Need help Reloading 12 Gauge for coyote

SJ72

SJ72

New member
I have been hunting coyote with a shotgun. Been using Dead coyote shells in 3 1/2" with a carlson dead coyote choke. I like the results but these shells are expensive. I have been thinking to buy a mec steelmaster reloader so I can load my own shells with #4 buck. (I was going to buy the 600 jr but have changed my mind to the steelmaster because it will load 3 1/2's) My question is, what powder bar will I need and what powder will work best? Will I be able to Load a shell that will perform as well as the Dead Coyote? Will loading my own be cost effective by the time i buy all the equipment, or would I be better off to just buy cheaper shells in #4 buck? What other advice do you have for me? I have done alot of reloading for my rifles but have not ever reloaded for shotgun, so any hints to get me started would be apreciated.
 
The quick and dirty answer to the questions of whether you will be able to load shells which will perform as well as Dead Coyote and cost effective by the time you buy all the equipment is: Probably not.

The performance advantage of Dead Coyote is in it's tungsten powder pellet. Unless you use a similar or heavier tungsten pellet, you probably won't get shells which will perform as well. They will be a bit cheaper to load, but you will have to shoot a bunch before your savings add up to much.

Cost effective? How many shells do you shoot a year in which you can recover the cost of the loader?

I wouldn't buy cheap 4buck shells, buy the best you can obtain which pattern the best out of your gun. That means plated, buffered high antimony hard shot. Cheap buckshot loads usually translate into mediocre to poor patterning loads.
 
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My question is, what powder bar will I need and what powder will work best?


I would look to use Blue Dot, it will be hard too find data for 3 1/2" shells using #4buckshot



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Will I be able to Load a shell that will perform as
well as the Dead Coyote?

probalbly

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Will loading my own be cost effective by the time i buy all the equipment, or would I be better off to just buy cheaper shells in #4 buck?



Not if you only ever plan on reloading 12ga 3 1/2" shells if you shoot and reload 410 or 28 ga that is were the real savings are

Right now cheap 12 and 20ga 2 3/4 shells sell for 4.25-4.50 a box if you have too buy all components (shot,primer,powder,hull) look to spend about $4 a box for 12 and 20 ga shells

I have been reclaiming shot so I can save about $2.50 a box because I don't have to buy the shot (right now)

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What other advice do you have for me?


save your hulls all of them, you can reload just about any hull "once" some will be better than others the federals have paper base wads that will come lose after a reload or 2 and could get stuck in the barrel!!! and you would never know less you looked down the barrel after every shot

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would I be better off to just buy cheaper shells in #4 buck?


I have use 2 3/4" federal shells loaded with #4buck and they kill good sometimes you can find them cheap on the internet but ussually only bulk packed and the cheap I have found these days is still $1 a shell
 
I have been reloading my predator loads for a long time now and it is really fun to experiment with different loads and shot sizes. I shoot a mossberg 835 have tried everything imaginable in it as far as shell length, shot and buck shot sizes, powders, primers,wads, hulls, you get the drift. I have spent a small fortune over the years at Ballistic Products trying to find the perfect loads for both coyote and fox. It used to be fairly reasonable to reload but components now are ridiculously high and setting up to do what I have done would now be crazy money. I have also tried all and I mean all the available factory offerings in all configurations. After a few years of experimenting I have come to the following conclusions: First of all, and probably the most important is that it is difficult and in many cases fruitless to try and replicate or improve upon the available factory offerings. An exception to this is the "Dead Coyote" loads you mentioned. I have found them to be adequate but not enough to be worth 3 or 4 bucks a shell it is not hard to "outdo" these loads in my opinion. Secondly, after all my "fun" reloading I have found myself using factoy loads at least 90% of the time now. The loads I highly recommend as they work great in my gun are the following:
1. For coyote..........winchester 3.5 inch magnum buckshot loads in #4 buck and #00 buck. The 4 buck loads carry 54 pellets and pattern way better in my gun than Dead Coyote ever thought of and at $10 a box of five are reasonable. Next is the same shell..Winchester 3.5 inch with 18 pellets of #00 buck. Also a great heavy load for coyote. Both these loads are great long range loads and are all I would need in any situation for coyotes. Dogs that get within shotgun range don't get away! By range I mean 60 yards or closer.
2. Another factory load that is great for fox and also coyote at a little closer distance is the Federal Premium 3 inch loads with 2oz copperplated # BB's. These loads hit hard and will roll em up in short order!

Don't get me wrong, I am able to handload some excellent rounds for my gun and I'm sure anyone who went to the same effort I did would undoubtedly find some sweet loads for their particular shotgun, but my guess is that there is an equally effective factory load out there that would save you alot of time and money. FWIW
 
Ballistic Products Inc. has some great stuff for reloading coyote loads. They have lead buckshot in many different sizes that you can't buy in factory loads. I have killed a bunch of coyotes with their BBB and T lead buck shot loaded in 2-3/4" Federal Gold Medal hulls with 1-1/2 oz of shot. I like the BBB and T shot over number 4 buckshot because you get quite a few more pellets per shell. The BBB and T pellets do a great job on the 20lb to 28lb coyotes that I hunt. I never saved much money loading my own coyote loads but I always had fun loading them.
 
Go with the adjustable charge bar availible for the mecs. Its a wise investment. I use Alliant Steel powder for my loads.

As far as reloading for predators- there is a ton of info availible from Ballistic Products, and the products to assemble these loads.

As far as shot goes-try this place. http://www.tungsten-spheres.com/tungsten_shot.html

BTW you can go with single and double b and still get wonderful results. If you have to have the larger shot, they offer it, but its not listed as shot. You get about 23 1.5 ounce loads from a pound of shot. With my tinkering this seems to be a great balance of enough shot to do the job, while still having extremely high velocities.

It is entirely possible to
 
Yeppers, it is a lot of fun loading your own buckshot. I load the lighter pay loads of 1-1/2-1 5/8 oz that are very fast@ 1300-1350 fps...kills way out there.

The heavier pay loads get real slow, and at longer yardages, you have to know how to "aim" your shotgun.

It sure is fun trying all the different sizes of pellets.
 
I've used numerous sizes of shot on Yotes (both Lead and Steel)and my favorite is a load of steel BB to 50yds, and BBB or T's out to 60 yds. The steel cuts right thru the hair and there are enough pellets for a decent pattern.

Jerry
 
Thanks for the info guy's. You gave me a few idea's. Now I just have to play around with some stuff till I find what works best for me and my gun.
 
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