12g ammo - cheap and decent

[Traditionalist]

Hi good folks,

Does anyone have recommendations for cheap 12g buckshot and birdshot?

Costly enough to be reliable, though cheap enough to be affordable.

Happy to buy in bulk to bring the cost down.

Thank you.

[bladeracer]

Hi good folks,

Does anyone have recommendations for cheap 12g buckshot and birdshot?

Costly enough to be reliable, though cheap enough to be affordable.

Happy to buy in bulk to bring the cost down.

Thank you.

Never come across cheap buckshot loads, but birdshot comes up pretty regularly for around $100/250rds when dealers get bulk shipments in.
If you buy (or cast) your own buckshot, just swap it into the bulk field loads.

[mchughcb]

Hi good folks,

Does anyone have recommendations for cheap 12g buckshot and birdshot?

Costly enough to be reliable, though cheap enough to be affordable.

Happy to buy in bulk to bring the cost down.

Thank you.

Cheap and very good quality stuff is NSI. It is imported now through Sydney. I've got their 12 and 20 gauge stuff you can't even get in winchester, remington or federal. Check it out.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

.223 55gn Gameking (Super Roo) for $185 for 1000

I would dare say 185 is a typographical error. It would be more like 785 not 185.

[boingk]

$185 / 1000 is the projectile price for reloading. I use them regularly in my 223 with good results driving at 2900fps from a short little 18" barrel.

If you want to save money, get into reloading with your firearms. Mind you the opposite is also true, you can spend as much as you want creating bespoke rounds if you so choose.

I reload 12G and cast my own #4 buckshot - 25 calibre round balls weighing 20gn each. 18 will fit in a standard #7.5 shot 1oz Winchester target cup, just pick the crimp open and pour out the #7's, throw the #4 buck in and close back up. This works out doubly well for me as I then reload my 410's with the target shot from the 12G. Happy days.

- boingk

[bladeracer]

I would dare say 185 is a typographical error. It would be more like 785 not 185.

Nope, that's the price for the Gameking bullet, not ammo. I was discussing why he should look at loading his own ammo.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

Yeah righto blaseracer. That makes more sense. I was gonna say that is to cheap to be true for factory.

I need to reload one day. 45/70 and 338 lapua bend me over every time I buy a few boxes.

[bladeracer]

Yeah righto blaseracer. That makes more sense. I was gonna say that is to cheap to be true for factory.

I need to reload one day. 45/70 and 338 lapua bend me over every time I buy a few boxes.

I don't buy factory centrefire, but I ordered some at a NSW shop for a mate a couple weeks back, damn it's expensive, and that was just .223 and 12ga. ammo. I just don't get how anybody goes to a range and burns 100rds of 6.5 Creedmoor, or most anything else.

[boingk]

I need to reload one day. 45/70 and 338 lapua bend me over every time I buy a few boxes.

Ouch, that's reloading territory right there mate!

45-70 pills work out about 35c each from Blackwidow and give good results for coated hardcast. Throw your primer and powder into the equation and you're looking under $1 for a factory power round, or under 60c if you're talking a Trailboss load.

Huge recommendation for the Lee 90304 turret kit. Everything you need and very easy to use. Might be $500 plus dies and consumables but you make that money back quick loading 45-70.

- boingk

[jovialjosie2002]

Shootersdelight have OSA 00 buck for $195/slab. It is made in Turkey (I think) by amusa. It was ok in my adler....however it's nothing like federal which I got for 90c ea at q-store..(sorry they're sold out I bought the last 13 boxes.)The Remington stuff (about $1 a shell....sold everywhere) is about as good as the OSA (AMUSA) ....HOWEVER....KEEP IN MIND THAT THE REMINGTON BUCKSHOT IN AUSTRALIA IS MADE BY B&P IN ITALY. It's not the same as the USA gear. Many people have problems with the remington (b&p made in italy) euro trash.

[jovialjosie2002]

A bloke at my range is loading 1 oz slugs for 22c each. He gets hulls (from the range) and lead ( wheel weights from tyre shops) for free. He had to buy the smelting gear, a Lee shotgun loading kit and the Lee 1 oz mold.
Best of all he only uses a light charge of powder and they are low recoil. I seriously considered doing this my self....however I am avoiding Pb exposure. I don't mind handling the stuff cold....but fumes of lead scare the $#%^ out of me.

[boingk]

A bloke at my range is loading 1 oz slugs for 22c each. He gets hulls (from the range) and lead ( wheel weights from tyre shops) for free. He had to buy the smelting gear, a Lee shotgun loading kit and the Lee 1 oz mold.
Best of all he only uses a light charge of powder and they are low recoil. I seriously considered doing this my self....however I am avoiding Pb exposure. I don't mind handling the stuff cold....but fumes of lead scare the $#%^ out of me.

Hey mate, you don't get lead anywhere near hot enough to have fume exposure in that way.

I do mine outdoors in much the same manner - wheel weights and range hulls, or often use a portion of a 250 round slab and just unpick the crimp.

$30 on ebay will get you a 1000W coil-element hotplate (the solid top type trip their overheat sensor) and $12 from kmart will get you a cast iron pan. While you're there, grab a $5 stainless serving spoon and use that for pouring and skimming off the dross.

Moulds cost $55 upward depending on the type. My Lee 1oz slug mould works a treat.







