Shotshell reloading without a press part 1 nail & dowel method.mov

This is the first episode of a three part series on loading shotshells without a reloading press. This video covers the nail & dowel method which uses simple items that are probably already in your home or shop to load shotshells.

[@michaelgilbreath7696]

For those who wonder what the thick cushion wad is for, in black powder shells, these were soaked in lube in order to keep the fouling soft. If you are not familiar with black powder, it leaves a heavy crusty residue in the bore when fired. This residue builds with each shot making cleaning the bore a very laborious chore, and also causes velocity and pressure variations. A special lube made specifically for keeping this fouling soft was used in these cushion wads, acting as a cleaner to sweep out the fouling to a degree, and making the bore easier to wipe clean after shooting was done.Black powder lube is different from smokeless lube in that smokeless lube's main purpose is to reduce leading, while black powder lube is not only to reduce the leading, but also to keep that fouling soft. Black powder lube is usually made in a soft greasy consistency, while smokeless lube is hard. Modern shotshells with smokeless powder have no need of such wads, since there is no fouling for the most part. That's why in modern shells, there is only that plastic shot cup. Smokeless powder takes up a very small space in the shell, because much less smokeless is needed than black. So, the plastic wad is mainly to take up the extra space, and to hold the shot together.

[@thewiseguy8794]

I seen that when someone was making center fire 9mm with black powder he had trouble with it not having the power to move the slide and when he did get it to have enough power it got dirty and stopped chambering as good because he didn’t have the black powder lube

[@JONYAG07]

EXELENT VIDEO... now I reload my shotshells thanks to you!

[@WayniacKT]

Nice vid sir. I have been looking for ways to keep my shotguns running in the event of a long term grid down event. This is a great backup idea.

[@Slug365]

Very very helpful. Thank you so much for thevideo. I really appreciate the time you put in for our benefit.

[@HawkLMT]

Great series! I have reloaded rifle and pistol stuff for years, but I am working on a "Shotgun On The Cheap!" project, and I'm looking forward to learning more in the next three videos. Thanks!

[@loknlode]

You're amazing. I'm looking forward to giving this a try!

[@dudespin]

I really like your 3 part series on shotgun shell reloading.

[@sleeperno1215]

Mike, I recently took a stab at black powder buckshot using only the components I use for my flintlock. It worked well. I loaded 80g 2F with an overshot card over the powder, then a ball of flax tow, then another overshot card. I added 1.125 ounces of .31 balls (approximately 8) buffered with Cream of Wheat. I made the overshot cards by punching a thin cardboard box with a 3/4" punch. I placed another overshot card over that and sealed it with candle wax. When I took it to the range, I shot 2 rounds of black powder shells at one target and two rounds of Remington 2.75 ) 00 buckshot at the other. The patterns were the same size and had the same point of impact. Since then, I ordered a bag of nitro cards, fiber wads, and overshot cards. Will be experimenting with them later today. I actually have some #4 buckshot this time. But, the previous attempt was designed to only load the shells with components I had on hand for my flintlock. As I said, it worked well in my Stoeger side-by-side coach gun. I have a roll crimping tool, so I will use that this time too.

[@papaya1955]

Excellent job! I'm bookmarking this!

[@abbeyglencircle]

This is great! Thanks, I will try this this week.

[@terrysrifles8383]

Excellent video. Just what I was looking for.

[@MrJake985]

I did that once with a lee loader loading a .44 magnum cartridge. I was useing the old lee loader classic. I seated the primer and it didn't seat far enough, so I thought one good rap with the mallet would do the trick. Well the primer seatted, but went off scareing the pee out of me, and I had to pull my seating rod out of the ceiling then explain why there was a hole in our kitchen ceiling. From then on I did my loading in an unattached building.

[@blueduck9409]

😆😅🤣😂

[@blueduck9409]

We all been there, dont feel bad!

[@busyhands94]

Well I tested some shells I loaded using this method today! They worked flawlessly!

[@jamie57061]

Nice part 1 thanks for sharing.

[@homfri111]

my grandpa used good ole cheap daisy .177 steel or copper BBs for the "just for fun" shotshells, but large gun stores or even cabelas or the gun carrying scheels have 00/000 buck, but the magical thing with shotguns is you can put just about anything in them

[@oceanic8424]

[08/23/21] For those of you that have 3D printers, printing your own custom shot, or powder measures would be super easy. Just double check the weights and volumes achieved on the final prints.

[@terrysmith8714]

You DA Man Mike.

[@pommel47]

I like how you ground the point of the nail to a cylinder shape.

[@DoughboyJonesmk2]

great vid, very informative.

[@PeladoGuapo]

Thanks for 'loading' this video on You-Tube ... I always wondered if reloading could be done without all the fancy presses and spending an arm and a leg on them ... Now I can do this 'on the cheap' and get back to shooting like I used to, before ammo became 'scarce' ...

