Shells? Bring Money

beach004 said:
I'm in North Carolina, and need 12 gauge lead pheasant loads. Anybody know of a good place to look? Failing that, if I can find powder and shot, I'll reload my own--but they may be a problem too! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh: I was left 200 of these wads by a dear friend; all he wrote on the bag is " 1 1/4" I'm sure meaning ounces. I think it's a Remington SP12, but not sure. Can anyone ID them? Thanks again!
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I'm about 99% certain that you are correct and those wads are Remington SP12's.
 
Thank you! That's good enough for me to try a couple, providing I can buy the other components. These days...
 
OK, so I measured the wad. First of all, is definitely is a 12 gauge wad, not a 16. Its dimensions by my calipers are:
Overall length 1.227 inches
Cup depth 0.900 inches
My deceased friend, Dick Wolff, mislabeled the bag: an ounce of shot fills the cup completely.

That said, I don't have a reloader currently set up for 1.25 oz loads; but when I put 18 grains of Red Dot in a Remington Gun Club hull, then this wad and then 1.25 oz of # 8 shot, it gave me an excellent crimp, slightly concave. So, if I can find a pound of Unique powder, and a bag of #4 or #5 shot, I think I can make pheasant loads. These days, those are big "if"s, I'm afraid.
Thank you all for your expert response.
 
Dakotazeb said:
According to the Ballistics Products web site the overall length of the SP12 wad is 1.53 and the shotcup depth is .880. The shotcup is slit half length.
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Thanks! My wads are slit all the way, not half; so that rules out the SP12, combined with the different overall length. In any case, here in NC, I cannot locate either powder or shot, so I'm afraid this is going to be a lost cause, anyway. Between Covid and panic ammo buying, I think I'll have to improvise for pheasants in mid-November, unless something changes. Got some steel, but my guns are old, I don't like to shoot steel in them if I can avoid it.
 
I would expect there will be some shells come available over the next couple of months before your trip.
 
beach004 said:
Thanks! My wads are slit all the way, not half; so that rules out the SP12, combined with the different overall length. In any case, here in NC, I cannot locate either powder or shot, so I'm afraid this is going to be a lost cause, anyway. Between Covid and panic ammo buying, I think I'll have to improvise for pheasants in mid-November, unless something changes. Got some steel, but my guns are old, I don't like to shoot steel in them if I can avoid it.
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Matt D said:
I would expect there will be some shells come available over the next couple of months before your trip.
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I think that's what I'm going to have to rely on; I've found some #4 shot; but not a trace of any Herco or Unique powder. That would limit me to ! 1/8 oz of shot--hardly a pheasant load. I HATE a wounded bird! Some days we are forced to hunt without a dog. From bitter experience, if a bird shot down even raises his head, I shoot again--anything not to see one struggle away. Let's hope the ammo market eases.
 
Get used to it... Your best bet is to find reasonably priced shells at a pawn shop or small gun shops that are taking them as part of a deal. My local gun shop re sells ammo. Went in there last week to find 20 boxes of 16 gauge 1 1/4 loads for $16 per box. Between those and my endless supply of 1 1/8 loads I’m set for a while.
 
My LGS has been charging $30/ box for shot shells even before the shortage. I ended buying from the big box stores.
I purchased 3 boxes of 28ga federal high brass @ $14./box for a friend a week ago. Yesterday I saw several boxes of 20ga #4 & 5 for $18/box. I'm well stocked so I left them for the next guy.
 
Think shells are expensive and rare now? Just wait til Dr. Rochelle Walensky the Director of CDC ties into "gun violence" as a public health emergency, it's coming. Good job, democrats. Blame covid and lack of components but this is as much or more a manufactured crisis by leftists.

Should I report myself to webguy or will one of you guys do it for me? Thanks in advance.
 
ddsd said:
https://ammoyard.com/shotgun-ammo/f...s-lead-12ga-3-1350fps-1-5-8oz-6-25rd-per-box/. I know it's pricey, but if you need it, you need it. They also have it in #4. I bought a box about 5 years ago at Cabela's that I use as an anchor shot on late season birds and still have enough left for a few more seasons. We do have a short season and bag limit here. PSA- I've never ordered from them nor am I affiliated with them.
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I have 5 boxes of really heavy, old, lead loads.I may have to use them!!
 
I can't get over the flat thing. I have never heard of shells sold in a flat. There is not a sporting goods store around that refers to them that way around here. Always a case. I need to get out more.
 
Beach, be ever so careful shooting a downed bird. 2 years ago my buddy (just getting started in bird hunting) winged one and it is running down a corn row, he trys to shoot it again. While he is doing this his dog got under the fence and after the rooster. When he shot I was pretty sure his dog was a goner...luckily, he missed both, not quite sure how. The bird was recovered, without shooting it on the ground. It is good to have an understanding of no shots to the ground. On the reloads, not sure what primers or hulls you have, but maybe use Hodgdon web set to find a recipe, shot shells are to little trickier than your rifle/handgun component mix. Find a bucket of matching hulls and then see what component will work. I don't think that wad is a Rem SP or RP, all I have seen are white or translusent, the base is made similar. Don't over look Longshot powder for a good pheasant load. Good luck with the component scavenger hunt...and the bird hunt.
 
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