- boingk

[bladeracer]

A bloke at my range is loading 1 oz slugs for 22c each. He gets hulls (from the range) and lead ( wheel weights from tyre shops) for free. He had to buy the smelting gear, a Lee shotgun loading kit and the Lee 1 oz mold.
Best of all he only uses a light charge of powder and they are low recoil. I seriously considered doing this my self....however I am avoiding Pb exposure. I don't mind handling the stuff cold....but fumes of lead scare the $#%^ out of me.

No need to worry about lead exposure unless you have young children around. We don't heat lead up hot enough to gas off anything, but you don't want children to have _any_ contact with lead at all including fishing sinkers. We're only melting it, not smelting it.

Where I live they're wanting to build a battery recycling centre, a generally good thing. But a local group of morons has been pushing the idea that they'll be smelting lead - won't somebody think of the children type garbage. Smelting any metal from ore is a massive task, far beyond what we do with lead.

[bladeracer]

$30 on ebay will get you a 1000W coil-element hotplate (the solid top type trip their overheat sensor) and $12 from kmart will get you a cast iron pan.

Do you have a link to the type of hotplate you're using?
I've been using gas, but as we're off-grid and electricity is free I'd prefer to go electric.

[boingk]

Do you have a link to the type of hotplate you're using?
I've been using gas, but as we're off-grid and electricity is free I'd prefer to go electric.

Here you go mate:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/18451707048 ... SwBjBfn1~3

I cast wheel weights into an old muffin tray. The lead ingots end up weighing around 730g each. I use the electric setup for the same reason - solar energy covers my bill.

Melting the ingots I place two or three in a cast iron pot and leave the hotplate on high to melt them for a half hour or so. Works a treat. If I'm in a rush I melt the ingots with a gas torch and let the hotplate keep the lot liquid.

- boingk

[bladeracer]

Thanks boingk
That is ridiculously cheap! I would never have thought that could produce enough heat to melt lead.

Do you have a link to the type of hotplate you're using?
I've been using gas, but as we're off-grid and electricity is free I'd prefer to go electric.

Here you go mate:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/18451707048 ... SwBjBfn1~3

I cast wheel weights into an old muffin tray. The lead ingots end up weighing around 730g each. I use the electric setup for the same reason - solar energy covers my bill.

Melting the ingots I place two or three in a cast iron pot and leave the hotplate on high to melt them for a half hour or so. Works a treat. If I'm in a rush I melt the ingots with a gas torch and let the hotplate keep the lot liquid.

- boingk

[boingk]

No worries mate! This thing has been working fine so far for me - 40lb of wheel weights into ingots and hundreds of projectiles of all sorts over the last few months.

Sent you a PM.

- boingk

[Oldbloke]

No need to worry about lead exposure unless you have young children around. We don't heat lead up hot enough to gas off anything, but you don't want children to have _any_ contact with lead at all including fishing sinkers. We're only melting it, not smelting it.

Where I live they're wanting to build a battery recycling centre, a generally good thing. But a local group of morons has been pushing the idea that they'll be smelting lead - won't somebody think of the children type garbage. Smelting any metal from ore is a massive task, far beyond what we do with lead.

Almost correct.
Just melting lead will give off enough vapours to be an issue.
But as mentioned if done outside or in a well ventilated area you will be fine. In addition shooters are not doing it daily, perhaps a few hours every few months so exposure is low.

Children are at particular risk to permanent intellectual damage because the brain is still growing. So keep them well away as you mentioned

If you do a lot of casting, say every few weeks a yearly blood test might be worth considering. Your Dr can arrange.

Shooting indoor ranges can be an issue. But I think most have extraction systems these days.

[Patriot]

https://shootersdelight.com.au/product/ ... 50-rounds/

I got some of this

[CAVEMAN]

https://shootersdelight.com.au/product/osa-12g-32gr-00sg-buckshot-2-3-4-inch-1315fps-250-rounds/

I got some of this

Did you notice it had savage recoil? I normally use Winchester super X and that OSA stuff recoiled like a bastard when I tried it.

[No1Mk3]

If you have lead concerns from casting bullets, drink milk. When I worked in a foundry casting lots of lead we were given a pint a day, but in reality common sense mitigation using good ventilation and fans, plus good hygeine, will prevent exposure to any serious degree caused by casual casting, Cheers.

[Patriot]

https://shootersdelight.com.au/product/osa-12g-32gr-00sg-buckshot-2-3-4-inch-1315fps-250-rounds/

I got some of this

Did you notice it had savage recoil? I normally use Winchester super X and that OSA stuff recoiled like a bastard when I tried it.

Nah didn’t bother me

[jovialjosie2002]

https://shootersdelight.com.au/product/osa-12g-32gr-00sg-buckshot-2-3-4-inch-1315fps-250-rounds/

I got some of this

I find the recoil on this OSA stuff to be less than the Remington (made by b&p)

[jovialjosie2002]

https://shootersdelight.com.au/product/osa-12g-32gr-00sg-buckshot-2-3-4-inch-1315fps-250-rounds/

I got some of this

Did you notice it had savage recoil? I normally use Winchester super X and that OSA stuff recoiled like a bastard when I tried it.

Winchester recoils less than the OSA and the OSA is less than the Remington (made by b&p)....