Stoeger Shells - Best shucking with BP?

[Flinch Morningwood]

I am looking to move to 12 GA for Frontier Cartridge shooting.  I have been shooting 16 GA but can't find a shell that will shuck from my SxS hammer double.

Anybody have any suggestions about which hull to load for best shucking with the Stoeger Coach Gun?

Thanks!

[Cuts Crooked]

Almost any smooth sided hull will work well. Ribbed hulls tend to be problematic. This is general rule, but there are exception and each gun can be very particular in it's personal tastes.

I prefer the older Winchester AA hulls.........haven't tried the newer design yet.

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I don't shoot a Stoeger, but my 4 Stevens SXSs all like Remington STS hulls best. They are made from the slickest plastic and jump out the easiest. Winchester AA are a close second. But I don't much like the AA hulls anymore since they went to a two piece construction. Although I did grab a bunch of once fired AA hulls yesterday off the ground and will be happy to load them since the price was right.

[Lucky R. K.]

+ 1 for the Remington STS.

Lucky 

[Mako]

I have to agree with the guys above.  Remington cases, either STS or the Gold Nitro 27s.  I like the color of the Nitro 27s but they are the same case.

Winchester AA cases still work well even though they are no longer a ONE piece compression formed hull.  The new AAs are a TWO piece COMPRESSION Bonded hull not a true Reifenhauser style (multi-piece) hull.  Note the difference, old AAs are compression formed, the new ones are not only formed with compression they are compression bonded as well.  It is a patented process I can show you if you are interested. The new hulls act a lot like the old AAs and have a similar tapered interior wall.  The problem really isn't the two piece design it has more to do with the polymer they now use to get the bond between the base interior and the outer hull.  I personally think they melt more than the older hulls if you are using BP.  You don't see the difference as quickly with smokeless powder.

Since AAs are so ubiquitous you can pick up boxes of empties at matches which is important for BP hulls because you will wear them out after a few reloads.  The BP burns hotter and you get what we call "burned" (actually melted) exteriors.  I think the Remington hulls shuck better the first time they are used with BP and if shot side by side with AA hulls will always shuck a bit better for the same number of reloads.  This is important because you could literally shoot once reloaded BP shells using AA hulls you can scrounge at the last match you were at.  With Remington hulls you're going to have to buy once fired hulls from a clay range or an online source.

Given the choice I would use once fired Remington hulls, but practically AAs could be a much cheaper and potentially reliable proposition.

Regards,
Mako

[Lefty Dude]

Nothing shucks with BP like all brass shells. Because they are heavier than the plastic's or paper hulls they come out very quickly.

I shoot them in my SXS/12 as well as my 97/16. Being a Port-side shooter I can see the ejection port as they leave 97/16. The Brass shells exit the port twice as fast as the plastic shells. With the SXS I just tip the breach and they fall out.

All Brass shells are slower to load, but the reward & style points are worth the effort.

[Jefro]

Rem STS

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

In my TOZ66 any R-P case shucks quite easily. 

[fourfingersofdeath]

It is funny, in Australia pretty much every gunshop has a good selection of Remington Centrefire ammo, but we never see any shotgun ammo. Winchester have supported the market since way back when and unless shooters are buying cheap (which seems to be 95% of shotgun shooters) they buy Win shotshells. Federal have made some inroads, but not about to put much of a dent in the Winchester's sales. The maroon 12Ga with the silver (steel) low base are popular with the cowboy shooters as they shuck nicely from most of the guns I see at the range.

I can't say I have ever used a Remington shotshell. I have eleven Remington rifles from memory and probably a thousand or so Remington factory rounds (For a long while there it wasn't much dearer than brass an component cost and I had a terminally ill wife and couldn't reload. So I am fond of the big green, but have never come across their shotshells when I have been buying them.

It is odd how some shotshells will drop easily from one gun and jam in the next.

Gotta go, starting to waffle.

[Professor Marvel]

The Plethora of responses seems to be pertaining to plastic, and one vote for brass.

Are there any opinions regarding paper hulls and BP?

Gotta go, starting to waffle.

I love waffles!

yhs
prof marvel

[Montana Slim]

I only have 3 SxS shotguns...none Stoegers.....but all PREFER Remington Gun Club or Game Load hulls over "smooth" Win AAs.
The Rems always worked well, but a few years ago I tried some "AA"s since they are considered "daBomb". I ended up using the AAs them in my 1887 since it had a mechanical ejector. It shucks the AA hulls just fine, the doubles.... not-so-hot.

Slim

[fourfingersofdeath]

Never thought of it before, but it may be worth checking out your chambers to see if they are smooth. Might solve the problem. Bound to be cheaper than gettign a new gun. Far as I see it the 16Ga would be prefect for cowboy. NIce and light, lower recoil and enough grunt to do the job.

I am about to get a 16Ga SxS, can't wait to get it. Ammo is as dear as poison here, bit over a dollar a shell! Magtec brass cases are $AU44 something a box of 25 

I see where you can buy 2400 16Ga new straight hulls for $US244 of Ballistic Products Inc. All I gotta do is figure out how to get them out of the States and out here.