10 Guage reloading--is it worth it?

RustyNail

I have experience with Rifle/pistol ammo reloading. I enjoy it but only reload expensive ammo like SW500, 30-06 etc. It's also no big deal to add a set of dies for a new caliber. It wouldn't be worth it to me to mess with .45 or .357 since these are pretty cheap anyhow.

Now I bought a 10 guage shotgun so I have a new delemma. Since I have no shotgun press, would it be worth it to spend $200 on a shotgun setup. The 10 guage shells run 1.50-2.50 per round. What do you all think[?] is it worth fooling with[?]

Tailgunner1954

It will depend on how many you shoot in a year.
The wife and I used to fire 18 boxes of 12ga every week (for over 5 years), so it was worth it to us to reload shotshells, but if your a 2 box a year kind of guy, than NO it wouldn't be worth it.

richbug

A 10 ga 600 junior can be had for under $100 new. That's only 6 boxes of shells.

longbow589

Most 10 gauge shot shells are buffered with some kind of fine plastic. This is so the shot will not be deformed when passing threw the choke. It is almost impossible for a home loader to pack the shot and buffer in the hulls as in factory loads. It may be best to keep buying shells and loads that give you the best patterns for what you use them for.

beararms2

As stated, it depends on how much you shoot, or would LIKE to shoot.
I reload a s**tload of 10ga on my $125.00 MEC Mark V using Blue Dot powder. I bought a couple cases of shells and picked up everybody else's hulls that shot the big ten. Gave me a good stockpile of hulls to play with. They will take several reloads before the crimped area wears out. Be patient if you try: getting a good crimp ain't easy the first time, and varies with shotload and brand of hull. Not as forgiving as rifle and pistol bullet seating[xx(] If you stick with it, it is very worthwhile and cost effective. Reloading was the only way I could handle the cost of practicing (skeet shooting) and the daily barrage of shells I go through during goose and duck season! Also, there is not a lot of selection out there anymore for the 10ga off the shelf. Reloading will let you make everything from some "cheap" practice rounds to a well patterned high velocity duplex load that will bring down the biggest of Canadian geese or turkeys. Ammo crafting is fun!

DONDALINGER

Definitely worht the $$ in the long term.