Rolling my Own

A rainy day proved to give me the incentive to load up some 16 gauge shells for my Damascus barreled girls. I keep the pressure in the 6500 or lower psi range. Early season woodcock will find me shooting 7/8 oz. loads from both barrels. Later in the season I'll load a 1 oz. load in the left barrel. This is how I cut down a Cheddite hull to approx. 2 1/2 inches.

A dowel rod slightly smaller than the inside of a 16 ga. hull with a hole drilled in it for an exacto blade that is carefully driven up through the hole. The flat headed screw on the end lets me cut hulls to different lengths.

I run the hull through the single stage Mec reloader until I reach the crimp station. Then it goes in the portable vice below the roll crimp tool.

I insert the round cardboard disc on top of the shot.............

and slowly pull the handle down on the slow running drill press.

This  is what I end up with a shell to match the old hammerguns that I love to carry.