Estate shotshells: Poor quality

[The Deer Hunter]

a couple weeks I heard that Estate shotshells have mixed shot sizes, as in their #8 shotshells have 8s, 9s, and 7s. Now I know they are pretty low quality shells, so this didn't really startle me.

But what really got me was that our club was forced to put up a lead stopping shot screen by some sort of environmental commissionbarf:). Now this screen cost the club money it really didn't have to spend. Upwards of 5K just for the fabric material. And so we dont tear the net up in a year we are limited to #8 shot.

We got a couple pallets of Estate shells, which most of the regular trap shooters bought a case or two, some buying 25+ cases.



Today, I decided to take apart an estate shell(I bought a couple cases). Low and behold, it was very visible that there were several different shot sizes in the shell. Also, compared to my(lawrence chilled shot) 7 1/2s and Remington 8s, they were very light looking with many defects.

So, now I know that 90% of the lead shot at the screen since it was put up has contained shot sizes bigger than just 8s.

Also, they don't cost any less, the same $5.50 is a box as the Remington STSs.


they smell bad too.

 

[[FH]K96]

I believe Estate is now a subsidiary of Federal now (?). I have used several boxes of them- shot and slugs, but no buck. I have used them as just range ammo and they go boom every time. I never had the impression these were serious competition or game rounds. Interesting what you found nonetheless though.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

We get at least 1-2 ftf's from them league nights. I'm just appalled that they would be careless enough to mix shot size.

 

[ArmedBear]

I wonder if those Estate pallets had been through Katrina or something.

I've never had FTF's from ANY of the thousands upon thousands of factory shotshells I've shot. Estates were among them. Never had a lick of trouble.

WRT shot sizes, no shot is all exact. STS is some of the best and most consistent. I've shot with a guy who's a mechanical engineer and took the time to sample and micrometer shot from STS's and AA's. The STS's were pretty close, plus or minus a half size maybe. The AA's were not, with all sorts of variation (MUCH more variation than you describe, BTW).

I wouldn't pay STS prices for any sort of bulk or "practice" ammo! STS ammo is wonderful stuff, and STS hulls can be reloaded many times, or sold once-fired. I wouldn't spend a lot of time reloading Estates. However, I've never seen FTF's from Estates, either in my gun or anyone else's, shooting clays or hunting. Generally, I like 'em.

Sounds like your club got a bum batch or something.

 

[41magsnub]

Out of the last box of estates I fired I had several misfires in the first 10 rounds. primer was fully indented but no bang. Creepy... I chucked the rest of the box.

Bought them that morning at a Sportsmans Warehouse. Box was in perfect shape.

 

[rich636]

My two boxes are sitting in the closet, my 870 won't chamber or extract them without extreme force.

 

[gezzer]

Uh! Not for nothing but bags of #8 shot will have 9's and 7 1/2's in it. Lighten up, ever here of nominal size.

 

[The Chuckster]

Estate Shotshells

I purchased one flat (10 boxes of 25) of Estate shells to break-in my new Browning Gold Fusion. So far I've shot 225 rounds. I had zero failure to feed, fire, nor were there any problems with popping those clay targets. I have observed countless boxes of the Estate being sold to and shot buy trap shooters and never seen a problem. All these boxes were labeled "Super Sport Competition Target Loads". Are the problems occurring with other loads perhaps? As the cost for reloading components continue to rise "inquiring minds want to know"!

 

[retrieverman]

I have never had a problem with Estate shells, and I have shot everything from skeet loads to 3" magnum steel BB's at geese.

 

[10MMGary]

At least 3 cases over the last 18 months and not one issue. The two places I pay to shoot clays sell nothing but Estate shotgun ammo.

 

[rich636]

The ammo I had trouble with was Estate Dove and Quail, this stuff was purchased and tried around 2001.

 

[45auto]

Where I am, Estate shells are at least $1.50 per box cheaper than STS or AA.

Historically, they are known to be good shells, lower priced with softer shot.

 

[Big Az Al]

Estate shells

The few times I have made any money shooting, I was shooting Estate's!

My first ever 25 straight was with RIO"s

My first 50 straight and 75 straight, Estate's.

I shoot cheaper shell's better!

 

[Fred Fuller]

Estate used to be a li'l ol' Texas company that made GREAT shotgun shells at GREAT prices.

