Relaoding Steel Shot

[michiduck]

Does any one have any information or possible recipies for reloading 3 1/2 in. steel shot shells?
Any info would be very much appreciated!

[Mr. 16 gauge]

First of all, if you are new to reloading steel shotshells, I would highly recommend that you get the book "Status of Steel, 2001" from Ballistic Products. Not only does it have several recipes for steel shotshells, but it is also very informative into the nuances of reloading steel shotshells. There is no margin of error or "cutting corners" when reloading steel. You can get it by going to the website www.ballisticproducts.com (http://www.ballisticproducts.com) and ordering a copy of thier free catalog, then order the book. Ballistic products has a long line of steel shot wads, shot, information, ect. I have used their products in the past and have been very pleased.
Secondly, the latest (2000) edition of Alliant's reloader's guide has several recipes using thier excellent STEEL powder. I got my copy free from my Alliant dealer, but you may be able to get the data off of thier website, www.alliantpowder.com. (http://www.alliantpowder.com.)
Finally, you can get a steel reloading book from Precision Reloading, Inc (www.precisionreloading.com). However, I ordered the book and for the amount of data I recieved, I didn't think it was worth the $6. Good luck, and if there is anything else that I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask.

[Steve in MI]

Reloading steel is not worht the effort. I tried it for 3 inch and after you ruin several of the mylar wrappers and spill buffer all the place and the load takes for ever to put together. Oh did I mention the cardboard waffers you may need. I thought it would be nice to load my own steel shooting as much of it as I do , wrong . The price is very close to what you can buy it for if you watchfor sales. I shoot the 3 1/2 as well I have 3 guns that will take it . Gander mountain had the winchester loads for 11 bucks a box for bb, 2, 4, and t's for 3 1/2. I have a few books on reloading that I could get you the data. If you want, I thought it was a ot of hassel to go through for a few shells. Bismith is the same way I tried to reload that to save by the time you buy the product the special wads you are not saving much if any. Goos luck

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Steve in MI;
I respectfully disagree! Reloading steel and bismuth IS worth the extra effort! I never thought that I would use a 2 3/4" steel shell again, but now I that I reload, and my reloads are getting 1550+ fps, I am done with factory "slow" steel and anything greater than a 2 3/4" hull. I dont mess with buffers, mylar wraps, ect....just load the powder, load the wad, put the felt spacer in the bottom, and load the shot and crimp it. It takes a while because I weigh both my shot and powder charges, but I feel that the end result (dead ducks instead of cripples) is more than worth it.
As for reloading bismuth, what special wads are you talking about? All my reloading data for bismuth uses standard powders, primers, hulls, and wads that are used for lead. Again, its a little slower because of weighing charges(again, I don't mess with any buffer), but what else do you have to do on these cold, winter nights?
After keeping track over the last several years after I started reloading steel, my crippling rate has dropped from about 35% to 10%....realize that I used to have a dog and that most of that 35% was recovered. But I don't like wasting time running around the marsh with a dog chasing after cripples--I much prefer easy retrieves, esp when the birds are working.
Remember, Reloading isn't necessarily about ease or speed; its about performance. Sorry you didn't have a good experience with reloading steel. I definetly think it is worth the hassle!

[michiduck]

Thanks a bunch for all your help!!!

[song_dog_slammer]

Michiduck- Precisionreloading.com is a great source for just such a need. The pressing question is steel reloading valid? Dollar to Dollar no it is not likely to be cost effective. It may be a valid way to discover a chamber pressure that gives your gun,barell and chock the most consistent pattern density. Isn't that the key to shooting steel, consistent patern density?Combine that with an understanding of the range effectiveness and ones own ability to shoot will give better results in the duckboat/goose blind. Off the shelf steel is cheap!

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Song-Dog;
Yes, off the shelf steel is cheap...and slow! IMHO, you might as well be throwing a handful of gravel: you basically get the same results. But in addition to pattern consistency, you also need SPEED! Since steel is so much less denser than lead, you need to increase its speed (the only factor you can manipulate) in order to increase its effectiveness. When I read the Ballistics Products book, and they were telling me to go to a 1 oz load and one shot size smaller than what I was used to using, I thought they were crazy, but seeing is believing! My handloads exit the muzzle at 1500+ fps, and thanks to Alliant's new STEEL powder, it does it with less pressure as well! You can keep that store bought crap that plods along at 1300 fps--The best factory steel that I have found so far is Winchester Supreme shells, and they run $15-$17/box, so I am saving money (when you compare apples to apples)by reloading steel.

