Wanda Shotshells

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

In the last box of ammo I brought home from my uncle's were these curious critters made in the late 60's-early 70's: Wanda all-plastic shot shells. 2-3/8" long overall, described as 'light field loads.' I have a 2-1/2" chambered 12-gauge, but honestly I am not sure that shooting 40 year old all-plastic shells is a good idea. Likely I'll see if they have any value as a collectible.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Very cool! I wish someone made these all plastic shells again.

 

[entropy]

I remember the Eclipse all-plastic Trap rounds from the late 70's -early 80's, but that's one I've never seen. Extractors on semi and pump guns sometimes ripped right through the rims on Eclipse hulls, but they shot well out of singles, and SxS and O/U guns.

 

[John Joseph]

Hey, I remember when Wanda were introduced!
Plastic ammo was the camel's nose. Now we've got plastic guns LOL!

 

[kudu]

I can remember the Activ plastic shells, but I had never seen the Wanda type.

 

[bannockburn]

kudu

I can remember the Activ plastic shells, but I had never seen the Wanda type.

Same here! I never heard of Wanda plastic shotshells before and I use to keep up with those sort of things. Guess that's one I missed!

 

[bannockburn]

Tinker

Still using that time machine I see...

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Never heard of them but I bought a lot of Activ shells, still have a few. They were fairly good hulls to reload.
I remember being told by older guys I hunted with that they were no good. When I pressed them on why the answer was not having brass meant they had no power.
I'll never forget it because it taught me to never accept or repeat advice I was given until I verified it's truth and accuracy.

 

[Panzerschwein]

Glock needs to make them LOL!!

 

[expat_alaska]

In the last box of ammo I brought home from my uncle's were these curious critters made in the late 60's-early 70's: Wanda all-plastic shot shells. 2-3/8" long overall, described as 'light field loads.' I have a 2-1/2" chambered 12-gauge, but honestly I am not sure that shooting 40 year old all-plastic shells is a good idea. Likely I'll see if they have any value as a collectible.

In '69-'70 I worked at Roberts Shooting Park in Elkhorn NE setting/pulling trap/skeet as a teenager @$1.50/hr. Most fun job I ever had. The place no longer exists and has been the site of a community college for years. We had to police up all the empty hulls: the range managers got all of the once-fired Win AA hulls and sold them to the reloaders at $.02 per hull. The peons like me were free to collect all of the Federal papers and the Rem plastics we wanted for reloading and we filled Blue Rock boxes full of them. Occaisionally we would find some Wanda hulls, usually in the pre-hunting season practice used by some farmers. They were cheap by the box (new), but I think that box you have is quite a collector item. I never could figure out how to reload them as some case mouths were damaged. Brought a few home for my Dad to see and he just rolled eyes.

Although they are probably fine to shoot, that full original box is worth much more as a collector item. Wanda shells have not been made for over 45 years, IIRC.

Nice find!

Jim

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I would say that box of Wanda all-plastic shotshells has more value as a collecter's item than the old box of 25 Winchester Ranger paper shotshells I inherited and decided not shoot. I remember my Dad going hunting and using paper shells. Besides, the crimps look like reloads and someone wrote "#6 Shot" on the bottom of the box.

Somebody with a fond memory of Wanda would probably want those if only for nostalgia sake.

drunkenpoacher: "When I pressed them on why the answer was not having brass meant they had no power."
Well, if high brass means a shell is high power and low brass means a shell is low power, then no brass obviously means no power, quod erat demonstrandum.
Snicker. Even though I am an older guy myself, I'll claim that the all-plastic ACTIV=_shells marked 3-1 1/8-#8 that I shot seemed to hit just as hard as low brass shells marked 3-1 1/8-#8. Both 3 drams equivalent powder charge, same power.

 

[chas08]

I remember Wanda shotshells. As a teenager or young man, I bought a few boxes just for the novelty of having an all plastic see through shotshell. I agree with the others that they are far more valuable as a collector item. The hull was more brittle than the Activ brand that came along later. I'd keep them for display as part of a bygone era!

