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Old September 20, 2012, 10:31 PM   #1
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Shotshell Reloading - Winchester Super Target Hulls

I've searched the forums for previous questions like my own and have found one. I'm reloading 12ga shells and have not been able to find any information for Winchester Super Target hulls. All manuals for my powder (Alliant Clay Dot) only give data for Winchester AA hulls.

Is it recommended that people not reload with Winchester hulls unless they are the AA or Super Sport brand? I have Remington Gun Club hulls that seem to have the same construction (i.e. same feel, weight, and general appearance)...and they are compatible with my recipe.

FYI on the load:

- Winchester AA and some Remington Hulls (mostly gun club, a few STS and Nitro)
- Alliant Clay Dot, 17.4gr via MEC bushing 32
- Winchester 209 Primer
- Winchester WAA12SL Wads (or Claybuster Equivalent)
- 1oz 8.5 shot

I wanted some other opinions before I reload the two boxes of Super Target I have.
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Old September 21, 2012, 09:15 AM   #2
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Those hulls were not MADE for reloading. Do the new, unfired shells, have a small melted spot in the center of the crimp? If they do, don't reload.
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Old September 21, 2012, 04:47 PM   #3
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Remington Gun Club ...and Rem STS or Nitro hulls will all take the same recipe. Internally they are all the same - use the same components / but in general you will get way fewer reloads from the Gun Club hulls than you will from the STS or Nitro hulls ...because the plastic in the Gun Club hulls is thinner and more brittle.

You shouldn't mix hulls like Win and Rem ...there are length issues / they are a little different / and the quality of your crimps will suffer ...but internally the Win hulls and Rem hulls are different ...and require different wads.

I don't think you'll have much luck with the super target..because they're a cheap win hull that wasn't really intended to be reloaded - with that spot in the center being sealed with wax.

Just pick one type of hull ....get the recipe ...and load them up. Remember you need to use the specific primer listed in the recipe....you can't mix and match 209 shotshell primers - they are not all the same / in fact some of them are very different.
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Old September 21, 2012, 07:46 PM   #4
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It would be wise to listen to Jim. He speaks the truth...
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Old September 22, 2012, 11:55 AM   #5
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Thanks everyone. I did some more research and also tried a couple example reloads just to see how everything turned out. As it turns out...most of this is the empirical evidence BigJimP's words. He does indeed speak the truth!

1. Did two hulls of super target to see if they'd be okay. Overall quality was significantly lacking and I will be discarding them. I don't think there would be a problem firing them, but I'd rather be shooting better constructed rounds in both practice and competition.

2. I reloaded four boxes of Gun Club hulls. All of them turned out fine, though the first couple did have a slightly deeper crimp. I made a quick adjustment on my MEC Sizemaster and got great shells. The reloaded well, but don't have the same quality as the other ones.

3. Reloaded 5x STS hulls (found in excellent condition at the range last weekend). Had to put the crimping station back to the original setting (the one I used for AA hulls) and they worked fine. Their feel, handling, and finished appearance generally match or exceed the AA hulls I was working with.

Verdict: It's nice to be able to find used hulls in good condition and lower the overall price per round over the course of a year. That being said, since I practice for and compete in registered NSSA competitions, I want consistency and quality. My local store has cases of Win AA at a great price, so I will probably shoot and reload those exclusively from now on. That way I can keep my settings, recipes, and shooting as consistently as possible.

Special thanks to BigJimP.
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Old September 24, 2012, 11:50 AM   #6
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You're welcome ....( and will one of you call my wife and put in a good word for me please...) ...

and on registered shoots, yes, I wouldn't shoot my reloads either - at least not in real big tournaments like State Championships.

But do yourself a favor ....on some of those promo loads...cut a couple of them open ...get a sheet of glass or something really smooth...and pour the shot out onto the sheet of glass ( into a towel at the bottom of it - or into a box or something to catch everything ) ...and see if it pours relatively straight or you get a bunch of debris or dust ...( or rocks ) or whatever...and a lot of semi-round shot that wander off the path...

same with Gun Club ...Estate's - or Rio's or whatever...and STS for that matter....and see if you can see a difference. My hunch is ...you'll see way less "flyers" or improperly sized shot / or shot that is out of round - in a good premium shell like STS - than most of the others. When some of my buddies and I did this a yr or so ago ...we found some shells looked like they'd just swept up stuff off the shop floor and dumped them in there.../ in a load of 8's ...we had sizes up to some 4's probably.../ and more dirt or lead dust than you would expect / and in some, even some rocks - or something that was harder than the lead anyway ..

Inside 25 yds ...in a 12ga ...maybe it doesn't make any differnce...and none of us shoot registered to make our living ...but I'd hate to lose 4 or 5 targets in a tournament because I was shooting cheap shells.../ besides if I shoot STS shells - I just keep the empties and bring them home.

( if I were going to shoot cheap throw away shells...I'd shoot the Rio Sporting loads...some are blue, some are green/I forget which is which...but 1oz of 8's around 1210 fps is my personal choice in a 12ga shell as a throw away / and they make one at about 1280 fps ( a 3 DR EQ shell ) if you want something that fast...and they make a 1 1/8 oz as well...if you think you need that).

Last edited by BigJimP; September 24, 2012 at 12:15 PM.
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