I know that there are other reasons to handload aside from costs.

What is your cost per shell for 3" 410&20Ga TSS with new components and 0% shot recycling?

Thank you

A 1&5/8 oz 20 gauge load is gonna run in the neighborhood of $5 for the components. If you have no reloading equipment at all, you can get what you need for roll crimping for less than $100. Whether it's worth doing or not depends on how much you hunt. If you get to go only a few times a year and expect to shoot only a few shells a year, then I would just buy commercial shells. There are good ones available now. Five years ago I wouldn't have said that. Good luck with deciding.

For me it’s become more of a hobby. The 410’s are different and each one is picky about which load it shoots best. For the 20’s, I’ve tinkered with a bunch of different recipes, guns, chokes, etc...
I’ve shot my 16’s too.

To answer your cost per shell question, the 410’s are cheaper because they are less than an ounce. The MOA 20 gauge load has over 2 oz of shot and a larger powder charge so it cost more per shot. Preachers assessment per 20 gauge round is accurate from my experience.

I think the biggest cost is the press. You can get an MEC 600 for about $220. I wish Lee made a load all in 410, it would be perfect. There are a few companies that make standard dies for 410, but they are pretty pricey. BPI is marking Spherotungsten at 18gm/cc. I think it's marginally cheaper than TSS. My rough estimates using all new components came out to about $5 a shell for a 15/16 oz. load of #9s.

You don't need a press to load TSS. A roll crimp bit and a hand drill will suffice. Or you can use one of the old antique roll crimpers like this -> Antique Roll Crimper. They do a real nice job.

Spherotungsten at 18gm/cc = TSS

X2 on skip the press......roll crimp

Yeah, for so few rounds probably not worth a press. But how are you seating primers? I could easily pop them out with a socket and punch.

And I realize that chemically, 18gm/cc is TSS, I just thought that TSS was a brand at one point and their shot was a little higher than BPIs offering.

I just buy new primed hulls

I think that almost everyone using roll crimping for turkey shells is buying primed hulls and not bothering to reload them. I have a lot of reloading equipment, but I want new hulls for my turkey loads. I will save the hulls and reload them as a field load, but not a turkey load.

I don't understand about the use of the TSS name by shell manufacturers. The name was invented by Kyle Smith somewhere around 2002 or so. He sold shot and finished shells, but eventually went out of business. I don't know if he sold the name or never legally registered it, but it has become synonymous with 18g/cc shot. I haven't tried the BPI shot, but it is usually higher than what Hawglips charges, so I will keep buying from him.

PCP, after looking at the price of primed cheddite hulls, there seems no reason to reload them. I thought they were MUCH higher than standard 12/16/20 but not really. Best part is primed shells have no hazmat charge. As far as roll crimping, I assume everyone is using the roll crimp in a drill press on order to keep things as consistent as possible?

Nope, not everyone. Some people do, but the turkeys I kill haven’t been able to tell the difference

I use a drill press with a stop on it, but I read of a lot of people who don't use a stop. It's the only way I can be consistent. It was also the cheapest set up, since I already had the drill press. The pictures I've seen of shells rolled with hand rollers look better than mine, but my shells seem to work ok.

I use a press and a fold crimp on my 12 gauge loads, and would rather do that with the 20 gauge. But it's hard to convince myself to buy a press to load 15 shells a year.

I just happened to know someone with an old Mec 600 20ga loader who may be willing to do a little horse trading with you. I can box it up and mail it to you if you pm me an address. I’m not planning on ever using it.

Thanks, that's very generous. Sent you a pm