Favorite shotgun hulls

[DeplorabusUnum]

After looking into reloading shotgun shells (price, unavailable components, not knowing how well my wife will take to it) I've decided to just buy ammo for now. But I've been a little frustrated at the inability to find any shotgun shells available locally, especially light target loads. However, I want to buy shotgun ammo that has hulls that I can reload, should I ever choose to.

I recently bought some Gun Club target loads, as I've heard lots of people like those for reloading. I have a case and a half of Winchester Super Speed shells left over from hunting days, but I've read that those are horrible for reloading. I've seen some Winchester AA target loads for sale, but I don't know if those are the same AA hulls people like to re-load.

If you had to buy shotgun ammo knowing that you might want to reload it some day, what would you buy?

 

[cmj8591]

There's Winchester AA's and then there's everything else.

 

[twodog max]

My shotgun reloading friends tell me that these days the best hulls are the ones currently in Remington target ammo.
Used to be WW AA but I hear some time back they went to a 2 piece basewad that reloaders do not care for.
This is all hearsay as I quit shotshell reloading a long time ago. Free advice is worth what you pay for it.

 

[toad67]

AA HS in all gauges for me.

 

[Narragansett]

Well, having loaded a few hundred thousand trap loads, I have 2 favorites. Winchester AA and Federal Gold Medal. Both are versatile, but GM's are a bit more versatile and longer lasting IMO. Everything else IMO, you can landfill

 

[venomballistics]

Back in the day AA Winnie's and or Rem STS were what we ran.
The AA from the target loads remain the gold standard, though the STS hull was obviously trying to be direct competition, and did well enough.
Today, I'd likely run both if available.
Component combinations being what they are, you increase your chances of acquiring stuff for a viable load

 

[Nevada Ed]

You have two types of hulls.

USA and Euro's.

Hull dia. and primer hole sizes can be different.........
so you need to know what's, what, when you are saving hulls to reload
and what wads and size primers will work with the different type hulls.

Even the USA hulls can be tapered or a straight wall design, so a loading manual is a MUST
to get the loads correct.

You can have loads with a loose or tight fitting wad but only you will find out if they
will work well in your shotguns, on a pattern board or in the field.

Most loads will have a good crimp and pressures with their data.

Have fun and read a lot.

 

[mmaher94087]

Bring back the Federal paper!

 

[DWalt]

Paper cases were fine, but reloading life was short, maybe three times. I doubt any US paper cases are still made, but Federal continued to make paper cases after everyone else had gone plastic because some top-rank shooters preferred them. You will not go wrong with AA cases. Second choice is Remington. Fiocci plastic cases were the best, but I have no idea if they are still available.

 

[67tempest]

Winchester AA's.

 

[cmj8591]

Paper cases were fine, but reloading life was short, maybe three times. I doubt any US paper cases are still made, but Federal continued to make paper cases after everyone else had gone plastic because some top-rank shooters preferred them. You will not go wrong with AA cases. Second choice is Remington. Fiocci plastic cases were the best, but I have no idea if they are still available.

Federal still makes paper target shot shells. I used to shoot them once in a while back in my trap days. I even loaded them occasionally. They really didn't last any where near as long as plastic. They were popular to use at shoots where you weren't allowed to pick up your empties or you were required to shoot factory loads. They were somewhat cheaper than top end plastic and were good when you didn't want to leave once fired AA's on the ground.

 

[H Richard]

I like Remington STS hulls. Either green or gold. They seem to load nice, and last through quite a few loading's. I got a couple of 5 gallon buckets of them from a charity shoot I was participating in and all the STS loads were donated by a local distributor. That was a few years ago, and I'm still using them. Win AA Trap loads hulls are the 2nd best but don't hold up as well as the STS.

 

[Green Frog]

I load very few shotgun shells, and only in 20 ga and 410 bore at this time. That said, I try to buy AA ammo when it is available at a reasonable price and keep just those cases so I can have the MEC 600 Jrs set up for those specific cases when I wish to reload. I have an old press and several hundred AAs for 12 ga, but haven’t loaded any of them lately because I just don’t shoot that many 12s. This is my strategy, all AAs for simplicity. It works for me, but YMMV.

Froggie

 

[tops]

Remington STS and Gun Club are one piece hulls. Winchester AA are now two piece hulls.
When Winchester went to the two piece hulls I went with Remington Gun Club green or black and STS green or gold. I don't know how many times they will reload but it's a bunch.
Two piece hulls have been known for the base wad to come loose and stick in the barrel. If reloading two piece hulls you should looked down the barrel after every shot. Some shooters blow down the barrel to see if smoke comes out the muzzle.
Make a couple of vertical cuts in a shell from the mouth to the brass and remove a strip and you can see the difference between one piece and two piece hulls. Larry

 

[Gamecock]

♥ AA for 12ga.

I also like Remington STS in 28ga.

 

[dave1918a2]

Been reloading shotshells for 50 years. Winchester AA and Remington green are all I use.

 

[gmarshall99]

I standardized on Remington gun club in 12 ga. Green ones with 8 point closure. I don't like the Rem target black with 6 point closure.

I have reloaded some 5 or 6 times already. Used for trap and skeet only, not hunting.

 

[glowe]

I used to like AA compression hulls, but since they went to straight hulls they do not last as long and do not load as well as Remington STS. I like STS because you can get both gold and green hulls so I can load 7 1/2s in gold and 8s in green.

Winchester AA reloading has been something I am never sure is for the new or old AA hulls. Back a few years ago, most powder companies had two differents loads, but now I assume they only show straight hull AA. I am also kind of a clean look person and AA quickly turns dirty and black on the top while STS hulls stay clean looking much longer. Probably that glossy surface does not hold the soot.

Today, I find that both Winchester and Federal make some really cheap hulls for their commercial target ammo. Not worth saving, but Remington Top Gun hulls reload very well and last as long as STS.

 

[ruger 22]

I agree 100% with tops' post above. I would always insist on a one-piece shell and the Remingtons are very hard to beat. You should be able to get 6-8 good loads out of each shell.

 

[D Brown]

Remington STS exclusively. 12 GA, 28 GA, and .410 Bore.