Best place for Bulk 12ga...semi-short notice?

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  • Indy_Guy_77

    Grandmaster
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    Apr 30, 2008
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    Hi all,

    I have a semi-sudden need for some 12ga ammo. Like 250 rds or so. Birdshot / target loads. 2.75"

    Rem 870 (which I've heard are quite finicky with the aluminum-case-headed Winchester stuff)

    Don't want to do online ordering.

    South-side Indy much preferred!


    Thanks,

    -J-

    Edit: The Walmart that's the most accessible to me didn't have any of the non-aluminum stuff in stock. They DID have some bulk pack Federal stuff - but they boxes were sealed - preventing visual inspection. I'm so unfamiliar with shotgun ammo that I wasn't comfortable purchasing it without seeing it first.
     
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    wsenefeld

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    Dec 2, 2011
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    Boone Co.
    Walmart typically has that federal 12ga. 100 rounds for $20. Runs great through my Moss 500 and a friend's Rem 870. They're not actually sealed so if you open one end and take out a 25 round box you can inspect them. From what I've experienced, they run a lot better than the Winchester bulk packs. Another brand that I have had great success with is Royal/RIO. Gander typically had them in stock and will give a 5% discount on ammo if you purchase 10 boxes. The Royal/RIO was $5.99 per 25 last time I got some.
     
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    Indy_Guy_77

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    Roger that, folks.

    This is the reddish/brown Federal stuff, correct?

    If so - the boxes I held in my hands at the Greenwood Walmart the other day WERE sealed/glued shut. Perhaps they've changed their packaging.

    Plus - they were out of individual 25ct boxes - so I couldn't look inside one of those to determine.

    Looks like another trip back to WM and hope they've re-stocked!

    -J-
     

    wsenefeld

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    Boone Co.
    Roger that, folks.

    This is the reddish/brown Federal stuff, correct?

    If so - the boxes I held in my hands at the Greenwood Walmart the other day WERE sealed/glued shut. Perhaps they've changed their packaging.

    Plus - they were out of individual 25ct boxes - so I couldn't look inside one of those to determine.

    Looks like another trip back to WM and hope they've re-stocked!

    -J-

    Yeah its a black/maroon box. Weird, any I've gotten have just been closed on both ends with the flap just like the 25 round box. New packaging wouldn't surprise me though.
     

    heeringa

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    Aug 5, 2012
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    Indianapolis
    It's not aluminum. It's brass. it's all the same exact thing, whether if it's the normal brass color (yellow-ish) or the aluminum (silver) color. If you'll look at the picture posted before me, where it says "Field & Target" in the semi-circle in the middle of the packaging is actually the metal base of the shell. But seriously. It's all brass no matter what color it is.

    Some guns have issues with different brands of ammo. I have a buddy who would have trouble getting cheap Winchester shells from WalMart to eject in his Mossberg 500. I've had trouble with Federal WalMart 100 packs that won't fire in my Winchester Model 12, but another buddy loves shooting those things from his Model 12 and has never had a problem. I know another guy that had the same issue as me, just with Rio shells in his Remington 870. We think it was a manufacturing defect that caused the primers to be seated too deep, but that's a story for another time.

    Anyway, each gun different. The same model of gun might have some tolerances that were 0.001 different from other years, and that might be the cause of the problems we have when we say "my gun won't shoot xxxx ammo." The only real way to find out what ammo your gun loves is to go out and find it.
     

    amboy49

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    central indiana
    shells

    It's not aluminum. It's brass. it's all the same exact thing, whether if it's the normal brass color (yellow-ish) or the aluminum (silver) color. If you'll look at the picture posted before me, where it says "Field & Target" in the semi-circle in the middle of the packaging is actually the metal base of the shell. But seriously. It's all brass no matter what color it is.

    Some guns have issues with different brands of ammo. I have a buddy who would have trouble getting cheap Winchester shells from WalMart to eject in his Mossberg 500. I've had trouble with Federal WalMart 100 packs that won't fire in my Winchester Model 12, but another buddy loves shooting those things from his Model 12 and has never had a problem. I know another guy that had the same issue as me, just with Rio shells in his Remington 870. We think it was a manufacturing defect that caused the primers to be seated too deep, but that's a story for another time.

