Need help with hull ID and loading

[kotengu]

Alright, so I'm going through my new Lyman (4th edition) shotshell reloading handbook, and trying to identify the hulls I've started saving from my cheap-o "field loads" (#6 shot, Remington) I bought from Wal-Mart in the hopes they might be re-load worthy.

I cross-sectioned one and it looks exactly like the Remington RTL Premier Plastic - 12ga 2 3/4", except the plastic is black and ribbed (instead of green and smooth), and the "low brass" actually appears to be brass-plated steel (magnet sticks to it).

Can I use these hulls with load data for the Premier, or do I need to find load data for this hull specifically? If not - where would I find that load data?

 

[HSMITH]

That hull should be the "RXP" hull. Take a look at that and see if it matches. The RXP comes in high and low brass versions BTW, and all of the Remington hulls except the STS series use a steel casehead as do most other shotshell hulls on the market.

 

[kotengu]

Hmmm - that one's not listed in my manual. Any idea where I'd find load data for it (specifically, buckshot)?

 

[HSMITH]

Whoops, if I had read your first post a little better I would have seen that you are looking for load data

Yes you can use the STS data directly with no adjustments. The hull you have is listed as the "gun club hull" in the 2003 Hodgdon data manual, but that is the only data I found mentioning the hull specifically. A phone call to the powder maker or to Remington should confirm that the Premier data is what should be used.

BTW, if you are loading buckshot did you see the load data for the Federal field hulls? 1450 FPS for a 9 pellet OO load with HS6 in the Hodgdon shotshell manual

 

[kotengu]

Thanks for the quick reply - one last question, though. What is "STS"? Is that the RTL? Also - has anyone come up with a good way to remark the hulls after they're loaded. They're marked for #6 shot and I'll be putting buckshot in them - hate to get them confused......

Sorry for all the dumb questions, but this is a lot different than loading for rifle or pistol.

 

[HSMITH]

STS is Super Target Special or something equally hokey. I knew at one time exactly what it was.........

The only way I have found to mark a black hull and have it easily recognized is to: Color the casehead with a Sharpie marker and/or drip some brightly colored wax into the crimp folds, red and blue work well for both. If you drip the wax into the folds it will not get rubbed off and will not affect the function of the shells. It WILL dirty up a chamber a little more than not using wax, and will need to be cleaned out after 100 rounds or so. The Sharpie marks the hull for all time, which is OK. You won't want to use them more than 4 or 5 times anyway.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Skeet/Trap/Sporting=STS.

Use the marker like H says to. A pink highlighter will work also.

 

[sebago]

I use a Sharpie to color the primer only, it's a little below level so it's less likely to get rubbed off. Also if you decide to use those hulls for a different load the marking goes away when you deprime. I've used this method for many years for testing and load devepment with shotshells and metallics.