16ga.com ~ View topic - New to reloading - best hulls - wads

Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 74

best hulls? will start buying shells to get them
mostly hunting loads - getting a 375 pw - looking for a slug barrel also
any one have a ported barrel - the gun i picked up has a ported barrel - any idea the result of it
Bill

porting generally has minimal effect unless heavy duty ; ie cutts . they do make for some interesting cleaning details though .

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Maine

Best hulls? Somewhat depends on the application. Winchester compression formed are nice, if you can find 'em; been out of production for 11-12 years. Federals load, and hold up well, but Remington game load hulls seem to work best in my Winchester model 12's

Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 74

so 1 vote for federals
is BPI info suspect? I have seen a few posts state the pressures are high .
Bill

Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 74

can you get 5 1/2'S for a rooster load ?
how about 7's ?

Joined: 03 Feb 2008 Posts: 830 Location: Adirondak Mtns

I like federal mysel. I have been told you need to watch the paper base wad as it can come loose and jam in the barell, but so far I have not had this happen. # 7's work well for me on pen raised birds.

I have also heard (but can't remember where) that the BPI data is suspect. I mostly use Solo 1250 for powder (no longer made but I have 16 lbs.) and data from the low pressure group.

Joe

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

The best hulls are Cheddite, Grafs, Precision Reloading and BPI have them. The Winchester polyformed hulls that are used in new Winchester ammo are clones of the Cheddite and use the same loading data.

Then Fiocchi, Federal and Remingtons in that order of good to just OK.

Forget Winchester Compression Formed hulls they are still around, but they haven't been made in 10+ years. The loading data that is out there for them is also 10 years behind the times.

I personally like the Federals but they don't last more than 3 or 4 reloads.

Wads, for 3/4 and 7/8 oz. loads the DownRange DR-16 is absolutely hands down the best.

For 1 oz. the Gualandi, B & P are nice wads and the Claybuster WAA16 clone is fine.

For 1 1/8 - 1 1/4 oz. The Remington SP16 wad works but you have to be cautious about powder migration with the finer grained powders in most of the available hulls.

Ported barrels, you either love them or hate them.

I like porting because it does help keep the shot pattern together, especially with heavier loads and slow burn rate powder because you vent off some of the powder gas. It definitely helps reduce felt recoil FOR me, but I think that for some folks it doesn't help the felt recoil at all. I don't buy the complaint that porting makes for a loud report. I wear ear plugs and I can't tell the difference between ported and unported barrels. I don't have any experience with porting in a slug barrel.

Joined: 16 Nov 2010 Posts: 34 Location: Alberta

Welcome, I just started loading shotgun as well and this is what I have learned so far. First, you will find some very helpful people on this site. I have loaded the federal gameload with paper basewad (purple) with no problem. You may be able to find these cheap at WalMart. The 1oz and 11/8 oz (high brass) are the same hull according to information I learned on this site. You can cut them in half to cornfirm this. The advantage of the federal, that I have found, is that there is a lot of data available so you can find the powder, primer, wad combination you want relatively easily. I just bought some cheddite hulls new from BPI. I was expecting difficulty, but they are crimping very nicely. I just take a little extra time at the precrimp station, which may help as they have never been crimped before. I have been using BPI SG-16 wads, Longshot and universal powder. Unique or Green dot may have some advantages over universal if you want to load lighter target type loads. Since you probably don't want to buy several different types of components have a look at the loads you like and see if you can find some that will use the same components. I have noticed 1500 psi changes in published pressures when the primer is changed eg Fed 209A to Win 209. Cheddite have a plastic base wad, Good Luck.

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

Joined: 13 Feb 2010 Posts: 280 Location: Utah

I still favor the Win CF hulls. I just passed on 4-5 boxes of new unfired stuff at OGCA show because I have a storage unit full. The new shells are still out there. You can't go too far wrong with existing (old) data calling for WSF, 540 (HS6) or 571 (HS7). I have also worked up some great loads with 20/28. Thing to remember is hull & wad work best with a dense powder and fairly hot primer. Genuine brass heads size easily and cases take a great 8 pt. crimp. Wads are plentiful. Time is running out, but it is not too late to commit to the best 16ga hull ever produced.

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

Paddler,

I don't know who makes B & P hulls for the 16 Gauge, but you may be right.

Big Creek,

I like those Winchesters also, but, the last time they were made was 1998 or 1999. They aren't readily available so I wouldn't tell a guy to go and setup for a hull that isn't made anymore. Besides while they were nice hulls they aren't that good. The Cheddites last longer than the Winchesters ever did, and ballistically the Cheddites, Federals and Fiocchis are superior.

I can't speak with any authority to Cheddite, except I thought Win Polys were cheddites and they seemed to be a pretty cheezy case with much in common with Federals. I have shot a lot of Federals, but that experience tells me that "ballistics" of Federals with paper base wad changes with each reload as paper basewad is burned off. Also, primer pockets (steel heads) begin to blow back gas after a couple of loads. OK if you like to watch the rings form around your firing pins on breach face. I shoot them all, but still think Win CF are best.

Joined: 09 Jul 2009 Posts: 510 Location: Central CT

To each his own.

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3181 Location: NCWa

I think the point was that the CFs are no longer made, and the only source for them now is to know someone with a stash or frequent the various places/websites where such is sold. Neither of these options would be as reliable as picking a hull that is currently mfg'd and is readily available in sporting goods stores/mail order. Since the loader is starting out from scratch, it would make more sense to me to pick one of the straight walled, plastic base hulls & getting wads that are of full diameter.