Shells

[btmidwest]

Is anyone finding bargains on gun club type shells, I'm getting the itch with spring around the corner.  In North IN they have gone up.  Thanks,   Bill

[Maritime Storm]

Couldn't tell ya, I always reload for the Skeet & Trap field.

[Graybeard]

Not lately. Hopefully since metals prices have dropped so will ammo and loading component cost come warm weather again. Up until the price hikes last year you really could buy promo 12 and 20 shotshells about as cheaply as you could load them. Then the price on them just to what .410 and 28 shells had been selling for and they doubled in price.

Dunno what it will be like this year.

[cjclemens]

In my neck of the woods, 12ga Diana target loads run about $54 a case.  20ga goes for about the same, which doesn't make much sense.  The 100 round value-packs of Remingtons and Federal's you find at Wal-Mart are about $21.  They're slightly cheaper, but I think the Diana's are a little better load.  Lawrence Brand magnum shot was $27/bag last week.  Down from $46/bag last summer.  If shot prices are down some 40% already, I would think that loaded shell prices ought to be coming down as well.  It amazes me to think that I was buying dove/quail loads for the 2007 season at less than 4.50 a box, and just a year later it's well over $6 a box.  Things are finally starting to come down a bit, but I think it's still ridiculous.

[btmidwest]

cjclemens,   The rem.100 count packs are running $25 at our walmart.  I'm not sure where to get Daina's locally - not real familiar with them.  I picked up some Italian/PMC 20ga 1 oz. #8 loads for 55.00 a case about 2-1/2 hours away drive time recently.  I'm still looking for bargains locally.  Kind of courious how those 1oz loads recoil over a round or two of wobble plus a short course of SC in my 20 ga. O/U.  I looked at reloading a couple of years ago and concurred with Graybeard at that time.  Who knows if prices stay up and things go like they could because of other recent changes (THEY are already trying to ban the sale of some oversea ammo as I type) maybe I will have to give reloading another look.  What machine would you get to load a couple hunrdred decent quality loads a week.  Shotgunning is so much fun and I have so many ways to improve. Thanks,   Bill

[Graybeard]

I use and recommend MEC Sizemaster 77 reloaders. They are single stage but I'd guess I've loaded well over 150,000 rounds on MEC single stage presses. They work for me. Most of the guys I shoot skeet with use MEC presses.

[cjclemens]

I have a MEC sizemaster dedicated to 12ga.  I havent put quite that many shells through it yet, but it was old when I got it and it still works great.  With lead being as expensive as it was, i havent done much reloading lately, but it looks like its about time to get things going again....