New to reloading and have a question about wads.

[Dan]

So I have decided to get into reloading my own shotgun shells after my dad recently gave me his MEC 700 that I helped him use to reload numerous shells as a young boy. He also gave me a big box of hulls, 209 primers, wads (Remington SP20 and Winchester WAA20), powder and shot to get started with. I plan to make up a batch of Winchester 2 3/4" polyformed 20 guage 1oz shells for squirrel hunting and herein lies my question/confusion:

I have 1/2 can of Winchester 540 powder but it will be running out soon and will have to start using Hodgdon Hs-6 in it's place. When I switch to the HS-6 powder can I use my Win. 209 primers and WAA20 or SP20 wads or would I have to use the WAA20F1 (which I can not find anywhere!)? I want the 1220 velocity but the HS-6 recipe calls for the Rem. 209A primers and I would hate to not be able to use my unopened case (5000) W209 primers. If anyone can give me a little insight or advice I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks to all in advance!

 

[Birdhunter1]

Why do you have to use Hs-6? I use those same components with either IMR 800X and Hodgdon Longshot and get some impresive velocities.

 

[snuffy]

Win 540 and HS-6 are THE SAME POWDER! The difference is the data for 540 is over ten years old, since it has not been available since then. If that load worked with 540, it will work with HS-6.

 

[rg1]

Winchester 20 ga. wad WAA20F1 wads were discontinued some time back, I'm thinking a couple years ago.
I'd ditch the Win polyformed hulls and buy some Remington Premier/STS hulls. They'll load better and last longer in my experience. Win 20 ga. poly-formed hull load data is harder to find especially 1 oz. loads. With the cost of shot, wads, primers and powder I'd load only target quality hulls with the latest published data.

 

[243winxb]

You could do a search here or ask. Most people will not give you a load that is not a published recipe. If you compare wads, powder, and primers on Hodgdon website using the Polyformed case, you might find your answer there. Look at the Universal load data, where the primers are the only thing different. Then look at the same primer but different wads. Always best to follow a recipe. NOT Guess. http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewforum.php?f=13&sid=965912d4346a64d7db4066234b885987 Using Universal powder, The SP20 gives less pressure than the WAA20F1 wad. The Win209 primer gives less pressure than the Fed 209A primer. But remember this is using Universal powder. HS-6 might be total different??? So follow a published recipe for safety.

 

[earlthegoat2]

First off you should get a book or manual with shotgun loading information as this will undoubtedly give you more insight into reloading for your 20 ga.

As an avid 20ga loader myself I tend to agree that you should probably get some AA or STS hulls as well althought these seem to be quite hard to find right now. With these hulls however I have found that last a very long time with the light loads I load them with. As in 3/4oz at 1100 fps.

If you want to use the polyforms once or twice I see nothing wrong with that as long as you have a published load to follow.

I also recommend trying out some lighter loads. Squirrels are not the toughest animals out there and I have found that even 1/2 oz loads work excellent on them with not so much meat loss.

 

[smorris62]

WAA20 vs. WAA20F1 - WIN209 vs CCI209 vs FED209

Hello all,
I am new to this reloading game. I have read everywhere to NOT deviate from a particular formula.

If the formula calls for WAA20F1 (which is no longer available), can the WAA20 be used instead.

The same question goes for the primers - what is the difference between the Winchester, the CCI and the Federal 209's? Are they interchangeable?

Or is this just a proprietary component game to ensure revenue? Thanks.

The Newbie
Scott

 

[fecmech]

Scott--The AA20 wad will take up more room in the case than the 20 f1 thats the difference because it's made for 7/8 oz. loads mainly. The cases you are using I'm not familiar with but they may work with 1 ounce if there is enough room for a crimp. You won't know till you try. On the other hand 7/8 oz. loads are more than adequate for squirrels.
I would suggest that when you run out of 540 get some Unique or International Clays and use your sp20 and aa 20 wads with 7/8 oz loads of which there are many recipes with ww 209 primers for your squirrels.