# reloading steel



## skiles76 (Mar 1, 2006)

Does anyone reload steel shells? I have a mec 600 reloader and just wonder what I need to do this and if it is as hard as everyone says.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

You can buy a steel kit for the Mec and steel charge bars, but you don't necessarily need one, all depends on what you want to do. The steel kit will allow you to run the smaller shot through the loader if you have the steel charge bars (black instead of red).

With the larger shot, you have to hand weigh it, which isn't as hard as it sounds. Say with BB, BBB, T's or larger, a certain number of pellets weigh a certain amount. I use primer trays and set up a certain number of holes to get the pellets I want and have a bowl with the shot in it so I can dip it out and put it in the shell by hand after seating the wad.

With powders, use as normal loading, except for alliant steel powder, which may need to be ran through a rifle powder dispenser to get accurate drops. I don't seem to have a problem with my mec steelmaster with it, but I have heard others do with that powder.

The rest is pretty much load as normal. A little slower, but you definately can save a lot reloading steel.

My setup is a mec steelmaster, basically and sizemaster with the steel kit already installed. I use the SAM 1 wads, and alliant steel powder, federal hulls and w209 primers with reloading specialties data.


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## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

thank you southdakbearfan I have been trying to find an answer to my questions similar to what you just said. like if im using imr 4756 or bluedot it will throw fairly well in my sizemaster with steel kit. and i dont have a scale as of yet but i will in a few. ive been loading 1 1/4 oz. of #2 in 3" fed expert hulls through it and i have to put 5 more pellets in each load for a proper crimp. but this may be due to not using the right filler wads. they were fifty cal. 1/8 so i used 2 of them. i am getting the right ones. also i noticed a funny smell with the 4756 and was wondering if the bluedot would be any different. a lot of the loads in my status of steel recommend bluedot over the rest. any info you can give is greatly appreciated. and thank you.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

Bluedot is a good magnum powder, but also pretty dirty, we used it only in pumps and over/unders. Use to load 4756 in my 3" quite a bit too.

Never ever add steel to even out a crimp. Steel reloading is very pressure sensitive to even small deviations upward in the amount of shot i.e. payload weight. Felt spacer wads seem to be the best for correcting those issues, and not adding more shot.

I have had good luck with Bluedot and 4756, but now have totally switched to Alliant Steel. It is cleaner than blue dot, and with the data from reloading specialties & the SAM I wad, you can make some really high performance loads (1700-1800 fps range).

They also have a long list loads for other powders as well, plus they list if you will need to use felt spacer wads with loads according to shot sizes you are loading, which so far I have found all to be right on to achieve a good crimp. In my 1 1/2 ounce load, with smaller than BB steel, I have to add 1 - 1/4" felt spacer, which is exactly what the book calls for.

Another plus to the reloading specialties data is they have a pretty long section detailing do's and don'ts for steel reloading.

I load mostly for my 3 1/2 any more, usually 1 1/2 ounc or 1 3/8 ounce, depending on the hulls. Federal Hulls seem to be the best for getting the most velocity out of larger payloads.


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## duckmander (Aug 25, 2008)

thanks again for the info. all ive loaded as of yet is the 4756 with #2, and BB in a three inch. and i said fed expert. dah on my part they were win. expert. i have used 2 3/4" # 6,4,2.BB and 3" # 2, 1, BB. store bought. all of the 2 3/4 seems to just undress the birds or if they drop they need a follow up. the 3" BB a little too much. but the 3" 2and even Tthe 1 seem to drop just about everything i send them at. mostly DRT. so i started reloading again. is RSI recipes mostly for 2 3/4 or do they have some good 3" in there aswell. my BPS is only a three inch chamber. your right i dont need anything or anyone going boom so if you think they will work better than what im using ill for sure try them. i know have to have a scale. and its comming soon. or i could try alliant STEEL but until then i can use the blue dot and or the 4756 . like i have been just with the correct filler. i guess? i need to order the RSI book and maybe FAST STEEL you think. and thanks again for your help. much appreciated.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

The RSI manual has loads for 2 3/4, 3, and 3 1/2 inch, as well as 10 ga 3 1/2 and I think some 20 ga. too.

Like I said, the loads are very hull specific, and by my reading and own experience, there is a preference for the Federal hull with plastic basewad as it seems to shoot much lower pressures than the Win hulls, but there are some good loads for the win hulls too, even the AA's.

The first part of the manual will have white pages with loads for many different powders, then the middle of the manual will have loads for alliant steel powder specifically.


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## ronre (Feb 18, 2005)

I have had good success using 2 3/4 Fed Gold Medals w/ alliant steel in a 1 oz load of #2. Seems to work great on ducks. This is a Reloaders Specialties recipe. For geese I have been using the 3" Rem Nitro steel hulls with the Alliant steel, I am using 1 1/8 oz 2's over decoys and go to a 1 1/4 oz BB load when pass shooting. This is a recipe from Precision Reloading. They have a good website for reloading stuff. www.precisionreloading.com By the way I am using a Mec 600 reloader and does take a little more time but does a good job. I have been reloading steel for several years and found it is very important to follow the recipes exactly to get max performance from your loads.


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