![]() ![]() Shotgun safety margins on barrel burst pressures and case-head strength are lower than for rifles or pistols. Pressure variations with small changes in the hull, propellant, wad or primer can be significant. With proper equipment, the process is straightforward and safe as long as load recipes are followed exactly.Ī few words of caution: Shotshells use, generally, very fast propellants and launch heavy payloads. The process of reloading a shotgun shell consists of pressing out the spent primer, sizing the metal head and plastic hull back to the original size, then recharging the hull with a new primer and propellant, inserting a wad, shot or sabot and projectile and crimping the round to return it to the original overall length. Figures 1 and 2 show the basic anatomy of a shot-loaded round and a sabot- or slug-loaded round. Shotshells contain a primer in the metal head, propellant, a wad or sabot and shot or a projectile. Modern shotgun hulls are extruded plastic tubes with a metal head that seals the base of the shotshell and provides a rim for the headspace of the shotshell. ![]() There are even reloading presses available for loading specific slugs or sabots. The most commonly handloaded shotshells are those with shot, but both slug and sabot components have been made available for handloading recently. There are three distinct types of shotgun loads: Pellets, or shot slugs, i.e., a full-bore projectile and sabot rounds, i.e., a subcaliber projectile often with a plastic sabot. Let’s explore what is involved in shotshell reloading and how to get into it. It also offers the flexibility to tune a load to your needs, and the cost savings can be similar to loading cartridges. Shotshell reloading and related components are every bit as advanced and diverse as metallic cartridge reloading. If you are a shotgun shooter and have yet to dip your toe into the waters of shotshell reloading, you are missing out on a rewarding and enjoyable activity. And, not to be ignored, big-game hunters have benefited from rifled shotgun barrels and advanced slug and sabot designs that push shotgun performance to the near equivalent of centerfire rifles. Wads provide better patterning and longer ranges. Bismuth and tungsten shot dramatically enhance effectiveness and range. Recent developments in shotshells and shot have led to performance in the field that far exceeds anything that existed even 25 years ago. They include trap, skeet and sporting clays, as well as hunting game such as upland birds and waterfowl. ![]() Shotgun sports are as diverse and varied as metallic cartridge shooting. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |