Activ shells

[Trailblaster]

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.

[Hogtamer]

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.

[Johnch]

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

[Vinne]

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.

[sargenv]

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.

[birddog]

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

[John Boy]

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!

[Firebricker]

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

[shorthair]

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.

[MT Chambers]

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.

[JeffinNZ]

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.

[Hardcast416taylor]

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

[labradigger1]

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.

[Vinne]

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.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

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.

[bikerbeans]

I remember a fellow shooting activ slug loads in the early 90s. Not sure if factory or hand loads.

BB

[nhithaca]

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.

[Kestrel4k]

My Mossberg 500 didn't like to feed these from the magazine - all our Rem 870's did OK with them tho.

[Moonie]

I loaded a lot of Activs back in the '90s, great hulls, I do miss them.

[RMc]

"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/shotguns-shotgunning-shotshell-reloading/49608-activ-hulls-classic-double-loads.html

[Hogtamer]

Best hulls ever for my money. I scoured the earth a couple of years back and vought all I could find that people would sell. A good bit of my stash is loaded in those. The look with no brass was a hurdle to overcome. My favorite autoloader is also a different bird...the Browning 2000 gas operated gun with open loading port on left side. Too different for some but shooting doves, live shells on the left, retrieved hull on the right. Snapped this last year during a lull in the shooting....still getting it done.
217614

[Mr_Sheesh]

With the Internet now, they could just sell direct to customers, like Starline does...

[RMc]

Federal 12 gauge one piece plastic hunting hulls have the same internal loaded volume as Activ hulls of the same length and crimp type.

[Gray Fox]

I've still got a couple hundred new, primed 12 ga Activ shells and some once fired. Can anyone give me load data for this shell with the Lee 7/8 and 1 oz slugs with current wads? Thanks, GF

[kaiser]

I still got some 16ga active wads and hulls; however, I haven't seen any sold for years! They are good quality.

[trapper9260]

I still have some of the 12ga they are easy to load.I like them too bad they are not out there anymore from what I see.I do use other types.

[Duster340]

Man, what a blast from the past! My buddies and I used a lot of Activ rounds for pretty much all our bird and small game hunting back then. Good ammo for sure.... in hindsight I wish I'd had saved the hulls.