Now that I have gone black I will never go back!

[pony express]

Hopalong, if you don't already load shotshells, I recommend starting out with a Lee Loadall, they're cheap and work fine if you don't need to make 100's of rounds. They also include a sizer die to resize the bases.

[G.W. Strong]

Hopalong, if you don't already load shotshells, I recommend starting out with a Lee Loadall, they're cheap and work fine if you don't need to make 100's of rounds. They also include a sizer die to resize the bases.

I was seriously considering that. I will continue to purchase shot shells for most of my shooting but buying Black powder shot shells is not really an option.

Steel Horse Bailey talked me through the whole process of loading them up wiht brass cases. However when I looked at the cost of the brass cases and compared it to a lee Loadall there seems to be no question of which is the less expensive way to go in the long run.

My Son shoots Winchester featherlight loads at matches and those are decent enought cases for a load or two of Black. Right now I'm giving those hulls to a pard who is loading them for himself. I could easily pick them up and load them with black.

I will have to think about which path is most economical. If I had 100 rounds of black powder shotshells on hand and the ability to reload those as I use them up I shoudl be able to keep shooting in the Black Powder categories as much as I want.

[Fairshake]

Let me add to my OP to you on loading BP hulls. As I posted I roll crimp which requires my hulls to have the old fold removed so that I have a new hull mouth to roll crimp.
This makes for a shorter hull and requires that I use a short wad. The short plastic wads which are made for the Old English Guns with 2 1/2 inch chambers are sold by BPI and Precision Loading. The wad is made by an Italian maker and has the stock number 072SSW.
I also use about 70 pounds of wad pressure that was posted by SHB. I was giving a brief idea and not including every step needed.
You talk of having 100 hulls to load. I go through about 1000 hulls every year as they are loaded only once for several reasons. The first being my roll crimp which would require the mouth to be trimmed back another cut. The second is that the real BP burns many times hotter than the other stuff they make to shoot, I forget what it's called at the moment. Any way the heat will cause small pin holes in the side of your hulls just above where it meets the brass. If loaded again this will cause a blown case in the chamber. no harm but not good for hitting targets.
I'm able to purchase my hulls for .05 a piece and find it's faster and easier to leave them behind and start with new ones.
If you use a folded crimp then you may be able to have 3 loads if your real luckey. But no more.
The roll crimp not only gives style points but it gives better patterns and less recoil.
The AA's, Remington STS, Nitro 27 (My Choice) and game loads hulls are the best to load.
Just always make sure that the hull you pick will shuck from your gun.
If a SXS you may hone the chambers with a brake cylinder hone that is designed for automotive work.
They work very well with a good oil and are much cheaper than those marked for firearms work.
Later David

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Anybody here load paper hulls?  I've been talking at length to Hoppy about reloading the BP hulls.  However, I have NO experience with plastic or paper hulls.  I told Hopalong that I thought that plastic hulls took wads the same size as paper.  Is that true?

Please add any experience you have for Hoppy (and anyone else who needs or likes to learn).

Thanks

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I have loaded a few, Master Gunner.  They actually load and shoot well.  I usually used fibre wads, but I think some plastic wads would do as well.  Where they shine is with roll crimps. Cutting the hulls to 2.5" removes most of the case mouth damage.

I was using burn-barrel pick-ups which can be a bit ratty. I fitted them over a dowell and rubbed candle wax over the outside surface.  A bit tedious, but they seem to come out alright.  Don't expect them to last too many firings.  I also have a bag of once-fired Federals that seem ready to go as they are.

Sizing on a MEC Grabber press showed up another hitch.  When I sized them, the sizing stem had a bulge at the top (meant to straighten out plastic star crimps).  It belled the case mouth of the paper hulls.  A Call to MEC had a 16 gauge sizing stem on the way which solved that one.  I have since acquired a Size Master to size the heads which works bettter but depriming has to be done by hand.  Other presses might work differently?

The big drawback?  I wouldn't expect them to drop out of the chambers of a double that easily.

Have a go at it

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks, Redleg Sir Chas.