[song_dog_slammer]

16-GA Being an avid shot shell reloader myself I agree. Increased velocity will increase the effectivness of steel shot or gravel! Can you post the recipe for this 1500ft+ 2-3/4 hull.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Song-Dog;
Sorry for the delay in responding to your posts; a very bad case of "workus-interuptus" this past week.
With regards to your question "do's & don'ts", here are a few:

-do not use rusty steel pellets for reloading.

-do NOT use "air rifle" shot (BB's for a BB gun); it is too hard and will burst your barrel and possibly your head. Steel shot for reloading has a DHP hardness of 90--don't buy your pellets from anyone but a reliable source.

-When a felt spacer is called for, it goes benieth the shot charge, not above it.

-there is NO substitution on components! If a load calls for brand X of primer, you NEED that primer! Steel shot quickly accelerates pressures; there is no "give" to it like lead. To substiture components when reoading steel is flirting with disaster!

-Use hulls in good condition; bad crimps will let moisture in and can potentially rust your pellet charge. I prefer once fired hulls; use them once and then dump them or use them for target loads.

-Straight walled hulls (Federal Gold Medal, Activ, ect) are generally better for reloading steel than "tapered" hulls (Win. AA, REmington STS & Unibody, ect). Straight walled hulls have a higher internal capacity and the straight walls make seating the tough steel wads easier.

-Make sure that your wads are slit (not so much of a problem anymore, but in the old days of steel shot, one had to slit his own wads). If the wads aren't slit, it is equivelent to shooting a steel "slug".

-pellets should not extend more than 1/2 the diameter of the pellet above the wad prior to crimping. The charge must be COMPLETELY encased in the wad to prevent scoring of the barrel. Upon firing, the load will be pushed "back" into the wad, but not by much. If your load sits to high above the wad, something is wrong.

-Seal your wads in the crimp and primer area to make them water resistant. As every duck hunter knows, there is no such thing as "water proof". A dab of light nail polish on the crimp and primer area works well.

As for some loads; here goes. Remember to double check all data taken off of the internet prior to use (see the "saftey and reloading" post of the forum);

This data is from Ballistic Products:

12 gauge, 2 3/4" Activ hull
CCI 209M primer
32.0 grains Alliant STEEL powder
Ballistic Products MM12234 wad with one 20 gauge 1/8" felt spacer below the charge
1 oz steel shot
EMV=1480 fps; pressure 9600 PSI
(this is currently my favorite load)

12 gauge 2 3/4" Federal Gold Medal hull
Federal 209A primer
33.0 grains Alliant STEEL Powder
Ballistic Products MM12234 wad with 1 20 gague 1/8" felt spacer below the shot charge
1 oz steel shot
EMV=1480 fps; 9500 PSI

From the Alliant 2000 Manual:

Federal Gold Medal 2 3/4" Hull
Federal 209A primer
37.0 grains Alliant STEEL powder
one Precision Reloading TUFW12 wad with one 20 gauge 1/8" felt spacer below the shot charge.
1 oz steel shot
EMV=1500 fps; 8000 psi

From Precision Reloading:

12 gauge Remington 2 3/4" SP hull with Plastic hull and yellow or black plastic base wad.
Federal 209A Primer
34.0 grains Alliant STEEL Powder
Precision Reloading TUFW12 wad plus one 20 gauge 1/8" felt spacer below the shot charge.
1 oz steel shot
1476 fps; 10,400 psi
This Remington hull is most commonly found in their slug loads; it is not the same as the "Unibody" or "STS" hulls! It is kind of a pain in the butt to resize, but I picked up a ton of them just prior to deer season, so I thought I would give them a try.
You will also notice that some of these loads are less than the 1500 fps I mentioned earlier. There is a little trick I use to increase the speed; I learned this from the BP manual. I take a plastic baggie and add a teaspoon of motor mica (available from both precision reloading and ballistic products) to the bag. Then I place my wads in the bag and give them a good shake, just like your momma used to do with chicken and "shake-n-bake" when you were a kid. Then load the wads as you normally would for the rest of the load. The motor mica coats the wad and acts as a dry lubricant and will increase the speed of your load by as much as 10%. It's a little messy, but it does work. Good luck!

[song_dog_slammer]

Thanx for the tips- I think I'll skip the "shake -n-bake trick for now!

[Zak]

I prefer RSI #75 with 3's for ducks, it is a very good load. 1 3/16 of #3's going at 1550 FPS. It has enough energy to take ducks to about 55 yards, but I don't shoot that far. About 40 yards is my max unless there is a cripple getting away. Zak (If you want the load data for this 3" hull, I can post it for you).