by crbutler on Mon Dec 28, 2020 6:16 pm
I’ve been reloading shotgun since I was 13, back in the early 80’s. I now load 10 (2 7/8 and 3.5), 12 (3.5, 3, and 2.75) 16, 20, 28,and .410 (but only 2.5” there- I refuse to use that on anything but clays)... I started out because dad had the equipment and I could shoot 6 or 7 times as much reloading as I could buying new shells (I don’t recall seeing the budget target loads back then). Now, I get what I want to shoot and my equipment has been long amortized. The hunting loads still save substantial money for lead and other than steel nontox shells. Target shells in 12 and 20 for someone who is not concerned about anything more than recreational target shooting are not a financial winner, especially when you add time into the equation.
The best hull was the old AA compression formed one, and even with those the numbers of reloads was limited - I got 10 out of them, but usually lost half by the time I got to the 5th loading, using factory identical loading.
Now, for hull life, I’d say the AA HS hulls are the longest lived, but the most consistent (best) is the Remington STS. Gun clubs are the same, dimensionally, but they use plated steel case heads, and I get some rust pretty easily on them.
The federal gold medal are also great, but the new “Grand” has a steel plated head also. Federal’s are not as tapered a hull internally as the Gun Club/STS or AA’s. They can be used for better hunting loads; but that’s a pretty limited usage. All that really means is that the wads are not necessarily interchangeable.
I get pretty much the same case life out of everything now, except the federal paper hulls(which if they make 3 firings, you are doing well). Most last 5 times, a few make it to 8 or so, but I’m also much pickier about throwing out hulls that don’t look that good.
I reload the cheap estate, rio, and Winchester hulls also. They last pretty much the same, but have a higher cull rate for the first few firings. Honestly, the main reason I started reloading them was to fire and forget the hulls at certain venues.
The only real exception is reloading 3.5” hulls for hunting... they usually last 3-4 firings as 3.5, then 3-4 firings as 3”, then 10 or so as 2.75” trap shells. It’s kind of fun when someone picks up a empty at a trap shoot and sees the 3 1/2 inch magnum written on it, and doesn’t note it’s only 2.75” long...
One thing that really can make a difference for hull longevity is what you put in them. Using blue dot, steel, or longshot about halves the hull’s lifespan... using clays or red dot in a low intensity loading will get you more, but my point is performance with the reloads, so I opt for less case life (meaning I shoot factory spec loads- 3 dram equivalent trap loads, 1350 FPS 1 Oz or international loads, not 2 3/4 DE target loads). A little dumpster dipping at the range will get you all the once fired hulls you need... but you might get Rios or estates instead of AA’s or STS hulls. Once you get a good load for the hull, it’s a matter of switching out the powder bushing, using the right primer, and getting the right wad column for the hull you are loading. I’d recommend that you either get a separate set up for long hulls vs standard ones unless you like messing with crimp settings, though. For target shells, once you get the crimp right (and stack height right) all the hulls will run through the same.
