doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Win AA loose base wad problem.

I've read the threads on trapshooters.com concerning loose AAHS basewads. A few weeks ago, our club had some high water and wads, etc. drifted into piles at the high water mark. I took the time to comb through a large pile of wads and did not find one separate AAHS basewad. I did find a bunch of of separate Federal pedestals that are a part of their wads. A lot of AAHS shells are shot at the club and I'll think I would have found at least one if this was really the problem as alleged. I'm beginning to wonder if those reported are really pieces of the Federal wads. I've reloaded quite a few of the AAHS is 12, 20, 28 and .410. So far, I have no issues with them.

Johnpe

I've always believed the guy who saw them "laying all ove rthe ground at his club" was seeing Federal wad psrts, as Johnpe said. I'm hoping I have a lifetime supply of old AA shells. I do if I don't live too long. I guess for 28s I'll switch to AA HS if I run out of the old ones. They are now longer than the early HS. I don't see myself switching to Remington shells. They all have that "reversed foreskin inside the primer hole that makes seating primers fully difficult, if not impossible. This is for loaders like my Grabbers, that seat primers with spring pressure. Maybe when Remington switches to shells made by Baikal to match their POS guns, Winchester will wise up and bring back the real AAs.

I have yet to find a AA with a basewad. I haven't picked any up since last fall. But of all the ones I have (hundreds) they don't have a basewad. They are only a two piece hull.

The basewad in the AAHS hull is not paper like the ones in other shells. It is a plastic disc. It is hard to see because it is the same color as the shell. If you use a light and look carefully, you can see a line between the basewad and the casewall.

Maybe there is something about the MEC that I don't remember. It has been a long time since I used one. They really seat wads with spring pressure?

The problem has been reported with 12ga only. Section a new style AA and tell us that's not a base wad, it sure as hell is. The obvious intention was that under no circumstances could it come out of there, and if you cut up a properly made AA shell you would have to agree that it appears to be a safe design.

However... they had some manufacturing defects early in the cycle of this product, and some of them DID get away.

The MEC, of course, uses a spring to set the PRIMER.

There were some 'new style' shells made with the old AA block print logo and markings. I have some. They didn't start the HS balony until there was a PR need to justify the new design as some kind of improvement instead of the manufacturing economy move that it obviously is.

The separate base wad is shaped like a cup, extending about 1/2" up the inside of the shell tube. It is separate and white, not the same color as the shell. At least they are white in the ones I have sectioned. Cut one open longwise and take a look. You'll understand better how they are put together. You'll also, like me, seriously doubt one could ever come apart. And yes, the MEC Grabbers and 9000G presses seat the primer with spring pressure.