Differentiating shotshell types

Jonesyatpl

Jonesyatpl

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Hey all,

Trying my hand at reloading 12 and 20 gauge. Using the Hodgdon site to get some load data. On the drop down menus is a list of shotshell types. Having a little difficulty figuring out which shotshell types I have.

I got some high brass left behind at the range. Some are green Remington , some are red Winchester.

With the Winchester, is there a dead giveaway as to what constitutes a "AA" hull? Do the low brass aluminum Hulls qualify as the same? They both have plastic bases internally. I was originally told you can't reload low brass bulk-pack hulls, but many youtubers do it regularly it seems.

Conversely what is an Remington "STS" hull? Is it just the high brass ones in the bulk 00 buck packs?

I tried looking on YouTube for a video explaining the differences in various Remington Winchester hulls, but there is actually none available.

Any input welcome!

Jonesy
 
Back in the day there were some shells equivalent to AA's such as some of the 6 point crimp winchester high brass shells and a few of the cheaper winchester target loads but I don't think this is the case any more. Because of the sensitivity of shotgun loads to component changes I would stick with AA's for AA data and likewise for other hulls.
 
Well - The hull quality has nothing to do with the brass (high vs low). It has to do with the actual construction of the hull - a one piece (compression formed) hull has less chance of a hull separation from the base. Yes, some people do reload the cheaper hulls, but typically limit the hulls to one or two reloading cycles. Alternatively, the quality hulls can go for beyond 10 reloads....In the end there is not much economy to be realized by using the cheaper hulls.
Finally, you have to realize that in shotgun reloading, you cant easily "mix and match" like in metallic cartridge reloading. Wads are specifically matched to hulls, and primers are matched to powders to give very specific recipes. In some gauges, you cant even mix and match between the two types of AA hulls (old AA and new AA HS)...
Lose the idea of salvaging range hulls, and find a good supplier of hulls and wads - Lawries, Hummasons, etc. Its easiest to stick with one hull/wad combination for your intended purpose (eg 2 3/4 inch clays and upland vs 3 in steel). Finding all the pre-requisite components can be quite a feat these days - some due diligence is required.
 
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According to the Lyman 5th Edition Shotshell Reloading Handbook . . . "Loading data for the 12 gauge Winchester HS case will interchange with the 12 gauge Winchester compression formed case."

Additionally . . . "Loading data for the 12 gauge Winchester HS and the 12 gauge Winchester compression formed case(s) will interchange with the Winchester Polyformed plastic with plastic basewad." According to the information in the handbook, Polyformed cases have a ribbed, red case and low zinc plated steel head.
 
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Lyman has taken quite a bit of heat over their statements of 12 g Winchester hull compatibility. Switching from the old AA cases requires some finesse in adjusting the press to seat the wad get a proper crimp. When loading for 28 g, the Win AA hulls are not interchangeable, and require different wads.
 
Any WW hull with a silver plated base is just garbage. These are promo loads and once fired are not worth the energy to collect. WW compression formed and the latest HS are decent to load and there are hundreds of recipes on Alliant and Hogdon web sites. These have brass bases and a magnet will contest to that. Remington STS and Gunclubs are perhaps IMO the most reloadable hull today. STS are brass base, Gunclub are silver steel zinc plated and are comparable with STS data. Any other hulls out there, Cheddite, Noble Sport, Rio, and various other Euro hulls can be loaded with proper data and a bit of messing around.
 
Jonesyatpl said:
I'll try the lyman manual, thanks!

From what I understand, the AA hulls are not always marked 'AA' such as when used with buckshot...

Thanks all!
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If it is not marked AA it is not a AA . Winchester does not load any thing but target loads in AA hulls . You will not get winchester factory loaded buckshot in an AA hull . As above get yourself the lyman manual or the rcbs handbook of shotshell loading .
 
Hey All,

Good answers! I bought the "Reloading for Shotgunners" originally, by Rick Sapp. Useless book. Looking for the Lyman Manual once I get home!

Just to show what I am sorting through from same-day range brass the Queen's cowboys and others were too lazy to pick up....Looking to load buckshot in all of them.

IMG_9181_zpslgr3b28j.jpg


L to R this is what I can tell of them. Please fill in the blanks where you can.

1 - Used for steel shot, but can it be used for lead? I can't see why not. Since it is not an AA - type hull, what would you describe it as for hodgdon reloading recipes?

2 - Original Winchester 00 buck shell. Is this poly-formed versus compression formed 'HS' type?

3 - Original Remington 00 buck shotshell. It does not have "STS" on it, so is it a Premier shell?

4 - Winchester Ranger shell. Not sure how to describe it for re-use in recipes I have found. I want to make sure I use the right wad; I have WAA12s at home.

5 - Being blue, is this imperial shell the same type as Federal? Just a guess there. Is it re-usable at all?

6 - According to the consensus on here, not to be used at all for reloading....

7 - See number 5.



As you can see, they all seem to have the same plastic base wad. Any and all advice as to how to describe them is welcome.

IMG_9182_zpsrpngplof.jpg
 
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