[@duelist1954]

@Grandthumb Sure. Whatever gauge. Square loads are the classic B-P shotgun load.

[@BlueridgeStrummer]

Thank you so so much for this info.

[@donalddenison8896]

It is a good idea to go to Lee and buy a resizing ring that they use on their Loadmaster. The part is cheap, and it is easy to devise a way to drive the collar on and off with a piece of tubing and dowel or even a hole in a block of 4"X4". That will allow you to use pickups fired from unknown shotguns and allow them to be used in any gun.

[@samdandurand]

For de-priming I just use an appropriate sized socket either 3/8 or 1/2 drive. works for any case! .25 acp through 12 ga. for the little ones I use 1/4 inch drive sockets. saves having to drill 10 holes for 10 different cartridges. enjoyed the video.

[@colsoncustoms8994]

Very cool. All I need is some supplies and I'll be good to go. Thanks

[@WCGwkf]

this is great! had no idea about this I thought I had to buy a full press. it's funny that they don't make this for 12ga anymore but they do for other cartriges

[@papaya1955]

Thank you ! My Hogdgon RS claims to be an equivalent to the FFS. Thanks for the Info!

[@flamedrag18]

you could mimic the crimping tool from the last video with a dowel that's hollowed out at a taper for a inch, made to fit over the shell tightly so the crimping doesn't fold out rather than in. just slip over the top of the shell and push down, than use the smaller dowel to roll it even more to the inside to tighten the crimp. would be a nice addition to this simple man's kit.

[@duelist1954]

@Jonusmax Take a look at parts 2 &3 of the video. Part 2 covers Lee Loaders. I think looking on Ebay for one of those (under $20 usually) will do the trick for you. Good luck.

[@duelist1954]

@dave4854 I clean when I'm done shooting. For cowboy action matches that means 25 to 30 rounds fired before cleaning.

[@duelist1954]

None of the equipment I use resizes heads, and in 20 years I've not had a shell that needed it. I'd use 75 grains of 2Fg

[@terrancelueckgen]

dam , i have a lee load all 2 on the way, if i knew about this i would not have bought it, i think i will put it on kijiji, your way seems easyer, thank you so much, terry.

[@BadgerlandBandit]

@duelist1954 Great. I like doing stuff the simple way and this seems like a nice, practical way to get into shotshell reloading! Thanks for the quick reply.

[@dirtydan3029]

It looks clean

[@greenspiraldragon]

nice simple way to reload.

[@duelist1954]

That is the job of the over-powder card. The cushion wad keeps the shot from deforming from the kick in the ass it gets from the powder going off.

[@ZombieMasterEd25]

very simple very cool

[@capt10ronn8]

Great for my bug out bag..... I thank you!

[@duelist1954]

Thanks

[@bruceyyyyy]

Used the first method to try loading some 410's since .410 is way too expensive. Some tips: Bore out the washer to where it's slightly bigger than the primer. This might seem obvious, but it was possible to us the washer without boring it out, it just had to be ABSOLUTE dead center. Another thing that sped things up greatly was to wrap some tape around the nail to where it's an almost snug fit inside the Inner Diameter. This frees your hand and I am now de-priming faster than a machine could!

[@rudy52350]

very good vid...thanks ..

[@dosbox907]

quick tip for SHTF. you can make your powder and shot measures out of the hulls of live rounds. if you like the specs of the shotshell, you can cut the shotshell in half, remove the wadding, and trim the hull all the way down to the load, and theres your shot measure. you can do the same for the powder load. just make sure the powder you'll be reloading with is the same you use to make the measure and there shouldnt be any problems. with that said, be smart stay safe, and by some proper powder measures. haha

[@joehunt1980]

Old Lee Loaders have Fibre Wad loading data as well as early plastic wad data and quite good reloading instructions. I managed to find some of the data sheets uploaded on reloading forums through a Google search which even had the data for 20g so you may be in luck. Wad thickness is critical only when using a fold crimp (you need 10-11mm from shot to case mouth) but you will only need a 1/2" cushion wad to cushion the shot. You can only use Lead or Bismuth shot with full bore contact :-)

[@johnstacy7902]

right before deer season I'll pick up the spent shotgun slug hulls. theses seem to be a bit thicker..

[@rlmarin1968]

Excellent...I may try it out then. I just don't want to have to pay $160+ for a loader if I know hunters have been doing this for decades without them and their shells worked fine. Thanks for the reply.

[@duelist1954]

@BlackSabbath1204 THe answer is "yes & no"....mostly no. If it was a single shot pistol and you were going to shoot the reloads in the same pistol the brass was originally shot in, it could work. But there is no way to re-size the brass in this method, so it will likely only chamber in the very same chamber it was originally shot from. I doubt that any auto-pistol ammo made this way would ever feed.

