[firstbassman]

All this talk of realoading for shotgun got me thinking, do they make the Lee Loader in .410? Or do I need to find one used? If anyone has one for sale I'd love to buy it from them!

I'm teaching my little guys and they can handle the .410 more easily, but ammo for .410 is durned EXPENSIVE and I want to start reloading for it. I'm new to reloading, myself--haven't taken the plunge yet but am "dipping my toes in."

thanks!

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

You will have to find a used Lee .410 tool on Ebay. nice ones go dear! be prepared to spend $100+.

One thing you should know is that .410's are the hardest shotgun shells to reload well, and a hand tool is the worst way to do it. A 12 ga. hand tool is very difficult to get good loads out of, a .410 tool only compounds the problems 10x.

If you plan on loading these hulls I suggest you find a used MEC .410 machine or a Pacific. You might have to spend the $100 but at least you will turn out good looking ammo.

Been down this road and spent money on the hand tools. They suck!

It's all about the crimp and you really need a fixed machine to do it consistently.

At $12.50 a box from a NON Gouging source like Walmart, if you plan on shooting very much you have to reload these. Save all hulls!

I shoot skeet with my Browning Citori O/U in .410 and the first thing I did was to buy a 410 machine, in my case a Pacific DL266 (Cadillac) for $200, and 1000 once fired hulls, and start making ammo.

This maybe be more than you want to spend but the good news is you can resell the tools easily and get top dollar if you want to move on.

A good source for all things shotgun related, and for that matter gun related in general, is Trapshooters.com.

This is where I got my gun, my loader, and the empty hulls. And I got good deals on everything. It ain't like Ebay where you have to compete, You just have to say I'll take it and contact the guy selling.

Hope this helps.

As far as I and many others are concerned, the .410 shotgun is the most fun there is for shooting Clays an for that matter birds too.

Randy

 

[firstbassman]

That's a nice shotgun! I guess I will start saving up for the machine, and do it right...

Are shotgun reloaders like centerfire, where you have one press and interchangeable dies? Or is it a dedicated press for only 410 bore or 12 or 20 ga?

 

[Mule]

Swapping dies on a shotshell loader is a major pain. Too many adjustments to get correct. Better to have dedicated machines.

 

[RUT]

I'd go for a MEC "Sizemaster" before I'd get a Lee. Built better and will last longer.

Sizemaster 410 Gauge Single Stage Press | MidsouthShootersSupply.com

 

[firstbassman]

Thanks for the tip! I don't have a huge budget, but I also hate buying stuff that's poorly designed and built--I'd rather feel the pain only at purchase time.

 

[flashhole]

I got the bug to reload 410 shells because it takes my wife 4 or 5 shots to shoot a farm varmint or old chicken. She can burn through a box of shells in a hurry.

Randy offered some good advice. Myself, I wanted to use what I could of my center-fire equipment.

The big problem in my opinion is safely re-priming the shells. Had one go off on me using the hammer and a nut driver to seat the primer. Put a quick end to that adventure.

I use a Lee punch ~$2 to drive out the old primer on a fixture I built with a piece of hardwood and a washer ~50 cents. Works really well.

I used my Dremel and a 5/16 grind stone to ream out the center hole in a Lee #5 shell holder ~$10. I bought the Lee Ram Prime ~$10 and use a roofing nail with a 1/8" shaft and turned down the head so it acts as the ram in the Ram Prime. Now I use a standard press to prime the hulls. Waaaaaay safer and a much better job.

I built a hull cutter using a small piece of hardwood, a small screw and a single edge razor blade. I chuck up the hull in my drill press using a Lee 3-Jaw Chuck and lock stud ~$12. The cutter makes a very clean smooth cut on the hull and every one of them are exactly the same length.

I charge the hulls with my Redding Powder Drop. I like LilGun for the 410.

I built a plunger with a piece of wooden dowel and a wooden ball ~$1. It's a snug fit to the 410 hull and I use it to seat the over powder card and fiber wads and over shot card. I have the tool that puts a roll crimp on the hull but I like the over shot card with a bead of Elmer's glue a lot better. I will eventually make a plunger that will work with my press for the over powder card and fiber wads.

I bought a shot dripper ~$60 and make my own shot.

It's nice being self reliant with at least one shotgun.

 

[flashhole]

OP - I posted a new thread in this forum showing how I prime my 410 hulls on my Lee Classic Cast Single Stage press.