 

[e rex]

Years ago I even reloaded some Wanda shells. The plastic plug that held the shot and stuff in the shell was forever slipping out and leaving you with a pocket full of shot.

 

[expat_alaska]

I have a 2-1/2" chambered 12-gauge

I think the intent of your original post was that you are looking for something to shoot in your 12 gauge w/2-1/2" chambers. I have never heard of that chambering (probably 2-9/16"), but, unless it does not have Damascus barrels and is suitable for smokeless powder, you might be good to go with this if you reload shotshells and can find suitable components.

My little story:

My Dad had a Winchester Model 12 field grade in 16 gauge and always wanted at least one more shot in the magazine ( I don't know why as he always only got two shots off on one pheasant).

Back in the day (69-70) I reloaded both 12 gauge once-fired Federal papers and Rem Shur-Shot plastics. The wads I used were plastic Pacific Verilite one-piece wads (and I surely doubt that Pacific is in business anymore: the CEO was Bob Dietemeyer). The Rem hulls were high base (not to be confused with high brass) and the Federal paper hulls were low base, like a Win AA hull.

I created a short (2-1/2") shotshell with the Federal cut down papers (star crimp) using the Rem wads for 1-1/8 ounce loads. Loaded them all using a massive single stage Herter's press (my Dad's). My load was 18 grains of Hercules Red-Dot, which was about a 3-dram load. This was for my Rem 870 and it ran well in a 2-3/4" chamber gun.

I could never find enough 16 gauge hulls as pickups on the range to experiment with that combo, no one had any one-piece wads available for a 16 gauge, but I did show that short shotshells worked in an 870 2-3/4" barrel. My Dad conceded. Long ago...

With a SXS you won't have any problems.

Hope this helps you Mr. Pearce.

Jim

 

[Panzerschwein]

I wonder why all polymer shells aren't made anymore?

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

Thanks Jim- I can actually buy RST 2-1/2" shells for the double, it just occurred to me as short as these are they would fit the chambers. 2" and 2-1/2" were actually standard chamber lengths in the late 19th C., and RST makes both of these lengths in loads specifically tailored for antique shotguns.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I have a few Wanda shot shells in my old ammo collection. A single shell will sell for a dollar or more and a full clean box can sell for $30 or more.

 

[TRX]

The Wanda shells were the new hotness in 1967. The gun magazines were full of articles about them. As far as I remember they were made of DuPont Lexan. The Winchester all-plastic shells were a cheaper type of plastic.

 

[entropy]

I wonder why all polymer shells aren't made anymore?

The rims can't stand up to semi-auto and pumps as well as brass, or even the cheap aluminum rims. The Wanda rims might hold up better than Eclipse or Activ (which I think was just a rehash of the Eclipse form what I saw of them.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

I have a box of them, actually 24 shells, gave one away.

 

[Panzerschwein]

The rims can't stand up to semi-auto and pumps as well as brass, or even the cheap aluminum rims. The Wanda rims might hold up better than Eclipse or Activ (which I think was just a rehash of the Eclipse form what I saw of them.

Well its been many years since then, plastic technology has improved.

 

[kBob]

I have a yellow 20 gauge hull....... somewhere. Not to be out done the revolver crowd had a plastic hulled .38 Special, but with an aluminum base and special snap in bullets.

Had someone that thought a Wanda was a dummy / training round once, thank good ness they had not used it for a snap cap!

-kBob

 

[entropy]

Actually, the .38's were all plastic. I had a set of them back in the 70's. My Dad and I would shoot all winter long in the basement with them. They only used the primer, no powder. Not as good as the real thing, but helps keep the skills up.

They still sell them; Speer makes 'em:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/211008/speer-plastic-cases-38-caliber-box-of-50

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...lets-38-caliber-357-to-358-diameter-box-of-50

Well its been many years since then, plastic technology has improved.

