gun club hulls

[freekforge]

Im just getting started reloading shotgun shells i plan on loading buckshot. In one book it lists sts and gun club hulls together and then others list them separate are these hulls the same?

Also if anyone has a pet buckshot load feel free to list it.

 

[Twangbanger]

Not the same.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

They are both one-piece compression formed hulls. For trap loads, they are interchangeable...not sure why one of your manuals would list them separately. Which manual? The Hodgdon online manual shows STS, Nitro 27, and Gun Club as the same hull and shows two nice buckshot loads for them. One with #00 buck and one with #4 buck, two load levels/velocities for each recipe. The CCI209M primers that are called for can be hard to find, at least in my area.

What components do you currently have on hand?

FWIW - The older one-piece compression formed RXP hulls seem to have a slightly smaller internal volume, but they are listed together with STS and Gun Club hulls in my printed manuals. Even with my various trap loads they are distinctly different and I keep them segregated.

 

[clayshooter99]

Gun Club and STS, Nitro 27 are all the same and loaded the same in the trap, skeet and sporting clays world, I have no idea why buckshot should be any different. They are great hull to load also.

 

[freekforge]

Can't remember which manual had them separate my GFs grandpa gave me like a dozen different manuals so ill have to sort though them again and find it. Right now i have a ton of gun club hulls some original waa12r wads and some claybuster equivalent wads and then a #4 00 and 000 mold. also have some gas seals and fiber wads for a 3 inch 000 load i found. looks like i should pick up some hs-6 and make some #4s.

 

[Crandall Crank]

Just call the powder manufacturer and get their recommendation. When you change from bird shot to buckshot, pressures change also.

 

[amboy49]

Gun Clubsand Remington STS hulls are the same EXCEPT the GC hulls have a steel base and the STS base is made of brass. Not a big deal for most. I don’t/won’t reload Gun Club hulls because of the steel base as I think they are hard on the ejectors. YMMV.

Several of my friends load them once or twice and then kick them out. Others load them until they wear out.

 

[dudley0]

Can't remember which manual had them separate my GFs grandpa gave me like a dozen different manuals so ill have to sort though them again and find it. Right now i have a ton of gun club hulls some original waa12r wads and some claybuster equivalent wads and then a #4 00 and 000 mold. also have some gas seals and fiber wads for a 3 inch 000 load i found. looks like i should pick up some hs-6 and make some #4s.

Hey I have a lot of empties laying around. Send me a PM and maybe we can meet up if you have a need for more of them.

Varied styles but all should be 12 gauge.

 

[bwframe]

This seems related to the OP's interests. I'm watching it now...

[video=youtube;TwUnKdtYuKI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwUnKdtYuKI&feature=em-uploademail[/video]

 

[bigretic]

The are not the same. The plastic is different and the base is different. You can say they are the same because they are constructed the same, but they are not and they do NOT feel the same running through a press.

 

[amboy49]

I think the reason the gun clubs “feel” different when being reloaded is due to the steel bases of the gun clubs compared to the brass base of the STS hulls. Assuming your reloader has a resizing station the steel base is more difficult to resize compared to the brass base. If you fire the shell in the same gun all the time resizing is less necessary because the hull (really only the base) conforms to the chamber of the gun. The plastic portion of the hull is not actually resized. The case mouth is moved a bit during the powder drop/primer inserting station, but that is only to spread it open to ease the wad insertion at the next stage.

I have friends who have loaded tens of thousands of both shells. They use the same components and a duplicate load for either of the two. The only reason they reload the gun club hulls is because they are plentiful and a lot of people fire them once and throw them away. Gun club new shells can be bought for a minimum of $2 cheaper than STS shells per box. Nobody I know tosses STS hulls. Especially since they command a market price $.05 a piece. The only folks I know of that shoot new STS shells are serious competitive target ( trap, skeet, sporting clays) shooters.

 

[bigretic]

Yes, I agree that is most of it but I don't think all. I have noticed crimp differences at the same wad depths routinely as well so there is something more to it IMO. I would also toss out there that I have seen and felt the same when reloading federals that are "the same" and those all supposedly have the same base. The shells in the Red, white, and blue boxes had subtle differences between them as well as between pink and regular maroon ones. This included base "feel" and crimp. I wound up going back to gun club exclusively after running lots of Winchester and tons of federals. Just less aggravating in the end.

 

[freekforge]

well i just busted some clays with a load using gun club sts and nitro 27 hulls and i aint dead so thanks guys lol.

Tomorrow im going to try some buck shot loads i made. today i shot some 6 and 8 shot shot using imr red, tgt12, cheddite 209 and the above hulls. i think they shot pretty good but im no shotgun expert.

 

[4651feeder]

Yes, I agree that is most of it but I don't think all. I have noticed crimp differences at the same wad depths routinely as well so there is something more to it IMO...

Also noticed it with the green Gun Clubs about two seasons ago, all of a sudden I couldn't get them to crimp well. I don't think the hull OAL was running consistent and stopped loading them. Before someone suggests a press adjustment is in order, let me say the black ribbed Remington (Dove?), Clay and Field, STS, and Nitro 12 gauge all load beautifully on my press.