Reloading recipes are based on the hull and the wad. There are 3 sizes of hulls. The 2 3/in.,3 in., and 3.5in.We will talk about the first 2.I’ve never been in a hunting situation where I felt the need for 3.5 in. shells. The 2 3/4in. hull comes in 2 versions; the tapered and straight-walled. Examples of tapered hulls are the Win. AA compression formed trap hull and the Rem. Peters Blue Magic. Since they are tapered at the top they generally can hold smaller loads, with the maximum being 1 oz. to 1 1/16 oz. The best example of a straight-walled 2 3/4 in. hull is the Federal Gold Medal. This hull will hold 1 1/16 oz. to 1 1/8 oz. loads. Don’t be misled into thinking these are light loads. Remember steel weighs less than lead. A 1 oz. load of steel is the same as the 1 3/8 oz. load of lead. And the 1 1/8 oz. load of steel is the same as a 1 1/2 oz magnum load of lead we all used to shoot.
When looking at hulls to reload, the outside of the hull means nothing. It’s what’s inside that counts. The height of the brass makes no difference. Generally, low brass are trap hulls and high brass are hunting hulls. But they make no difference when looking for recipes to put in those hulls.
When trying to figure out what you have, take a flashlight or hold under a fluorescent light to see inside. You may see a gray bottom fiber wad such as some Federal casings. Or you may see a small plastic wad. Federals are usually the same color, red, as the hull. Remingtons are usually yellow, and Winchesters can be yellow, white or red. You may not see any wad at all, such as the AA. All will have different recipes and are NOT interchangeable. 3 in. hulls are almost all straight-walled. They hold up to 1 3/8 oz. of steel shot and get good speeds. Remember…SPEED KILLS.
In my opinion, Remington makes the best 3 in. hull for reloading. It has strong plastic and crimps very well. Why is that important? Because good crimps are necessary for those fast speeds. Almost all Remington 3 in. hulls have a yellow basewad. This makes it very easy to collect and use. Because of their strong plastic, they can be reloaded more than 1 time. The Winchester 3 in. hull is a decent hull, but it has too many inside wad variations and colors, each requiring a different recipe. You do not want to intermix these as the pressure could increase dramatically. Lastly the Federal 3 in. casing is made of poor plastic. The ends fray easily. In fact, most cannot be reloaded even once. Again, this is important to get a good crimp and fast speeds.
There are some very good loads for 2 3/4 in. hulls. The most common are the Winchester AA, Federal Gold Medal, and Remington STS. The AA is tapered and looks like there is no basewad inside. Because it is tapered it is difficult to get high speeds and keep the pressure down. Therefore there are a limited number of good recipes. It can come in 2 colors, the red and the new gray version. Both take the same recipes. The only recipe I have found for this hull is a 1 oz. load at 1600-1650 fps. The Federal Gold Medal hull is an excellent 2 3/4 in. casing for reloading. It crimps well and is tough enough to reload several times. There are also numerous recipes for this hull. Good loads with 7/8 oz. to 1 1/8 oz. can be found for this hull.
Generally, using 2 3/4 in. hulls for reloading will cost less than 3 in. The wads are usually less expensive and they usually take less shot. The major reason to use 3 in. casings is because they have the capacity to hold more shot at those fast speeds [1500-1700fps.]For most duck hunting I use 2 3/4 in. FGM or Win. AA. For goose hunting I prefer the Rem. 3 in. casing.
There are many ways to get empties. Go to a trap range for those 2 3/4 in. If your buddies buy factory shells, ask them to buy the ones you would like to reload. Obviously if you have to buy them, the cost of your reloads will increase. Most empties of good quality can be reloaded at least 2-3 times. If you have to buy them, 2 3/4 in. cost from 4-8 cents and 3 in. 6-10 cents apiece. This can significantly add to the cost.
Next month, we will talk about what to put in those hulls.
