can I make tools at home that will work just as well. I'm an experienced reloader for rifle and pistol, but this is going to be my first attempt at shotgun stuff. What about rolling/crimping the ends? I've seen a couple schools of thought on this one. They will be cycled through my Chinese '87.

Thanks fer the help.

[okotoks]

these are easy to hand load, several good links are found here in this forum to load shells
The best idea I have used was to use a socket and extender to seat the primer. 
I have a scrap of  flat steel with few holes in it, put a large pistol primer in the primer pocket and put it on a hard surface.
PUT ON YOUR SAFETY GLASSES  put a socket that just fits in the shell and extender an give it a good wack with a rubber or wooden mallet.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Haggis;  Go up to the DARK ARTS sub-board.  There is a long thread that answers most of your questions. 

Yes Virginia, you can do it at home with home made tools.  You can even make wads with a 3/4" punch that you likely already have.  A depriming punch from a LEE LOADER is an asset.  Read the thread in the Dark Arts.  If any questions occur to you, we'll be happy to respond.

[litl rooster]

  Here's a start    http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,16340.0.html

[Haggis MacGurk]

Thanks Rooster. I found the thread on Dark Arts a couple weeks ago, but your link gave me even more info. Just wanna have all the info available before I try this myself. I have no intention to buy a shotshell press, as my smokeless loads will continue to be store-bought, and I'm just playing around with black powder right now. I'll keep ya posted on my progress, if I have enough fingers left to type with.

[litl rooster]

Once you use 'm you'll be back for more....

[Dakota Widowmaker]

If all you ever do is shoot them from the same gun, then you should never need to full length resize.

Most folks don't bother to roll crimp the mouths... you would need to anneal the case mouths first to do this.

About the only tool I think you would need to start with (besized components and dippers) would be a 3/4" dowel rod with a nail sicking out the bottom to remove the primers. RCBS makes a shell holder for these as well. (so if you have a press, you can reprime them safely)

Thats about it.

I have the RCBS resizing die and its a beast!!! You need a larger size press (like the Lee Classic Cast Press that does 50BMG) to fit it into.

FYI: The Lee CCP is also a fantastic single stage press for loading bigger rounds like 45-70 all the way up to 45-120 and even 50-140.

[Noz]

My first priming attempt popped 3 primers using the punch and flat steel method. Not good for the nervous system.
I deprime with the depriming pin from an old Lee set with the cases set in a shallow hole in a 2x4 with a 1/4" hole in the center to allow the primers to escape. I bought the RCBS shell holder and prime on a single stage press with the Lee Ram Prime. I buy my wads from Circle Fly to make sure I get the right size.
After that the only worry is some club footed RO/TO stepping on them.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Here is another link.  I pinched it off The Open Range, in The Blackpowder Reference Library.

http://www.tbullock.com/bpsg.html

There are several handy dandy tables of interest to shotgunners generally, but mostly for us practittioners of the Black Arts.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

In regards to roll-crimping the mouths.

I'd check your gun first - if it'll feed, great and don't bother.  BP won't blow the crimp straight so it will be hard to get the wads in the next time you want to load them.

I can't say about feeding them in a ChinWester 87, or even a 97, (I shoot a Tula double hammer) but the straight case fed fine 'thru my 870.

[litl rooster]

I've used these in 3 different shotguns and have never resized them.

I agree with Jeff on annealing and rolling..Been there done that

[Haggis MacGurk]

Well, for lack of anything else constructive to do, last night I cycled a whole box of the brass empties through my 'Chinwester 87'(love the name, by the way) without a snag, hesitation or jam of any kind. There will be no roll crimping for this kid. They make hella cool noises on ejection too, can't wait to stuff em and make em go bang.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Good on ya Haggis!

(By the way, have you ever actually EATEN some Haggis?) 

[Haggis MacGurk]

Actually, Yes. My wife grew up in Scotland, and I am only 2nd generation Canadian. Haggis is definitely an acquired taste. Kind of like a meaty, spicy, oatmeal texture....all jammed in a sheep's stomach. seconds anyone?

[Dick Dastardly]

Had haggis at my daughter's college graduation party.  She had toured in Scotland for one of her classes and wanted haggis as a remembrance of her fine visit there.  As I recall, most of the party goers had some and by evening, it was gone.

That was the graduation party where I walked up the driveway with a keg of beer in one hand and a cased .357 Magnum in the other.  Both graduation presents.  Some of her friends allowed that her daddy was a red neck.  I resemble that remark.

DD-DLoS

P.S.  Don't know how this applies to reloading brass hulls, but it seemed to be where the thread was wandering.

[Haggis MacGurk]

Well, I started this thread, so a little wandering is ok, until big brother intervenes.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Hey!

Well, I started this thread, so a little wandering is ok, until big brother intervenes.

You've got the most right to gripe, so ... if YOU don't mind, most of us won't either.

I just wondered about the Haggis.  Acquired taste?  You bet - and I haven't acquired it, yet ... and I've been married to a lass I stole from Scotland for more than 20 years, now!    She doesn't care for it and didn't feel the need to make me try it!   Now my (late) Father-in-Law; HE liked it, but it never came up before he passed on.  Not enough lager, I guess. 


Back to your original topic:  I started a thread about loadin' punkin' balls in Magtechs.  Have you checked it out?  I haven't done the work yet, but before I'm done, I'll have ball loads as well as 00 Buck or even 36 cal Buck loads.  (Don't know what "0" corresponds to 36 [.375] C&B balls).  I'm STILL pondering a TINY roll-crimp for neatness' sake, but the annealing would be necessary if I (you) wanted to continue.  And there'd still be the issue of BP not blowing out the crimp.  There ARE some folks loadin' smokeyless powder and usin' shot cups, and they MIGHT blow out a crimp, but I don't know.  For my money, I wouldn't bother ... Wally World sells shells (by the seashore - oops  ) cheap enough that I won't bother my brass shells with smokeyless ... UNLESS I were a WWI re-enactor with a '97 Trench Gun.  Which is where all-brass shells REALLY came into mass use.  They were   around in the time of the old West, but not overly common, except for meat-hunters and such.  Even then, the paper shells were most common and sold (often) primed, in cases of 100 - ready to load.

[Cuts Crooked]

Well, I started this thread, so a little wandering is ok, until big brother intervenes.

...and "Big Brother" treads very lightly in here. You probably won't notice his presence at all.

BTW, I call mine a "Norchester", it's really a fabulous turkey gun!

[litl rooster]

watch for the Black choppers and dark Suburuns...Steel Horse I knew you'd ask about the Haggis.  Could see your fingers were getting hungry in your typing.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

watch for the Black choppers and dark Suburuns...Steel Horse I knew you'd ask about the Haggis.  Could see your fingers were getting hungry in your typing.

What can I say? 

I get int'rested any time I hear something vaguely Scottish.  Or about Scotch.  Or eating.  Or ... 



Just remember, my fellow Americans:  People from Scotland are called Scottish   or Scots,   just NOT Scotch - Scotch is a drink!