Shotshell Reloading – Hull Questions

[ExtremeX]

[kg6mti]

There are a lot of opinions out there when it comes to reloading of any type, so this is just one point of view and its free.

The reality of shotshell reloading is that you can reload any shotshell no matter what base it has or what type of plastic the hull is made of. What you will find is that different hulls will begin to break down faster over time and the top will begin to crack and break from being crimped over and over. In addition if you are not resizing the bases you might find that different types of shells fit differently in your shotgun depending on the material and type of base used on the shell.

When I was younger and we could not afford a lot of shotshells for bird hunting we would reload what ever we had and we would keep our eyes out for better quality hulls that other people had left behind.

I would also like to add the Lee shotshell reloader will work perfectly well. However. I would really suggest that you take the time to investigate getting a Mec loader of some type. They cost a little more but if you are serious about reloading shotshells the investment will be money well spent.

[rsrocket1]

The short answer is yes, just about any hull can be reloaded and used sucessfully. The real problem with the Winchester (Super X, Universal, USA) hulls is that the plastic is very thin and unless your column height (powder, wad, shot) is perfect, the shell may come out less than ideal. By that I mean with a dished-in crimp or more likely a collapsed wall or bulging top that spills shot within a few days of making them.
The Federal Top gun hulls are a little better at holding a crimp, but have a paper base that if exposed to water (wet grass) can fall out during shooting and lodge in the barrel even though you feel a full power shot. Next shot: bulged barrel.

I do reload both hulls but only for when I go shooting in a place where I might not be able to pick up my hulls. The Federals are a little better for heavy (buckshot/slug) loads because they have more volume than Remington or Winchester Hulls.

If all you are going to do is load a few boxes of shells a season, the Lee is OK. Try to find a used MEC600 instead, far fewer headaches and a much more sturdy single stage press.

[JagerDog]

The Fed hulls, though not great work OK. Having a bit more internal capacity they do lend themselves to bigger hunting loads. Hulls are too cheap to have to deal with Winchester promo hulls. The best cheap/scrounge hulls are the Rem Gun Club.

I'd advise against the Lee Load All. I'd give you my old one for free, but I don't wanna pack it up to ship it. For a bit more $'s, you can get a Mec 600 Jr. A friend even has a Mec Sizemaster and 2000 1X AA hulls he'll sell for $200.

[PoorRichRichard]

Extreme, where do you live? You can almost always pick up better quality hulls at local So Cal trap ranges. If you live in the IE area, Redlands Shooting Park generally had tons the green Reminton Gun Club hulls you can pick up off the ground for free- they are much better quality hulls than the feds for reloading, and load data is plentiful.

Also- don't waist your money on a Lee LoadAll! The floor plate is made thin plastic, and they generally won't last past 2000 reloads. My hunting buddy bought one less than a year ago and it's already busted. Look aroud at local shops for a used Mec, preferably one that will resize your shells. Wirz wholesale in Highland and Phillip's Wholsale in San Dimas are great places to search.

[sargenv]

Short answer - You can reload just about any hull..

Long answer - In many cases, you may not find any data for the cases that you want to reload and once reloaded may last once or twice.. When reloading, you really want to use the quality cases like the STS's, Fiocchis, and other name brand hulls that have lots of available data.. The two basic types are tapered cases (STS, AA's) and straight wall hulls (Fiocchi, Kent/Cheddite, Federal, too many to name).

Whether they are straight walled or tapered insides, they will take different wads to load.. Consult some of the online loading manuals to see if it is worth it to reload what you find...

You will discover that sometimes loading the cheapie shells while possible is an enormous pain in the posterior and once you load the quality hulls (AA, STS) you may never go back to the PIA that cheapie hulls present..

[JagerDog]

With the current cost of shot, you won't save much if any on target loads. Gotta buy in volume to see any real savings.

[AAShooter]

With the current cost of shot, you won't save much if any on target loads. Gotta buy in volume to see any real savings.

Assuming you are shooting 12 or 20 gauge, you are probably right. This assumes you are happy with the loads in the target ammo that you can purchase cheaply.

[ExtremeX]

With the current cost of shot, you won't save much if any on target loads. Gotta buy in volume to see any real savings.

The reason I ask the question about the hulls is because I already have hundreds of these hulls from cleaning up after ourselves on desert trips. It would be a shame to just throw them out if I could still put them to good use… Plus I still have a good stash of Federal shells from Walmart I still have to use up.

I understand the volume aspect… I do reload right now, but I don’t for shotshell.

Even if there isn’t much savings, the convenience / ammo availability would be nice.

[Revoman]

As others have already stated, you can reload any hull, it's a matter of finding the right recipe.

Once you find the recipe, you have to stick with those exact components or risk a poor, or worse, dangerous load.

A friend loads the Federal hulls once and then tosses them because of the cardboard wadding at the base. They load well actually.

I believe that Federals are straight wall hulls.

Resizing is always a good idea as stated sometimes the specifications are a little different from shotgun to shotgun and they may not fit in yours. This is really true of the steel base hulls, they tend to stretch and not bounce back like the brass. Never sized a steel base though, but I'm reasonably sure that it can be done.

I too agree with the rest in getting a MEC, they are well built and will load tens of thousands of rounds without a hitch.

[CK_32]

Not sure about worthless. My cousins has loaded a good amount of them. How great they are not sure but they last at least 1 reload I know that for a fact.


If your picking them up free you cant complaint with that. Even if its only 1 reload.

[JagerDog]

The reason I ask the question about the hulls is because I already have hundreds of these hulls from cleaning up after ourselves on desert trips. It would be a shame to just throw them out if I could still put them to good use… Plus I still have a good stash of Federal shells from Walmart I still have to use up.

I understand the volume aspect… I do reload right now, but I don’t for shotshell.

Even if there isn’t much savings, the convenience / ammo availability would be nice.

The feds are "good enough" . I like different loads in different hulls to keep them visually ID'd. I'd trash the Wins, keep the Feds and talk your buds into buying fed valu packs instead of Wins in the future.

Then pick up some Gun clubs. You can buy new loads and shoot 'em, you can scrounge at the range or you can buy 'em 1X for about 5 cents or less.

Most shotgunners have several loads for different games or different game. Most of my target loads are in the more premium hulls (STS, AA, etc.)with full brass heads. Most my hunting loads are in the cheaper steel headed rounds (Fed, Gun Club, etc.) since I'm gonna lose more of 'em.

if you get into it, check with a couple of us shotgunners before buying components. Might peruse over at Shotgunworld too. Lot of reloading knowledge there.

I didn't mean to discourage re: savings. It' still a valuable hobby. I like knowing I can load up a couple flats of whatever I want in short order. Just don't expect much $avings for basic target loads.

[alfred1222]

With the current cost of shot, you won't save much if any on target loads. Gotta buy in volume to see any real savings.

See, i save money because everything that i spend money on is bought in bulk, but the main reason i reload, before anything, is because i can make my own tailor-made ammo.