doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hull length

So in the interest of science, and since Borderbill declined to do the dumpster diving, here's what I found in the trash at Ben Avery this am

20g all 7/8 oz.
Federal Top Gun 2 5/8”; Federal Target 2 5/8”; Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 2 5/8”; Challenger Target 2 11/16”

12g
Federal Top Gun 1 1/8 oz. was slightly more than 2 5/8”
2 11/16” - Winchester Heavy Super Target 1 1/8 oz., Winchester Super X 1 1/8 oz., Nobel Sport Italia 28 gm, Nobel Sport Italia Target 1 oz., Rio Star Team Evo Training Light 1 oz., Fiocchi Shooting Dynamic 1 1/8 oz.
2 3/4” - Rio Star Team Evo Target 1 oz., B&P Competition One 7/8 oz., Federal Walmart 100 pack

2022 12g dumpster results:
2 11/16” - Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 7/8 oz., Federal Top Gun 1 1/8 oz., Remington Gun Club 1 1/8 oz., Clever Mirage Grand Italia 1 oz., Nobel Sport Italia Target Low Recoil 1 oz.
2 3/4” - Federal Game Load 1 oz., Challenger 1 oz. Target Load, B&P Comp One 7/8 oz., Estate 1 1/8 oz., Fiocchi Shooting Dynamics 1 1/8 oz., otherwise unmarked Federal, Winchester Heavy Target

In 2020 16 gauge Aguila, Fiocchi, and Remington Game Load hulls averaged 2 5/8”

i guess, like most of us old guys - they're getting shorter....but are they also getting bigger around?

Evidently I haven't been following along somewhere, but I would like to know the actual make of the 16 bore hull not the name on it. Even Federal is sourcing some from France and of course the length is 67mm. So, considering just how many 16 bore cartridges are ignited it each year, I bet everyone is sourcing from the same point. Because if one maker is making the bulk of all 16 bore hulls, why tool up & recreate the wheel when the guy down the road is selling the spec wheels???

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

The latest Remington 16s made or sourced from federal was full 70mm. I measured the first one I shot, then traded away for some Winchester 1oz.

Interesting. Remington has always seemed to have a hull that was a skosh longer. Since the 1960s, my family has always been reluctant to shoot Remington shells because they would hang in an autoloader.

Serbus,

Raimey
rse

It's been quite a few years now, but I recall assembling quite a collection of 12ga hulls that claimed to be 2 3/4". Most had minor differences in length. No problems ever observed reloading them and shooting them in guns (all doubles) with 2 3/4" chambers.

variation in length is a PITA with reloading and getting good crimps. Even the variation between Winchester Compression vs. HS hulls is enough to throw off a nice 8-fold crimp, especially when using 8.5 or 9 shot.

Brent: All of us who reload for the 16ga are forced to tinker to a certain degree. Cutting styrofoam disks to use as filler--even when wads like the DR-16 are available when working up 7/8 oz reloads in 2 3/4" hulls--is one solution, but somewhat time consuming. When the reload leaves too much space for a good crimp, I usually compensate by dropping in a Cheerio or 2 on top of the shot. Takes up space without adding much additional weight. Crimps are pretty good and the filler doesn't seem to hurt the performance of the reload. I find that I need something--usually just one Cheerio-- to get better crimps with the current black Herters hulls and DR-16 wads.

😊

I do all of that just for 12s. Hull length variation, however, requires fiddling with precrimp and crimp dies. On my old Pacific, that is a PITA. Just the switch from WinAA HA to WinAA compression hulls requires the fiddling. My "newish" Hornady 366 press is only slightly better.

Fwiw, variation in crimping is an oft overlooked source of substantial variation in pressures (and thus also velocities) per Tom Armbrust's data.