[@duelist1954]

You can google circle fly wars to get their website. The big muzzleloading sites like Dixie Gun Works and Track of the Wolf usually have a good selection of them on hand.

[@flamedrag18]

@Jonusmax you could take a dowel, bore it out to the diameter of the shell's outer diameter, trying to make it concave at the bottom of the hole and make the boring about 1/2" deep. get another dowel and shave it's end down to the inner diameter of the shell and try to make it convex(round). how you use it is you load the shell to where you need to crimp like in the video, take the concave dowel and fit it over the top of the shell and push down, this folds the edges in..Continued

[@Magnageek]

Outstanding, Mike! Thanks for posting! A few questions, if you don't mind: 1. Can these loads be used in a modern coach gun, such as a Remington? 2. Can you suggest a source of supply for the wads? A quick search on the net revealed a confusing array of wads. Thank you, sir!

[@duelist1954]

@Magnageek Hi Magnageek. The answer to #1 is "Sure!" I've shot plenty of them in my EAA coach gun. For question #2, I suggest you do a google search on "circle fly wads". I have used their wads for years.

[@duelist1954]

@eve61032 Hi Eve, I don't own an autoloading shotgun, so I can't answer definitively, but I've never known plastic hulls to require resizing. Mine fit in every shotgun I own.

[@duelist1954]

They used these for over 100 years before plastic wads were invented. they pattern fine, but a bit more open than with plastic shot cups.

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

Get an old shotshell reloading handbook from the wad era (say, an early Lyman), or an early edition of Barnes's Cartridges of the World, which had shotshell loading data in the back, would be my advice. The problem there is that the powders they had back then which still exist today will have been altered in composition somewhat, so your loading will have to be somewhat cautious and emails to the technical division of the powder companies may be called for.

[@flamedrag18]

@1873Winchester this method will work with plastic wads, just be sure to use a dowel that fills the shot cup to prevent punctures of the shot cup and ruining it.

[@contreeman]

thank you

[@hightopcrocs]

If your worried about it you can do it on top of the loading block so that there is empty space under the primer. Much less chance of detination

[@garylewis3641]

Good video and series! Where do you get the cushion wad and the powder wads?

[@duelist1954]

@PUJARTIAGO77 I do. Check out part 3 of the series

[@duelist1954]

@Magnageek I don't re-use them. B-P generates a lot of heat. The plastic hulls get crispy fast. I go to my local range after a trap shooting match and raid the trash cans. I can easily fill a big garbage bag with high quality hulls for no cost. Look up your local trap league and see where they're shooting.

[@raygerner9624]

This is great!!! But wouldn't the dried elmers glue gunk up the shotgun?

[@melcher]

Thank you for this video, it's great. Have you had much trouble with the metal portion of the shell not fitting into your chamber properly(too tight)when you reuse shells without sizing them? If so what was/is the solution you use? Thank you.

[@duelist1954]

Pure wool felt

[@duelist1954]

@CmpsdNoMore Yes you can

[@duelist1954]

yes it is

[@duelist1954]

You can load smokeless powder like this, just use appropriate powders and powder weights. Most smokeless powders react poorly to compression

[@duelist1954]

It keeps the shot from deforming from the sudden pressure of the charge

[@flamedrag18]

you could make a crimper with a 1"x4" dowel, a 13/16" drill bit and a 13/16 hole saw. just drill the dowel about 2.5" deep with the hole saw(for 2 3/4" shells) and then drill about 2 1/4" deep with the drill bit, using the mandrel's hole as a guide. to use, you just load the shell like normal and when done loading, pop the shell into the crimper and spin and hammer it down, this will make a crimp like with the lee loader. don't hit too hard so you preserve the small 1/4" indentation inside.

[@duelist1954]

Only if it is black powder residue. Smokeless powder residue is no problem.

[@dave4854]

hi, I've been using your method with black powder and shot shell as we have so many off brand and unknown hulls and lots of lead and we have a mould. The balls that we're using are .311 or 32 cal and we use nine balls(just a hair over an ounce) and 75 grains of powder.. we going to borrow one of the BILs sinker moulds and use different size balls hooked together with fish line and see what kind of pattern it makes.

[@dantankunfiveancestorsfist]

Instead of over powder wad or cushion wad is it okay or safe to stuff it with substitute wads like coffee paper or ball patch then press down after that pour in the pellets and place ball patch to keep it in place and some glue to seal it will that work as well? Thanks

[@twistedpixel2558]

If you already owned or had access to all the tools required to build the the jig with you might save some money.If you had to buy all the tools it would be quite a bit cheaper to just get a low cost reloader.I believe you can still get an all in one reloader for less than $50.

[@melcher]

Okay, thank you.

