Large Rifle Primers

[Steve51]

For me:
I have always used Unique for 20 gauge shot shells. For 12 gauge, I used to use American Select then switched to Red Dot when I could no longer find American select. I have only loaded field grade type loads with #8 shot for shooting clay pigeons.

[BigAl52]

Down here in Texas USA at the local gun shops I have seen all kinds of primers except 209 primers and the mag LR. But powder is at least 50.00 per pound and in some cases more. The only powder I have seen that is less is the line of AA powders and they seem to hover around the 40.00 mark. But in most cases you need to use more of their powder to achieve certain loads. At the gun club where I shoot 8lb kegs of powder are 340.00. I did buy a 8lb keg of Unique last summer. They have another one and I am tempted to buy it.

Just curious, what powder do you stuff the 20 ga. with?
I've never loaded shot shells.

RP

Right now I am using Universal clays. But Im not seeing it for sale much anymore so I will be switching to Unique. With Clays I am using the #21 powder bushing with the Mec loader. When I switch to Unique I will be using probably the #24 bushing which should throw about 15.5 grains giving me about 1150 fps with a 7/8 oz load of shot. When I get to that point I will let you know. I really like shootin clay pigeons just wish I has someone at home to do it with. Maybe someday

[BigAl52]

For me:
I have always used Unique for 20 gauge shot shells. For 12 gauge, I used to use American Select then switched to Red Dot when I could no longer find American select. I have only loaded field grade type loads with #8 shot for shooting clay pigeons.

Steve are you reloading with a MEC? If so what bushing are you using for your loads?

[Steve51]

Both of my shot shell loaders are MEC 600 Jr.

For 20 gauge loads, I am using a #22 bushing which is supposed to drop 15.1 grains of Unique Powder.

For 12 gauge loads, I am using a #31 busing which is supposed to drop 18.5 grains of Red Dot Powder.

I am getting my powder drop information from the MEC charts that came with my loaders. I have never actually weighed a powder drop.
I am satisfied with the way these loads function when shooting clay pigeons.

[BigAl52]

Thanks Steve. We have weighed ours from the 22 bushing and its light dropping only 14.2 grains. But Im going to check that further as I dont know how many loads he checked. According to my reading one needs to check 10 loads before determining what the actual charge is. We all know Unique has some metering issues at times.

[Steve51]

Big Al:

After your last post, I did some checking. I did not have a #22 bushing in the charge bar. I had a #24 bushing in the charge bar.
Apparently I had done some charge weighing in the past but don't remember doing so. (Memory ain't what it used to be)
My load data for Winchester AA shells calls for 15.0 gr. of Unique for 1155 fps
My load data for Remington STS shells calls for 15.5 gr. of Unique for 1155 fps

My MEC table shows a #24 bushing dispensing 16.4 grains of Unique.

I weighed 10 charges of Unique with the #24 bushing - Here are the drop weights that I got. I was pleasantly surprised in how well the drops repeated.
14.9, 15.0, 14.9, 14.8, 15.0, 15.1, 14.7, 14.8, 15.0, 14.9

I am using a $40+ Franford Arsenal digital scale.

Now when I get time, I need to check my 12 gauge loader to see if I actually have a #31 bushing in it.

[BigAl52]

Thanks Steve. Your info backs up what I have been reading. I think one guy said he had to use a 25 bushing to get 15.5 gr of Unique for his shells. Im using the STS shells and the game load shells which load the same as the STS. I havent made the switch yet to Unique but I will be doing so in the next couple weeks as we have been shooting 75 rounds or 3 rounds of skeet at a time.

[rickhem]

For the primers, I almost don't want to admit this, but I bought 2K of CCI Large Rifle Benchrest Primers for $150/K. Was down to my last tray and with there being such a shortage, didn't want to pass them up. Oh well. Money is gone, but I am not searching for Large Rifle primers now.

