I've 4 of them.
Old US ww2 military issue 00 buck.Made by Winchester.2 Fired,2 unfired. Got a 0.67mm crimp on a cardboard cover with felt wad.Haven't a scales to give you weight or powder charge.

Normal cartridges are reloadable. The brass cartridges are too but you will have to buy an antique crimper and they will only be good for a number of shots before the case wall will become too thin. They are expensive. You would be better off reloading plastic cartridges if you are somewhere its legal to do.

Need probably a resizer as well, as they are out of shape and have a flat ding from ejection from a semi-auto.

Feisar wrote: »

Didn’t HK have all brass shells for the CAWS, s full auto shotgun. Doubt they’ll be on the shelf anywhere though!

They wouldnt be safe to use as they operate at a higher pressure and have a different case geometry.

Brass is very expensive which is why you dont see it. Most cartridges you see are actually steel cases with a brass wash for corosion protection.

minktrapper wrote: »

If they could be reloadable many times they would pay for themselves. All the plastic cartridges do is hold a powder change and shot.

You can reload the plastic cartridges with out the need for large specialised dies which is why people just reolad them instead.
You can buy them, people load them for cowboy action shooting. But again they are expensive when you can just reload plastic shells.

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/MagTech-12ga-2-1_2-empty-brass-shotshells-for-reloading/productinfo/3921270/

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

The 1897 Winchester is a dirt eater,any ol ammo will work in it so long as they arent wet paper shells.Most people are using Norinco copies in that sport,as original1897s are pretty old and valuable now.

I know the Norinco lever actions were finiky, because the Chinese copied them exactly, and they don't work as well with modern longer shells. Never seen a norinco here, apart from an m14 i tried to get licenced for.

minktrapper wrote: »

I presume plastic cartridges can only be reloaded a few times.

Yes but probably more than the brass. The initial cost would be substantial though you would need a reloading press, 209 primers, shot cups, shot, some from of flake powder etc and the knoledge to do it safely because a grain or two more of powder could end in catastrophe if youre not sure what youre doing. And its practically impossible in ireland unless you build a bunker to the same standard as someone handeling explosives. Even then being given permission to import powder would be difficult if not impossible and you would need a garda escort all the way from the border to wherever the powder was being stored. Its a farce.

juice1304 wrote: »

Yes but probably more than the brass. The initial cost would be substantial though you would need a reloading press, 209 primers, shot cups, shot, some from of flake powder etc and the knoledge to do it safely because a grain or two more of powder could end in catastrophe if youre not sure what youre doing. And its practically impossible in ireland unless you build a bunker to the same standard as someone handeling explosives. Even then being given permission to import powder would be difficult if not impossible and you would need a garda escort all the way from the border to wherever the powder was being stored. Its a farce.

^THIS^
And get your local county council to sign off on planning permission and allowing the project to go ahead in your county.In a location away from near enough all habitation,roads,canals,footpaths,etc.Along with about 3,500 euros worth of monitored fire alarm.By the time you are finished ,you might as well start selling ammo on an industrial commercial scale to pay for this .
Methinks this is the reason we have such ridicilous law here in Ireland regarding individuals relaoding ammo because of this historical event?

https://www.historyireland.com/20th-century-contemporary-history/arklows-explosive-history-kynoch-1895-1918/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01zsz29

Even if it was Pyrodex...
Yeah, and before the purists descend en masse to tell me it isn't the same....Black powder is one of the more cantankerous, bitchy, fickle primary explosives out there next to nitroglycerine and Acetone peroxide.
Hence it is more under explosive legislation than anything else. Even the Continentals have a job getting licenses to store more than 2kgs of it at home. Yet nitro powder is up around 8kg in secure storage.