Homemade pistol shot shells anyone?

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  • Rating - 0%
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    Mar 3, 2022
    23
    3
    US
    Spring is coming and that means....shoulder less lizards.

    Want us to see if anyone else here is using homemade shot shells for pistols? Idea is like that 22 rat shot we used to use (when you could still find it). Works in revolver...sized brass a pinch of pistol powder to spec (varies by caliber ect) and a shot card....lead shot and an over shot card sealed with wood glue or hot glue or something similar.

    I have used 38spc/357 brass for years and it makes snakes just tie themselves up in knots. Super close range (10-15 ft max) and need to make sure and take care of hard surfaces since they are low velocity enough to have shot bounce back from hard stumps or rocks if you aren't careful

    Anyone else make these or use the store bought versions (I think speer makes them)?

    Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk
     

    Jstudz220

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    Oct 14, 2020
    1,922
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    Harvey Louisiana
    Spring is coming and that means....shoulder less lizards.

    Want us to see if anyone else here is using homemade shot shells for pistols? Idea is like that 22 rat shot we used to use (when you could still find it). Works in revolver...sized brass a pinch of pistol powder to spec (varies by caliber ect) and a shot card....lead shot and an over shot card sealed with wood glue or hot glue or something similar.

    I have used 38spc/357 brass for years and it makes snakes just tie themselves up in knots. Super close range (10-15 ft max) and need to make sure and take care of hard surfaces since they are low velocity enough to have shot bounce back from hard stumps or rocks if you aren't careful

    Anyone else make these or use the store bought versions (I think speer makes them)?

    Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk
    Not sure where your located at but the academy In Gretna has had 22lr and 38/357 rat shot from CCI on the shelves for months now. I saw it as recently as yesterday.
     

    highstandard40

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    Apr 14, 2009
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    Prairieville
    I've been doing this for years. I have some for the 44 mag revolver and the 45ACP. The 45s will feed through the magazine and cycle just like regular ammo. The process to assemble these is too detailed to outline here but they pattern very well.
     

    shrxfn

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    Oct 25, 2015
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    I have used 9mm and 45ACP shot shells from CCI. Both feed fine from a semi but I like the 45 a little better as the shot is bigger than what is in the 9. puts some nice holes in them.
     

    highstandard40

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    Apr 14, 2009
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    I have used 9mm and 45ACP shot shells from CCI. Both feed fine from a semi but I like the 45 a little better as the shot is bigger than what is in the 9. puts some nice holes in them.
    Those cci shells are very similar to the ones I make, even down to the radius crimp. I was introduced to the process of making those about 40 years ago by a reloading mentor.
     

    tadsstuff

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    May 21, 2011
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    Shreveport, LA
    I’ve used a variety of commercial shot cartridges in .22 and .38/.357. I’ve also loaded .38s using the Speer shot capsules. I’ve also loaded some light ones in .38 by using a sharpened case to cut wads out of a styrofoam cup for over powder and over shot (several for over powder) and a light charge of Bullseye—an idea taken from some gun magazine in the pre-internet days.
     

    sarky

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    Mar 3, 2011
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    Speer used to sell the plastic shot canisters in 38 and 44, I've hand loaded both
     

    Magdump

    Don’t troll me bro!
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    Dec 31, 2013
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    Yeah, I bought a bunch of caps for 44 cases and posted up my loads last year. I’m pleased. 6, 7.5 8 or 9 shot ftw.
    I’ve only loaded 44 mag but I’ve done a fair bit of them. Little more to it than pressing in bullets but it’s not very hard.

     
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    Bayoubob

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    Nov 14, 2020
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    Dry Prong, LA
    Made some for my S&W 57 (41mag). I used Starline 41 Spl cases, 5 gr of Universal powder, #9 shot. No one makes a capsule for the .41, so I used some .410 gauge shot gun plastic wads and turned them around backwards. I took a empty cartridge and filed the edge sharp to use as a punch so I could make some paper wads/seperators between powder and shot. The paper wads were made of matt board using the sharpened brass case and hammer. So, add primmer, then powder, then wad, then the shotgun plastic wad filled with shot and use a hard crimp on the case. They worked very well! (for me only)
     

    340six

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    Apr 12, 2012
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    Those cci shells are very similar to the ones I make, even down to the radius crimp. I was introduced to the process of making those about 40 years ago by a reloading mentor.
    The process is in the 1971 NRA American Rifleman magazine.
    I have the magazine. One day i sat down and wrote up the whole process with pics,
    I used the special RCBS shot shell dies. So have a complete write up but need to fix the computer it is in sorry I will post it one day.
    I also wrote up how to do the 45acp with dies from other sets you may already have on hand as well.
    Use 7.62x51 cases for 45acp shot conversions.
    Do not use 30-06 As they will wear the ejector.
    Revolvers are way easier as you just use caps.
    You can top the 45acp with a home made cardboard card. Cut with a sharpened 45 Colt or 44Mag case as a punch. Or a copper gas check.
    The 45acp are reusable after shot multible times.
     
    Last edited:

    340six

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    Some pics I had on a disk I have the rest on a dead computer I will fix. One picture shows a standard 45acp next to the converted 7.62x51 The CCI is used as reference.
    The shot shells go inside the barrel rifling unlike a standard 45acp the head spaces off.
     

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    340six

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    You can use a inverted gas check or cardboard card to top the shot
     

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    The_Shadow

    The Shadow Knows!
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    May 24, 2010
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    Southeast, LA
    I have made 10mm Shot shells using the 6.8SPC cases cut to 1.26" the formed using the 9x25Dillon dies.
    Used Red Dot powder with two pieces of card stock (cut from primer boxes) as an over wad. Then 108.5 grains of #9shot capped with a 35 cal gas check.
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