Loading Black Powder shot shells Part 1

[twomoons]

I shoot the old ones and the safest way to shoot the 2 1/2" guns or the damascus guns is with black powder. About once a year I take my range pickup hulls and sort them and load up a couple hundred black powder shells for the year. I use mostly old tools made in the 1880's and I roll crimp the shells. The proceedure isn't hard and they black powder shells shoot just as good as a modern shot shell, you just have to swab your bore with water when you clean.

Now the first thing you need to load black powder shot shells are some hulls. The BEST bar none B/P hulls are the old Federal paper hulls. The only problem is they don't make them any more. You need a hull with enough room inside for the bulk of B/P and a decent shot load. Modern shells are more suited for 15-25 grains of Smokless than 60-80 grans of Black.

For target and plinking loads in 12 gauge Winchester AA hulls work fine for 65-70 grians of B/P and 1- 1/8 oz of shot.
For Hunting Federal high base game loads will hold 75-80 and 1 1/8- 1/14 loads. Remington Dove loads are also good for lighter loads. I haunt the local range and pick up all my huls for free. This is almost a necessity as B/P loads are high tem and the crimps will melt and get hard aftrer one firing with B/P. You shoot them once and throw them away. For Turkey and Duck loads I use Mag Tec 2 1/2 " BRASS shot shells. These take a large pistol primer and a bigger wad as the case is thinner. I use a 11 gauge wad with the brass hulls. I cut the wads with a wad punch and make my cushion wads from old chunks of cellotex. Bras hulls will take up to 90 grains of FFG and 1 1/4- 1/58 oz of shot. These loads in a full choke gun will drop a turkey dead as far as you need to be shootin'.

For powder I prefer FFg or Fg in either Elephant or Swiss. I like to load equall volume of powder and shot but in the heavy loads less powder and more shot seems to pattern better.

Now before we get too deep here 1 Dram of powder is 27 1/2 GRAINS. Remember that because all the old measures and all the old loading manuals are measured by DRAM. What this means is that if you load equall volume 2 3/4 Drams measure setting is going to give you 1 oz of shot and 68 grains of FFg powder. When we get to the end of this I will put in a conversion chart. REMEMBER these amounts are approximate and are measured by volume in a shot dipper. Each brand of powder will weigh out slightly different on the scale. The difference is not critical as we are working with loads in the 6000 PSI range.

Next up, with pictures .... The tools.

[Bill]

You can do the same thing with smokeless powder but you have to know the pressure of it. Alliant powder does have some low pressure loadings on their web site that go down to 6,000 and work fine in the BP shotguns. But then that just might ruin the fun of it all.
I keep thinking of trying to figure out a brass .410 cartridge but haven't had time to measure a .410 shell to see if you can use a .45-90 case to make them. Might be fun in something like the judge and a lot longer case life.

[dovehunter]

When I first got into trying to load plastic shells I found you could not do it with the old Lee Loader (hand tool) and that worthless plastic crimp starter they offered as an accessory. I found some where or other a 20 ga. roll crimper that would clamp to your workbench. I located some overshot wads (you could still buy them back then) and I was in business, at least for 20 ga. shells. As I recall, that old roll crimper worked damn good. LIke a fool, I sold it to someone who wanted it as an antique. I do stupid stuff like that.

[twomoons]

Bill
For Brass 410's either blow out a 303 or use 444 brass. The 444 works best but actually Mag Tec 4110 brass hulls are about the same price. I use 444's and a wooden hollow bullet for a top wad in my M95 Styer converted to a 410 shotgun.