[@eve61032]

nice video, explains a lot. What about resizing the spent hull prior to reloading?? How is it done?? Won't not doing this cause a jam up in a automatic shot gun/ browing a-5??

[@ruckmanite2]

Mike, do you use lubricated or non lubricated fiber wads? Also, how do you go about making your elmers glue sealing mixture?

[@tinman1955]

When you smacked the dowel to compress the powder I couldn't help wondering if there's a danger of setting off the primer. Does that ever happen??

[@1873Winchester]

Do you load any slugs this way as well? I'm considering starting casting and loading my own slugs on the cheap. This was a very informative video.

[@papaya1955]

I am an avid subscriber and love your vids! So far I have lb of Hodgdon Pryrodex rs, 1,000 cheddite 209 primers and plastic wads, along with my spent shells, and a set of crimpers I bought on line. I've seen some presses resizing the heads of the hulls? Is that something necassary?? also In your opinion how many grains of this powder would you use for 1 oz loads with spent remmington game loads? Thanks -

[@duelist1954]

I've never done it, but I suppose it would work...

[@Romin.777]

Hi, What would be a typical bp load for a hammer S x S 60 grains you say? Not a Damascus barrel but a later model from the 20s. Thanks in advance. Cheers

[@Rhyno430]

@duelist1954, Could try the inexpensive lee classic loader. They retail around $25. Slow, but they work. probably not for semi autos though.

[@strartur]

Thank you. One question: is that glueing stable at higher temperatures? Does it melt? I heard water glass is stable, but did not try it yet. I screwed up my first batch of brass shells years ago by using paraffin wax from candles.

[@BadgerlandBandit]

Can you use this method for foster (or any non-sabot) slugs?

[@larryspinner7038]

One of my favorite videos of yours. Are you using 209 primers or large pistol primers?

[@ironmatic1]

The corner of a table works just fine as a decapping block btw :)

[@flamedrag18]

continued... if you're loading 2 1/2" shells, reduce the holesaw hole depth to 2 1/4" and the drill to 2". the shallow hole compared to shell length is so you can have a good hold with the case rim if it were to ever get stuck. you could also make a 1/4" hole through and through to use a plunger if it gets really stuck, but this is very unlikely.

[@flamedrag18]

@Jonusmax continued.. than you take the convex dowel and push it into the top of the shell to push the crimp down to tighten it. now you should have a crimped shell.

[@duelist1954]

This is the minimalist method. You need special tools to crimp.

[@buffordevans6942]

Could you help me figure the right type shells I should be gathering and the correct powder and shot size and amount for a Remington 1889 #2 wire barreled double barrel shotgun ?

[@pablosdryfliesandbirdshot4476]

Will this type of load cycle through a modern semi-auto shotgun?

[@olsongregory2516]

i have always enjoyed reloading shotshell with my press...but lately i have been wanting to do some more traditional shotshell reloads using black powder and 2 1/2in brass casings...could i ask what kind of a velocity is it possible to get using black powder???

[@duelist1954]

@Magnageek I've tried to post Circle Fly's URL, but KZbin won't let me. Suffice it to say it is on the World Wide Web and circlefly is one word in the URL

[@outdoorswithroostercurrie6984]

Would this type of loaded shell function in a Pump or semiautomatic Shotgun? Except I would be using smokeless powder?

[@amistosophoto]

Have you had any issues with autoloading/feeding with either pump or semi-autos with that elmers glue top? Thanks for the vid!

[@fishblade2]

can you give an example of a conversion for loading black powder instead of smokeless powder? I load 12 gauge 2-3/4" and just say it take 20 grains of smokeless powder. How do you convert this to the right amount of black powder? Also would you recommend using a plastic wad at all with black powder because I know it's crucial to pack the black powder so that there is no explosion. Does the glue cause any problem with the gun barrel?

[@Magnageek]

Found it. Thank you! And one more question if it won't break the bank: are these shotshells reusable after use with black powder and gluing in the top with Elmer's? If so, how many times do you estimate?

[@LionSilverVideos]

Will these shells cycle ok in a pump action, I noticed you did not have to re-size them.

[@MrFlyingPanda]

i ll try as soon as i get my coach and fired some shells. do you have to cut the unfolded end? cant refold it after stuff the shell? did you try it in a winchester 1887? instead of glue can you put the wax you use in BP revolvers?

[@1873Winchester]

@duelist1954 Ok, do you know if it works to use modern plastic wad cups with black powder? Or should one use "old timey" wads?

[@killop141]

Do you need a cushion wad when reloading because it looks like it just takes up space?

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

My understanding is that with this method, it's brutally simplistic and there's no handy general tool that would help you re-fold the crimp. What he shows here seems to be the best you can do without some sort of specialised roll or fold crimping tool. See his part 2 or 3 if you want that.