Shotgun loading was where I started at about 12-13 years old. Started on my dad's old Ponsness Warren Duo-Matic 375. That press is now bolted to my bench, and all it has ever seen is 700X. I made up a bunch of powder bushings a couple decades ago, they're just 1" aluminum bar stock with different size holes drilled through them. But for trapshooting, it's just the original bushing that my dad got with the press that is in there the most. I don't even know what that bushing is, or what it drops anymore, but I have dad's old Robert Burns Black Watch cigar box with all the PW parts and accessories in it should I ever want to swap shot or powder bushings.

And here's an interesting side story. I worked for a giant pharma company for a couple decades, and we had a trapshooting club. I even ran it for a while. We had shooters from every part of the business that would come and shoot, but really just a core of about 15-20 regulars. Two of the regulars were Engineers from the Process Development group, which was my department too. I could always count on those guys having very well thought out reasons for anything reloading oriented that I'd ask them about. So one day word spreads that a big sporting goods store in the area was closing, and they sold guns, ammo, and reloading supplies. These two guys went and bought up all the powder the store had, which was a few 8 pounders of stuff like 700x, Red Dot, Bullseye and some others. The one guy brought all the fast powders into work one Saturday and loaded all of it into a small stainless steel blender we used, and rolled that stuff around in there for a few hours. I think he had over 15 kilos when we emptied it. (I had to help, too curious not to) They started loading light, and worked up to what they used for their target loads. Both guys shot over/unders so no action to cycle. They used that powder blend for years and years, and both shot a lot. Their reasoning was that all of those powders had charge weights within a couple % of each other, so very close in burn rate, and all were flake powders, so they'd stay blended. Not something that I would ever do, but I always thought it was kind of neat that they did it.

[BigAl52]

For the primers, I almost don't want to admit this, but I bought 2K of CCI Large Rifle Benchrest Primers for $150/K. Was down to my last tray and with there being such a shortage, didn't want to pass them up. Oh well. Money is gone, but I am not searching for Large Rifle primers now.

Shotgun loading was where I started at about 12-13 years old. Started on my dad's old Ponsness Warren Duo-Matic 375. That press is now bolted to my bench, and all it has ever seen is 700X. I made up a bunch of powder bushings a couple decades ago, they're just 1" aluminum bar stock with different size holes drilled through them. But for trapshooting, it's just the original bushing that my dad got with the press that is in there the most. I don't even know what that bushing is, or what it drops anymore, but I have dad's old Robert Burns Black Watch cigar box with all the PW parts and accessories in it should I ever want to swap shot or powder bushings.

And here's an interesting side story. I worked for a giant pharma company for a couple decades, and we had a trapshooting club. I even ran it for a while. We had shooters from every part of the business that would come and shoot, but really just a core of about 15-20 regulars. Two of the regulars were Engineers from the Process Development group, which was my department too. I could always count on those guys having very well thought out reasons for anything reloading oriented that I'd ask them about. So one day word spreads that a big sporting goods store in the area was closing, and they sold guns, ammo, and reloading supplies. These two guys went and bought up all the powder the store had, which was a few 8 pounders of stuff like 700x, Red Dot, Bullseye and some others. The one guy brought all the fast powders into work one Saturday and loaded all of it into a small stainless steel blender we used, and rolled that stuff around in there for a few hours. I think he had over 15 kilos when we emptied it. (I had to help, too curious not to) They started loading light, and worked up to what they used for their target loads. Both guys shot over/unders so no action to cycle. They used that powder blend for years and years, and both shot a lot. Their reasoning was that all of those powders had charge weights within a couple % of each other, so very close in burn rate, and all were flake powders, so they'd stay blended. Not something that I would ever do, but I always thought it was kind of neat that they did it.

Brownells has Large rifle primers in stock at the time of this post.

[Mags]

Check your local Sportmans Warehouse. Their website shows some of the stores have CCI #200 LR.