Thread: Is "case sizing" a requirement when reloading 12 gauge hulls ?

You shouldn't be reloading anything other than one-piece plastic cases if you value your shotgun. All of the cheaper cartridges use multi-component cases (base wad, case tube, and brass-plated steel base). Reloading requires the resizing of the metal base to ensure correct chambering. This causes a loss of pressure that holds the case together, frequently resulting in the base wad coming loose and lodging in the bore after firing. Subsequent shots cause barrel bulges which can be viewed as rings in the bore after cleaning (Cleaning? What's that?). These bulges are often fairly minor in some heavy-barreled guns, and much more major in lighter barreled guns, but bulges nonetheless. I have seen many guns with multiple bulges from reloading cheap cases. Every bulge stretches and weakens the barrel, ruining the gun and making it worthless.