reloading .410

[TargetRick]

I'm thinking of reloading .410 bore, and wonder if there are any here who already do. It would be nice if I could pick up on any tips, tricks, results, costs, hulls and wads to use, etc.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[elkhunter11]

The wad is dependent on the hull, and on the load you want to load. Are you interested in target loads, or hunting loads? Are you talking hundreds of loads per year, or thousands? The cheap hulls only last for a few firings at most, but AA hulls can last eight or ten loadings, so if you are interested in target loads to last a while, better hulls are worthwhile.. Allan Day out of Carstairs is a good source of reloading components for a fair price.
Below is a good place to check out some loads.

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/shotgun

[TargetRick]

That link is a good site! Lots of useful data.

As for me, my specs are

- hunting loads, for shooting primarily magpies and secondarily gophers (exciting stuff, huh?)
- number of loads would be in the hundreds per year. Only so many magpies and gophers to shoot (I joke)
- the reloading is chiefly to save money. 12 gauge is of course cheap(er); .410 bore is kind of costly per box. Also, it's to have a handy hobby.
- In terms of load control, not so much an issue, since factory loads are quite alright anyway.
- I'll be on the scouting trail for parts and pieces. Will check out your link to the chap at Carstairs, and do some snooping at the Easter gun show in YYC

[Pioneer2]

Get a MEC 600 JR ,AA hulls,Claybuster wads[cheap Win clones] and some powder win 296,H-110 or Lil Gun .Many others out their.

[Dick284]

Originally Posted by Pioneer2

Get a MEC 600 JR ,AA hulls,Claybuster wads[cheap Win clones] and some powder win 296,H-110 or Lil Gun .Many others out their.

X2^

Add in some shot.(not as easy to find as it used to be, and Lordy is it pricey).

Try to pick up the older AA hulls(gun shows), the new HS stuff isn’t nearly as good of quality as the original AA’s.

You’ll be north of 50 boxes(1250 rounds) to work past the tooling costs, even with a used press.

[elkhunter11]

Because I use the 410 for skeet, I shoot 4000-5000 rounds per year. After purchasing a MEC 9000 , and enough components to load 5000 rounds, my initial savings worked out to around $700 for 5000 rounds. With the press paid for, the next 5000 rounds will save me about $1200. If you are only going to load a few hundred loads per year, you can get by fine with a non progressive press. Because of the volume that I shoot, and the fact that I also load for the 28 gauge, I chose to go with two MEC 9000 presses, so I can load 400 to 500 rounds at a session, so I am not loading every couple of weeks.

[densa44]

You have heard from the experts and they are right. In my case I'm in the state of poverty you can see to-day due to the money I've saved reloading!

When I started I didn't have any recipes for .410 hunting loads, so I worked one up with what I had. It turns out that 32 grains of 8700 is just about right.

It is not nearly as good as 17 grains of lil'gun. Li'gun is wonderful stuff!

I have an old Mec loader that has parts missing, I bought it on e-bay, it is a progressive type. I do most of the stations by hand anyway. The #4 lead shot I use won't fit down the drop tube, and the "crimper" puts ankles on 3" shells.

So here is my process, de-cap and prime as usual, charge with powder and wad with the machine, pour shot into shell with a scoop and then!

I have a set of punches that I got from PA and one is exactly .410, I put the punch in my vise, hold a piece of cardboard over the punch and strike it with an old wooden mallet I got from a garage sale. This produces the over shot cards that I need next. I put the card over the shot column. I push it down with a pencil.

I then move the nearly finished shell to the crimp starter location on the Mec loader, and give it a little squeeze. Just enough to hold the card in place.

Now you will never mistake my ammunition with that made by Cat, his are better than the factory, but for an old guy just doing the best he can, they kill the birds that the dogs point.

One thing that I will admit, when I first started to reload, Nearly 50 years ago, I was told; "you will have an overwhelming temptation: resist it!" I some times haven't resisted and my shot steps out at 1300 fps plus a bit. I'm very happy with my results.