In the M&A (mergers and acquisitions) fever which marked the end of the 20th Century, Estate got bought out by Alabama conglomeration Blount Inc, whose Sporting Equipment Group also owned CCI/Speer, Federal, RCBS, Weaver, Redfield and other well-known brand names. ( http://www.blount.com/estate.html )

A year later, Blount sold its entire ammunition unit to munitions giant Alliant Techsystems. ( http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E1D81031F935A15753C1A9679C8B63 )

So here we are...

lpl/nc

 

[sgt3531]

I've shot hundreds of rounds of Estate shells in the past 6 months or so. I only shoot clays, but I find I'm more accurate with the Estate's than I am with Federal target loads, and they're about the same price at Gander Mountain where I buy my ammo. I've also never had a FTF.

 

[evbutler462]

After reading these posts, I went to my ammo safe and took a shell out of five boxes of Estates, ranging from #6 through #8 shot. I cut them open and compared the shot uniformity of each by emptying the shot in a flat dish.

I didn't micrometer them, but they were very uniform in size. I was satisfied with what I saw. Ialso took a few Remingtons and Winchesters and removed the shot for inspection. They also appeared to be the same size and were of equal uniformity.

I am not stating that our poster didn't find a problem. I am saying that I didn't. I have used Estates and the other brands and I have had no trouble with any of them except the hard primers on Remington and the el cheapo metal on Winchester promo loads. A weak firing pin will show up when using Remington loads. Winchester's promo loads are problem children as their metal is inconsistent and causes problems extracting from time to time.

Since I use nothing but promo and economy loads for everything I can report on their quality. It is overall great, except as noted otherwise.

 

[New_geezer]

I've shot 12 ga Estates out a Mossberg 500, a JC Higgins Mod 20, a Win Mod 12. Also 20 ga out of a Savage Fox-b and a Baikal izh-27. Never had a problem or misfire with any of them. Shells go bang, clays go bust (most of the time)

 

[B.D. Turner]

I use Estate all the time mainly due to the fact that the local sport shop has them for cheap all year. I never had a problem with them.

 

[mswestfall]

I've seen 10's of thousands of Estates shot at CRPC. My club puts in an order for Estates several times a year. They buy them for members by the pallet. I'm sure there have been more problems but I can only remember one ftf. It was a dead primer. They load and eject well from pumps, O/U's, autos, lever action and double guns.

I've purchased 25 pounds bags of shot from Lawrence, Starshot and Eagle. All of them have some variation in shot size in a bag. Eagle seems to sell shot that is about a size smaller then those sold by Lawrence or Starshot.

I know a dozen or so guys that reload the Estate hull two or three times. They don't complain about the reloads.

I personally view them as a good quality shell.

 

[CitoriXT]

Deer Hunter;

All promo grade factory shells, whether they be Winchester, Remington, or Federal / Estates are going to have some mixed shot content (i.e., 7-1/2 shot shells are going to have some 8 shot & maybe a few 9 shot, etc., etc.). The worst I've seen are the Fed Value Pack shells that Wally sells, but I used to shoot them anyway, until I swore off 1-1/8 oz 3 dram loads completely for trapshooting.

The only way to have some control over this at all is to load your own, but as "mswestfall" stated, a given bag of magnum shot, even the top-buck Rem STS shot will have some mixed shot content in the bag. Since I don't reload, I'm not going to worry about this issue.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Estate shells, their #SS12H1 1 oz. target load in 7-1/2 or 8 shot is an excellent target crunching shell. Surprisingly, the most consistent loads I've seen are the 1 oz. Rem Game Loads in 7-1/2 or 8 shot that Wally sells for $4.14 / box, these and those 1 oz. Estates are pretty much what I've been trapshooting with these days, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the Estates or the Rem Game Loads for any of the other claytarget games as well

 

[[email protected]]

I shot a few boxes of 20ga Estate ammo. I think it was number 8 IIRC. No problems but I was kind of surprised that they cost as much as the Rem ammo I normally buy. I read the price wrong at GM and I thought I was getting a deal. I see no reason to ever buy them again. I have been happy with Rem my whole life and they are the same price.

 

[ace1001]

The only dead primers I know of was a flat spot on the firing pin that you could NOT tell from the primer only one in 20 would fail. And then some guy who liked to spry his loaded gun with WD40. Killed the one showing in the mag. several times until he figured it out. Ace

 

[ace1001]

Estate is the only cheap hull that I WILL reload. 8 star and stand up well with AAs, volume is also the same. Ace