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Thread: Activ shells

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold Trailblaster's Avatar
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    Activ shells

    In the middle 1980s I had a job at an Indoor range as an instructor. We also had a gun shop on site.I remember all the different weapons I got to shoot.We had dealers bring in everything from full auto M-60s to suppressed Mac10s .While going through my reloading supplies I came across these Activ 12 gauge shotgun shells. They are no longer made anymore I even found the loading data book for them.

    Just thought I would share some pics to those who have never seen these.I also remember having some indoor cartridges that were primer powered and all you needed to do was push the flat plastic bullet in the case add a primer and shoot.No reloading press needed.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Activ shells 001.jpg   Activ shells 002.jpg   Activ shells 003.jpg  

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    Hogtamer's Avatar
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    I loaded lots of those for doves when they first came out nd HDTV great results. They didn't last with the local guys though and I eventually had no more hulls.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master

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    I loaded a lot of those hulls year's ago

    Both trap loads and steel shot for ducks
    Wish I still had a bunch of the 20 gau


    John
    Yea, thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
    And I carry a LOADED Hell Cat

  4. #4
    Boolit Master


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    I still have a bunch in 12ga. They are GREAT!! I have reloaded some as many as 10 times and other than some discoloration, they work fine. A shooting buddy gave me a bag full a few years ago and some looked like they were reloaded many times more than mine. I ran some through the reloader and they still shoot good. Hold on to them Trailblaster, you have a great find.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
    sargenv's Avatar
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    I put the word out about 2-3 years ago that I was looking for these hulls and I was able to purchase about 1500 of them.. some once fired, some new.. I still have most all of the new ones and the once fired ones I turned into a steel shot load that I'd had good luck with in seasons past.

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy birddog's Avatar
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    Some what of a shame that we don't have a supply of compression formed hulls available for the sweet 16 but so goes the war. If i could just win the lottery I might take up making some old AA hulls or the likes of STS hulls for the lowly 16.
    Charlie

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Was a sad day in 1987 when Fiocchi bought out ACTIV in W VA. Started using them for ducks on the salt marches in the 70's. Have enough new and used plus original wads to last me many years. The best hull ever made!
    Regards
    John

  8. #8
    Boolit Master

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    I was pretty young when Activ shells came out. Unfortunately I fell prey to the false rumors about Active hulls not being good for reloads and regrettably didn't save them. Back then the Win AAs were king now that they have changed the Remington and Federal Gold Medals are my favorites. Kind of makes you wonder how many good things meet an early end due to false information. FB

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold
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    My favorite 12 gauge 2 3/4" case & am very happy to know that I still have a case & 1/2 new factory trap loads unfired waiting for use.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Yup, they were a great empty for reloading, they had more capacity then the others and you needed more powder to make trap loads, the "up side" was you could load very heavy waterfowl loads, at normal pressures.

  11. #11
    Moderator Emeritus JeffinNZ's Avatar
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    I still have 2-300 hundred once fired. They are great hulls. Good for black powder loads as they have a much larger internal volume than the likes of AA's.
    Thermal underwear style guru.
    "Exclusive international distributor of Jeff Brown Hunt Club clothing."
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    Cheers from New Zealand

    Jeff.

  12. #12
    In Remembrance


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    I came across a large cardboard Active case 3/4 full of 1 time fired Active`s 2 3/4" the other day when cleaning off a top shelf, had completely forgotten I had them. I have never tried to reload them, even when I knew I had these cases, didn`t want a pile of different wads crowding my AA loading stuff.Robert

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
    labradigger1's Avatar
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    i have some of the activ 12 gauge flash bang shells for geese control, they work well. used to get them from the dnr office.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master


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    Quote Originally Posted by John Boy View Post
    Was a sad day in 1987 when Fiocchi bought out ACTIV in W VA. Started using them for ducks on the salt marches in the 70's. Have enough new and used plus original wads to last me many years. The best hull ever made!
    Best ever is right John Boy. Like most other things...the big dogs buy out the smaller ones and a good thing disappears.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    Those look rather like the Wanda translucent cases of the 1970s. It was said that those disappeared because they were insufficiently durable in the plastic rim. My guess is that they would have been fine with a double and its wide extractor. But the claw extractor of a pump-gun, or even more so an automatic, might have been too much for them. If it happens, it will happen when the goose or turkey of a lifetime is thumbing his nose at you, or would if he had a thumb.

  16. #16
    In Remembrance bikerbeans's Avatar
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    I remember a fellow shooting activ slug loads in the early 90s. Not sure if factory or hand loads.

    BB

  17. #17
    Boolit Buddy
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    I would love to find 2-300 once fired or new hulls. Have some hulls I got in the late '90s and they reload better than most any other hull. Unbelievably tough and never a problem with extraction. No sticky brass (or steel) head to get stuck in chamber. Too bad someone doesn't start making them again.

  18. #18
    Boolit Master
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    My Mossberg 500 didn't like to feed these from the magazine - all our Rem 870's did OK with them tho.
    Last edited by Kestrel4k; 04-04-2018 at 02:23 PM.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master

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    I loaded a lot of Activs back in the '90s, great hulls, I do miss them.
    Last edited by Moonie; 04-04-2018 at 02:49 PM.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master
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    "Activ/s problem was getting onto the distributor level...when the big ammo boys told the distributor they would pull their line if the distributor took on the Activ line...period!
    The same thing happened when Smith & Wesson came out with shotshells..."

    https://www.shootersforum.com/shotgu...ble-loads.html

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check