Short shells (like aquila) diy?

I have done a lot of swapping Lee key slugs into Wally World birdshot and now am looking to branch out.

My Brother and I are setting up a loading bench and boolit casting area so we can start loading 12 gauge in bulk.

What i am wondering is how to load short shells like the 1 3/4 aquilas.

Mostly I want to load single round ball loads (.690?), though if I could work out a load for the Lee slug that would be alright too.

Our intended use is mostly for plinking, so maximum power and pinpoint accuracy are not crucial.

There is a load given here, http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-178253.html
How safe or what ever is a question for the poster and you.

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/ might be the go to folks for data.

Rather than deal with a mini shell casing, why not go with standard components and load data?

Update
The Hodgdon 2003 Annual Manual has some information about making and loading 2 1/2" and 2" shells.

I was figuring on cutting down existing shells.

To prep a Winchester Universal for a Lee Key Slug I trim off the crimp (I roll crimp in a drill press) so I have hundreds of shells that are already pretty short.

I can see value in the shorter shells over and above the possibility of stuffing more in the magazine.

For example, you could load slugs in a short shell and tell by sight/feel which shells are slugs. But this is entirely dependent on the ability of shorter shells to cycle reliably.

Load Type Gauge Shot Wt. Powder Primer Wad Powder Wt Pressure Vel. (ft/s)

Lead Shot 12 7/8 oz. Internat'l Win. 209 BP Compact Euro. 16 8,400 PSI 1180
Lead Shot 12 1 oz. Universal Win. 209 BP Ultra Short Euro. 18.5 9,200 PSI 1180

The above load data is from Hodgdon and is for 2" STS hulls

I do not see why it would not be possible to use the same data for loading slugs depending on wads needed.

Sure it can be done - just don't use loading data for standard length shells and then use shorter wads to compensate for lack of space. This is the equivalent of seating a boolit deeper, i.e. increasing pressure!

For light plinking loads I would use a fast burning powder, like Red Dot or even Bullseye, and then gradually work up a suitable load. Fifteen grains Red Dot should be a good starting point in a one ounce load.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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