I Bought My 50 Lbs. Of Reclaimed Shot From MegArms

[jayc0968]

Sometimes they come out in public, when they can get out of the parent's basement.

Yup.

 

[STeveZ]

I too find 1.25 oz a little excessive for clay targets, especially of the "pasture" variety which are not typically that fast or far. By loading 1 oz of lead you would save more than enough money to pay for the wads:

1000 loads x .25 oz / 16 oz x $1.20 = $18.75

The 47 cent per box savings is nice but, to me, the real advantage is lower recoil, which leads to less fatigue and better, more enjoyable shooting.

Another "issue" is loading 1-1/4 oz of shot in a 1-1/8 oz wad. First off, I'm doubting there is published data for such a load. Lacking a comprehensive understanding of shot shell ballistics I adhere pretty closely to the manufacturers' published recipes. (In fact, I was not able to find any published data for Clays powder and 1-1/4 oz of shot. As others have mentioned chamber pressure becomes a concern.)

My other concern would be the extra reclaimed shot that is now traveling down your barrel unprotected by a wad cup. Even the best reclaimed can have some foreign material in it that can score the inside of your barrel (depending on the material and the barrel).

With the cost of a 500 count bag of wads under $10 I've elected to keep a selection of (claybuster) wads on hand. Using the right wad for the job allows me to switch payload size while maintaining consistent crimps without any adjustment to my loaders.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Winterborn]

I load 1 1/8oz of shot for clays, simply because those are the wads I have and my press is set up for it.

Pretty simple, I'm sure I'd get the same results (clay goes poof) with 1 oz or even 7/8 oz, but once I have my MEC the way I like it and produces consistant results (good crimp every time, etc..) I just tend to leave it.

The difference between 1 1/8 oz and 1 oz is 1 pound every 128 shells, which at current Rotometal's prices works out to about $1.80 a pound. Breaking it down further, if I'm saving a pound of lead every 128 shells, or just over 5 boxes, I'm saving around $0.35 a box of shells.

$0.35 a box is not enough to make me make the effort to buy seperate wads, change my seat pressure, crimp settings, etc....

Just not worth it.

 

[byf43]

I load 1 1/8oz of shot for clays, simply because those are the wads I have and my press is set up for it.

Pretty simple, I'm sure I'd get the same results (clay goes poof) with 1 oz or even 7/8 oz, but once I have my MEC the way I like it and produces consistant results (good crimp every time, etc..) I just tend to leave it.

The difference between 1 1/8 oz and 1 oz is 1 pound every 128 shells, which at current Rotometal's prices works out to about $1.80 a pound. Breaking it down further, if I'm saving a pound of lead every 128 shells, or just over 5 boxes, I'm saving around $0.35 a box of shells.

$0.35 a box is not enough to make me make the effort to buy seperate wads, change my seat pressure, crimp settings, etc....

Just not worth it.

Agreed.

I load 1-1/8 oz of shot and 18.0 gr of Red Dot with a Claybuster wad for EVERYTHING I shoot, except for my Turkey Loads, and that's 1-1/2 oz of shot, an RP-12 wad and (when I had some) - W-571 powder.
Since my last 1/2 lb of 571 is 'history', I gotta come up with something else to propel my Turkey Loads. (I'm thinking Blue Dot, maybe.)