cracked shotgun shell hulls

[john l]

Hey,
yesterday I was shooting some winchester dove and quail loads 3 1/4 dram and 1 ounce loads and picking up my spent hulls I noticed about 15 or so of the box of 25 I shot had split plastic from the aluminum base to the end.
The temperature was about 22 deg F and the 870 and the ammo were about the same temp.
Did the cold weather have something to do with this by making the shells brittle, or what?
thanks,
john l

 

[M Jager]

John,
Its a combination of the cold weather and cheap shells. Winchester super speeds and universals (if they still make them?) crack really bad in the cold.
Dunno how it effects performance, they seemed to kill starlings/dust clays fine when I used to use them.
Matt