[Col. Plink]

A buddy had a box of Wanda 3.25" 12ga shells in 'pigeon load' (8.25), that are some of the strangest looking things I have ever seen.

Made by Wanda of Houston. All see-thru purple plastic shells right down to the primers (no brass whatsoever) and sealed on the business end with a pointed black plastic plug. You can see the layers of powder, wadding, and shot. Strangest ammo I've seen in all my years.

Is there anything valuable about them? The certainly seem unusual...

Thanks!

[rcmodel]

Wanda made quite a splash in the reloading & clay games scene back about 1967.
I think they went out of business about four years later.
I have shot enough of them to say they worked, slicker then owl doodoo.

I think they sell for about $2 bucks each to the cartridge collectors now.

Good write-up about halfway down this page:
http://www.oldammo.com/january04.htm

BTW: There is really no good reason to have a metal head on a one-piece compression formed plastic shotgun shell, other then nobody will buy them without a metal head they think they have to have.

The metal head was necessary to hold the base wad & tube together on paper & plastic tube shells that had a basewad.
Also to prevent paper hulls from burning through the powder chamber.

rc

[chas08]

Probably not very valuable.They were pretty good ammo in the day. Waterfowlers, like me, favored them for their all plastic design. Nothing to rust, corrode, or absorb water.

[Col. Plink]

Where does one find 'cartridge collectors'? Sounds like a rare bird...

[rhinoh]

Not at all. You've just led a sheltered life:neener:

http://www.cartridgecollectors.org/

http://www.oldammo.com/

[Dave Markowitz]

Cool, never heard of those. I did shoot a bunch of Activ all plastic shells back in the 80s, though.

[MCgunner]

I've heard stories that they'd melt in the chamber shooting clays from the heat and that the front of the shell would fracture. I don't know that to be true, however. The overwad they used just COULDN'T be good for patterns, though, LOL

My fav shells that didn't last long were the all plastic "Activ". They had a metal case head covered in soft plastic (like the front of normal plastic shells) that held the primer, otherwise like a normal round with 8 or 6 point crimp. They reloaded forever, too, and didn't require any sizing of brass, since there was none. They were rust free if they got damp while hunting, what I really liked about 'em, and really fed and extracted well. When they came out, I was sure Activ would run everything else off the market, but, guess not. LOL

I still have a 20 gauge wanda round around here some where, saved it all these years. It's been helpful teaching new shooters how a shell is put together, can see the whole works in there. :D

chas08, been teal huntin', yet? Think I'm going back out Thursday morning. Had to work, today. Probably go Saturday morning and do some dove hunting in the afternoon.

[chas08]

chas08, been teal huntin', yet?
Not yet, got rained out this past weekend, lots of hard set in rain. I'm not that mad at 'em anymore.:D Maybe this weekend. those Activ shells were good ammo.

[foghornl]

I seem to sort of very vaguely remember another brand of 12-Ga all-plastic from the late 60's early 70's named (IIRC) "Alcan"?

Anyone else remember these or am I lost in the fog AGAIN?

[chas08]

My Dad and I shot Alcan Shells in the early days of my waterfowling introduction. They were paper hulls then. Later they became a plastic hull with brass like any other shell. I never saw any Alcan's that were all plastic like Wanda's or Activ's, but that doesn't mean they never existed.