Shotgun hulls

[BALLISTIC]

In this economy I have started saving shotgun hulls, even though I have no current intention of reloading them. Are they worth saving? Approximate value? How many times can plastic hulls be reloaded safely? They range from Federal low brass, to Winchester High brass. Mainly 2 3/4", but some 3" as well.

TIA

 

[CK_32]

My cousin just picked up a pres and everytime we hit the trap field he takes box fulls of shells and loads his own up. Work pretty well too.. Not sure of his savings but if he wasnt saving a good amount he wouldnt do it. He prefers some more than others but yes he does use win and federals high and low. But I think he prefers high, higher end stuff like fiocci and estate ect.

 

[Mad_Charlie]

All of the shotshell manuals I have read strongly recommend sticking to the loads as published, they say that minor changes such as wads or primers can have a drastic effect on pressures, and trying to read pressure signs on fired hulls is about useless. If you manage to collect enough of one or two types it might be worth it.

I do load shotshells...

 

[mxjunky78]

Win AA, Remington STS, Nitro and gun club hulls are the most commonly reloaded shells. They will last for up to 10 loads depending on what you're loading and your tolerances for shooting an ugly ragged hull. YMMV

 

[rgky1]

Not worth a lot but worth saving. Check out the price of these once fired hulls:
Once Fired Shotshell Hulls at Ballistic Products

 

[former naval person]

Ugly doesn't matter. They go bang, and at my level of skill work as well as factory. For what it is worth, Google the NRA loads using "Little powder, much lead, shoots far, kills dead"...Old writing, but using Unique and 1 1/2 oz of lead does what it says. Doesn't hurt either! Best I ever did was with that load was...23 dead out of 25 rounds on the dove field. Long time passing.

 

[ToddKS]

I am assuming these are 12 gauge hulls. As far as value Remington STS hulls and Winchester AA hulls are the only ones that have any real resale value with the Remington's being better since Winchester changed their hull design some years ago. There are some out there that might pay for Federal Gold Medal, but far fewer than would pay for the others.

If you are saving these for reloading in the future then I would pick a brand and save those. Each hull has different dimensions and will likely require a setup change on your press to get the crimp right. That is a real pain. Shotgun shells are not like pistol brass where you can run mixed head stamp at the same time. It just doesn't work like that.

There are two basic types of shotgun shells, compression formed and straight wall. They use different style wads. The Remington and old Winchester AA are compression formed. The inside wall of the shell tapers from top to bottom. Almost all other shells are straight wall as straight wall hulls are less expensive to manufacture (that is why Winchester changed the AA from a compression formed hull to a straight wall hull). Much of the cheaper shotgun ammunition is loaded on straight wall hulls that come out of the same factory and is then branded for whichever company ordered it.

Loading 3" shells is another deal completely and would require significant adjustments to the press. I have never fooled with 3" for that reason. I can get everything I need out of a 2 3/4" shell by changing powder (I only load for dove and upland game).

Unless you are planning to reload in the future or are saving the premium hulls listed above, I personally would not invest the space in holding onto them. I would also note that reloading cheap hulls is a pain and can produce sub par results. The cheaper shells often do not have a consistent OAL which leads to crimping issues. They also have a tendency not to stay crimped if they sit for extended periods of time as the plastic is thinner and of lesser quality than the premium hulls. The metal used in the heads of the cheap shells is also now typically steel which causes issues if your press does not have a resizer for the head. They are also harder to get the primer to seat consistently and some brands of primers will not fit at all.

There was a time in my life when I shot around 20K reloaded shells a year so I have a lot of experience with shotgun reloading.