doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Polywad ??

You assume correctly Dan.

This does not include the cost of the hulls and if you really want 'brand new' ones they likely will have to be trimmed and skived from 2 3/4" shells.

RST shells are the same hull and you can reload those a few times.

It's worth looking into if you shoot in volume.

Equipment cost amortization will take a while, but loading is educational and gives you a measure of flexibility and freedom. It's nice to be able to load stuff not commercially available.

I feed a Damascus Parker with very light reloads for skeet and and have burned about 7,500 of my handloads in it.

The targets and gun don't know the difference between my shells and boutique loaded new shells, and I've saved nearly the initial cost of the gun.

In fact, if I could not load for it I would not have bought the gun.

You can usually get factory 65mm (2.5 inch) hulls at not much more than the price of 2.75, from the reloading suppliers. E.g., https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Cheddi...ctinfo/1391265/
Ballistic Products usually also has short paper hulls and short hulls in other gauges, though those seem to be more seasonal in their availability.

The "biggest" issue with short hulls is having your reloading machine able to handle them. Adjustment may be necessary.

Time, unfortunately. I have very little of it lately with a fairly demanding job and infant daughter. I don't tie my own flies for the same reason...

Cutting shells is pretty easy, especially with table saws and bandsaws, but skiving them, not so much. More tools. More time.

It looks like Ballistic Products often has shorter shells, but it is not clear at the moment, so you have to call and ask.

Ha. If you have time to be on here....you have plenty of time to load shells or cut hulls :-)

And that's fine.

Buy shells if you wish.

The US loaded RST is as good as any euro import, so don't think you're sacrificing anything in the way of performance because you aren't.

A euro hull is a euro hull, and they are universal now in the 2.5" market. It's all essentially the same components no matter the vendor. The differences are minor.

My last paper shells from both Eley and Fiocchi were nothing to get excited about. The last good paper shell was the Federal Champion 2 and they disappeared 30 years ago.

Times have changed. It's a global market.

Be thankful for RST.

The best shells in the world are loaded right here by Remington at the present time but of course they don't make 2.5" loads. Expect that to also change. The STS is doomed in the marketplace by economics, and the brass head shell will be extinct in a few years.

That is a great pity, but apparently unavoidable. Federal has already changed to steel head shells entirely. The others will follow suit soon enough.

In 12 gauge I have 5,000 plus once fired B&P hulls that I am working up a low pressure, 2 1/2", 1 ounce load for. Working on both a roll crimp version and a six point regular crimp. I really want the regular crimp load so I can load them on my Spolar but will settle for a roll crimp version if I must. Roll crimping will be so much slower by about five to one. But low volume shooting wont kill me to load them the way we did fifty years ago.

I still have a good supply of Federal Paper hulls and will be sad when they are all used up. So I am looking for a easy replacement for them. B&P are an option because I have a large number of them on hand. Also any of the Euro trash hulls seem to be everywhere for the pickup at clubs around me. So options are there if you look around. Loaders are fairly cheap and components have never been so easy to find. Loading has allowed me to buy and enjoy countless guns over the years.

Is the STS brass washed over steel or solid brass? Put a magnet on one and see. Gil

The STS I have in 12 and 20 is brass.

But... I've not bought any in several years.

My supply might last a lifetime, especially since it looks like no shooting for this year, and maybe a couple years.

I chatted with Jay Menefee today, what a fine fella.

I sent him an email with the thread.

He said he would try to make folks aware of the thread

Mike