Welcome to the club and done my way it is a hobby but it isn't expensive either.

[saskbooknut]

And if you are able to buy a used MEC 600 Jr. in .410 for about $150 it will always be worth that.
Of used loaders on the market, the .410 MEC Jr. will usually be about the quickest seller.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by densa44

You have heard from the experts and they are right. In my case I'm in the state of poverty you can see to-day due to the money I've saved reloading!

When I started I didn't have any recipes for .410 hunting loads, so I worked one up with what I had. It turns out that 32 grains of 8700 is just about right.

It is not nearly as good as 17 grains of lil'gun. Li'gun is wonderful stuff!

I have an old Mec loader that has parts missing, I bought it on e-bay, it is a progressive type. I do most of the stations by hand anyway. The #4 lead shot I use won't fit down the drop tube, and the "crimper" puts ankles on 3" shells.

So here is my process, de-cap and prime as usual, charge with powder and wad with the machine, pour shot into shell with a scoop and then!

I have a set of punches that I got from PA and one is exactly .410, I put the punch in my vise, hold a piece of cardboard over the punch and strike it with an old wooden mallet I got from a garage sale. This produces the over shot cards that I need next. I put the card over the shot column. I push it down with a pencil.

I then move the nearly finished shell to the crimp starter location on the Mec loader, and give it a little squeeze. Just enough to hold the card in place.

Now you will never mistake my ammunition with that made by Cat, his are better than the factory, but for an old guy just doing the best he can, they kill the birds that the dogs point.

One thing that I will admit, when I first started to reload, Nearly 50 years ago, I was told; "you will have an overwhelming temptation: resist it!" I some times haven't resisted and my shot steps out at 1300 fps plus a bit. I'm very happy with my results.

Welcome to the club and done my way it is a hobby but it isn't expensive either.

I ran into issues with getting proper crimps with my 28 gauge Fiocchi hulls, so I resorted to overshot cards to obtain nice crimps. But in order to save time, I decided to go with adjustable charge bars for both of my presses. If the load combination leaves a slightly open crimp that leaks shot, I can just add a slight amount of shot to produce a nice crimp. And I discovered that my shot bushing was actually dropping slightly less than it is rated for with the shot that I use, so now I will actually be dropping the correct amount that the load calls for. With the larger gauges, I load until the ends of the hulls become so cracked and broken down that they no longer crimp properly, but in the case of the 410, and especially the cheaper hulls, you can end up with the plastic cracking around the metal case head, and you end up with what some of us call "zingers". After you experience a few, the name will make sense to you. I still load some cheaper 28 gauge hulls, but I am only going to load AA hulls for the 410. I combined a 20% sale with the $2 per box rebate from Winchester, in order to purchase a couple of thousand AA hulls, which will provide me with hulls to last me a few years. The prices on used AA 410 hulls has actually gone up so much, that it actually worked out just as cheap to buy AA loads to get the hulls. As well, the older AA hulls are getting harder and harder to find.

[petew]

I load a few for the grand kids because factory 410 is stupid expensive. They are using a little 410 coach gun , so cleaning is real easy.

I picked up some all brass cases, and paper card wads and fiber wads , and I use FFF black powder. I load 7 1/2 shot . I deprime and prime on the rifle press , I Forget what shell holder and die I use, but it is one that doesn't contact the brass at all.
For tools the rest is done with a wood short starter from a muzzle loader that fits the brass cases, a dowel will work too, and load it just like a 410 muzzle loader, other than using carpenter glue to hold the over shot card in the brass shell.

They work great, smell like burned sulphur, and belch smoke and flames. The Kids love shooting these.
This isn't for high volume shooting but it works for me and is dirt cheap after the brass cases are purchased.

[TargetRick]

Would those brass shells be the MagTech ones? I see Cabela's sells those.

[petew]

Originally Posted by TargetRick

Would those brass shells be the MagTech ones? I see Cabela's sells those.

yes.they are