True, to the point plastic cased .223 was developed. They had brass rims, however. And the Activ rounds weren't that long ago. but they still would rip the rims in semis and pumps. I really don't see a thermoplastic being both strong enough to stand up to a semiautos' violent action (or a pump) and yet be pliable to temporarily expand to seal the breech, then contract enough to be able to extract it. Heck very few metals do that well.

 

[kBob]

entropy,

Nope....and yes. No the Speer plastic training ammo is not what I was writing about and yes the Speer rounds not only exist but 6 are in an old pill bottle with in reach of this key board. I have them in .38 and .44. I have used them over the years. Oddest use was in a S&W M66 in front of something called a "FARTS" trainer Curved projection screen (provided a 3D feel) used with pre made large disc videos of shoot/no shoot scenerios for LEO training. Only the case and primer of the Speer training round was used and a sensor "saw" where you shot from the primer flash and did freeze frames after the shooting to show you how well you shot and whether you shot righteously or not. Fantastic devise for the time period and the officer could use his duty gun.

I want to say it was in the late 1970's but the company made .38 Special cases of plastic with a metal base. A reloading kit that was just a spring loaded holder you could operate one handed was available. It had a removable rod for depriming and one reversed it for priming and it served to seat the bullet IIRC. Supposedly cases did not need resizing. IIRC there were round nosed, truncated cone, and Wad cutter bullets available. The bullets had a ringed tail section that snapped into the case. I would have sworn I had one in the odd stuff box, but alas it seems to not be the case. When they got dirty you could place them in a mesh bag and toss them in the washing machine, supposedly.

The few rounds of the .223 plastic case with metal base I fired just didn't seem right. Worried me and I did not have but a couple of boxes, really just two. My understanding was that it was supposed to be lighter per round than M 193 ball and that it worked well for that when used in guns that did not get over heated when firing full auto. Sadly military weapons in 5.56mm tend to be used full auto. I understand the round failed in the belt fed department for delivering the volume of fire called for in battle.

There are also plastic training rounds in Europe that are one shot, non reusable for .32 ACP, 9x19mm, and 7.62 NATO that use one piece cases and bullets of plastic with a brass base where the bullet portion tears away from the case on firing. They do not provide enough recoil or gas to operate semi our full auto and the guns must be hand cycled, but they allow training when using ball ammo is not practical. The Hessian Police Accadamy across the street from my old office in Hanau West Germany used those rounds in Walther PP and P-1 (P-38) pistols and G-1 FN FAL rifles inside and in town.

Typically the training rounds that ejected plastic bullets where blue in color and very similar looking blanks where an X shape in the nose of the bullet spilt to allow gas to escape where green. This was a bit confusing to US GI that were familiar with Blue meaning enert training ammo. BTW the German Army used a Bank Firing device with the green plastic blanks with a valve to select for use on the UZI with 9x19mm blanks or the G3 Rifle with 7.62 NATO Plastic blanks there were two sets of screw threads (larger for UZI then smaller for rifle) to allow use on either weapon. They also used the plastic 7.62 blank on belts with the MG3 and such.

US GIs also used the brass base of the 7.62 NATO green plastic blank to make "Hollywood" Blank firing attachments for the M-16A1. The gun then functioned in all modes with US 5.56mm blank without a visable BFA....just like movie guns from Hollywood. And GIs could get in serious trouble for doing so......we did it anyway and it sure was fun.

-kBob

 

[entropy]

Mea Culpa. Well, that's what I like about THR, I learn a lot. I assumed (we all know about that...) you meant the all-plastic Speer .38's.They made those in 44 also, and the bullets in .45, but you used sized brass for that. I had heard of the "Hollywood" BFA's from friends who had served in Germany, but didn't have access to the green ammo. Probably just as well. I caught hell when I brought .38 SPL. Blanks to the field with me and used them on our OPFOR...no BFA needed.