Pennsylvania Game News - February 2022 - 24

even once. Many commercial hunting
loads are built for " one and done " shooting.
Discard unusable hulls, including
those that are rusted, cracked, split or
deformed.
Now, supplied with adequate hulls,
new or used, you're ready to move on.
You want to match the wad and other
such components to the load. Many commercially
available wads are similarly
designed, though not identical. They
are close enough to be interchangeable,
however, with only slight modifications,
like extra spacers between powder and
wad or between wad and shot. In some
cases, circular over-shot cards may need
to be placed over the shot in the cup before
beginning the crimp, preventing the shot
from spilling out.
In any case, matching the style of wad
to the amount of shot - measured in fractional
ounces, such as 1 7/8 ounce - will
ensure that the load remains within standard
pressure specifications and within
the desired felt recoil. Use the type and
amount of powder called for in the load
recipe you are following.
As for the process of reloading, it's
very similar to reloading for rifle and
pistol, and in one respect, simpler. Starting
with once-fired hulls means there is
less need for tumbling or cleaning than
in metallic reloading.
SAFE STORAGE
A lot of reloaders like to stock up on components
including powder, shot, bullets, cases, hulls
and primers.
Just keep in mind one very important safety
reminder: don't store too much of all that in one
location. That especially applies to primers. They
can cause a severe explosion when concentrated.
Store them separate from powder and keep
both secure from unauthorized persons.
24
Use your shotshell reloading press
with the station to re-size and de-prime
your hulls. This typically means that
a ring or tube will go around the hull,
pressing down over the outside of it to
reform the brass base to proper size, since
it swelled upon firing. At the same time, a
de-priming pin is pushing the spent primer
out of the base.
If you're using a ring-type re-sizer, the
primer will often be removed when the
hull is placed in the re-priming station
and pressed down into a cavity, so that a
new primer can be seated into the primer
hole or cup.
Next, use the charging bar to measure
the desired amount of powder into the
base of the hull. The charging bar is typically
a block designed to slide back and
forth inside the press, with holes that align
with the open bottom of the powder and
shot dispensers. Interchangeable bushings
of varying sizes measure specific amounts
of shot and powder of differing types.
One bushing may be used across different
brands of powder and different weights
(measured in grains), while others may
measure certain differing weights across
shot types.
To make your loads as accurate as
possible, it's always best to dispense the
powder and shot individually, then add or
subtract as necessary to reach the desired
result.
Once the proper amount of powder is
in place, place the wads and/or spacers in
the correct order in the press' wad-holder.
Expandable fingers will hold the wad as
it gets pressed into the hull on top of the
powder, lightly compressing it.
Once the wad components are seated,
you can move the charge bar to dispense
the measured weight of shot. Again, it is
best to accurately measure. Some loads
call for adding powdered mica to the shot
Pennsylvania Game News - February 2022

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