    Anyway, each gun different. The same model of gun might have some tolerances that were 0.001 different from other years, and that might be the cause of the problems we have when we say "my gun won't shoot xxxx ammo." The only real way to find out what ammo your gun loves is to go out and find it.


    Not to be contradictory - but I am relatively certain the shells you describe that have "aluminum" bases are not aluminum, neither are they brass. The premium shells such as Remington STS or Winchester AA have brass bases. On the other hand, the "cheaper" shells like the Remington Gun Clubs, Federal Estates, etc. have bases that are steel - not brass or aluminum. Regardless of metal all of these shells are easily digestable by every moden day shotgun I know of. i.e. Remington, Beretta, Benelli, Winchester, Kolar, Caesar Guerini . . . . well, you get the idea.

    The benefit of the steel based shells are that they are cheaper to manufacture. ( Steel is cheaper than brass on the open market ). However, the drawback is that the brass based shells can be resized due to the maleable nature of the metal and the steel based shells cannot. The steel based shoot fine in any gun, including auto loaders like the Remington 1100, Beretta 391, etc. However, the rub comes when reloading and trying to shoot in a different gun. The shells take the dimension of the chamber of the gun first shot in, but may or may not fit well into a different gun chamber after reloading.

    Buy the Gun Clubs or Federal Target loads without concern they will work fine in your gun. If you choose to reload you might want to consider the higher initial cost of the target loads as they will provide a better and longer lasting shell for reloading.

    YMMV
     

    Indy_Guy_77

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    I hear what both of you are saying.

    Not all shotgun shells have brass "cases".

    Some do have aluminum, some steel. Wouldn't surprise me if there aren't also some with some kind of zinc alloy, too. Yes, these are generally low-cost target/field loads.

    It's also relatively well known that many Remington 870 shotguns have trouble extracting the lowest Winchester "White Box" ammunition. Doesn't really matter what the case material is, I suppose, but I know it ain't brass.

    And, as of right this instant, I do not know if my particular shotgun will extract these shells or not...hence my trepidation at investing in a quantity of them and have them turn out to be turds in my gun.
     

    amboy49

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    Feb 1, 2013
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    central indiana
    I hear what both of you are saying.

    Not all shotgun shells have brass "cases".

    Some do have aluminum, some steel. Wouldn't surprise me if there aren't also some with some kind of zinc alloy, too. Yes, these are generally low-cost target/field loads.

    It's also relatively well known that many Remington 870 shotguns have trouble extracting the lowest Winchester "White Box" ammunition. Doesn't really matter what the case material is, I suppose, but I know it ain't brass.

    And, as of right this instant, I do not know if my particular shotgun will extract these shells or not...hence my trepidation at investing in a quantity of them and have them turn out to be turds in my gun.

    If you've experienced firing or ejection problems with certain brand shells I would tend to believe it's an issue with the gun and not the shells. I shoot at Indiana Gun on a regular (once a week) basis with people shooting every gun make/model from a $10,000 Krieghoff to a $500 Remington 870. The owners shoot all different kinds of shells - new and reloaded. Some of my friends are the cheapest bas$tard$ you'll ever meet and buy the least expensive shells they can find. Walmart stuff that is on sale - Winchester/Remiington/Rio/Estates/Gun Clubs . . . . etc. I don't see the "cheap" shells causing a problem in any of the 870's. I can't say I shot with anyone who was shooting a Mossberg - but I would think that the manufacturing tolerances are sufficient to have the shells shoot/eject in 98% of the guns assuming the gun is functioning properly.
     

    amboy49

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    Feb 1, 2013
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    shells

    anybody have a magnet?

    A magnet isn't the total answer. I have a magnet on a rod I use to pick up my hulls on the skeet range when I've shot an autoloader. It picks up the winchester aa and remington sts hulls I shoot - which have a brass base. The primer is what attracts the magnet.

    The only way to test the base of the hull with a maget is to deprime them first I think.

    Brass - no stick um
    Aluminum - no stick um
    Steel - stick um
     
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