Short shotgun shells

[qkdraw44]

Happy new year all, while loading slugs for my 12 ga i have about a dozen new primed shells that i had to cut open because i was going though a learning curve. Anybody have any sugestions how long they should be cut to and what to load in them they were 3" rio shells thanx lenny

[too many things]

I have cut the hulls just above the slug and take hot bee wax and seal. the bee wax don't get brittle like paraffin. just run enough to seal the edges not cover the slug

[sdcitizen]

Using a roll crimper, I have made buckshot loads as short as 1 7/8", I believe I cut them at 2 1/8" and rolled in about 1/4" of crimp on top of an overshot card. Only used an over powder seal and put 1 oz of shot on top of that. Didn't want to push the envelope pressure wise so I believe the load was 17 grains of red dot. It was light recoiling and cycled through a Win 1200 just fine.

[longbow]

A word or warning. I once made short hulls using Lyman Foster slugs and wound up with a blown up gun.

After regaining a bit of composure after the blow up, I picked up the pieces and took them home for examination. One thing was quite obvious ~ the slug had obturated inside the chamber and left gray streaks from the mouth of the short hull to the forcing cone.

These were very short hulls with just a plastic gas seal and Lyman Foster slug with cavity filled with cornmeal to keep wads out. I was copying something a friend had done a few years prior but he used a 0.715" round ball and was quite successful.

My load was from a Lyman reloading manual with the only change being the non-existent wad column (just gas seal) and cornmeal in the slug cavity). No chance of double charge as the load would not have fit the hull.

I do not believe that there would be a problem with bird or buckshot or with a solid slug but my suspicion is that using relatively fast powder (Dupont PB), short hull, soft lead slug and cornmeal in the cavity along with a 3" chamber created a situation where the slug swole up at launch, filled the chamber (along with cornmeal filling) then hit the forcing cone and had to squeeze down causing a pressure spike blowing the top of the chamber off.

Another warning as well ~ replacing a cushion leg wad with solid card wad column or making short hulls so removing the cushion leg can also increase pressures due to the volume decrease (no cushion leg compressing at ignition). BPI has published loads for short hulls so it would be wise to check those to be sure you do not create an over pressure situation if making shorty hulls. From what I see, this seems to be more of an issue with fast powders than slow powders, but best to be safe.

If all you are doing is shortening 3" hulls to 2 3/4" then no problem but I see mention of shorty loads here too so thought I would pass on some safety advice.

Longbow

[qkdraw44]

Thanx longbow i was not going to use slug for that same reason. #6 or buck shot is ok just to use them up. I must roll crimp because my press can't reach the shell thanx lenny

[gds45]

If you cut them to 2 3/4" any published load will do for slugs or buck. If you have to cut them shorter here are some published/tested loads I use. Yes I load slugs in the short shells. I have had no problems with them. Some are Hard card and some are the X12X gas seal from BPI. :smile: Wherever the listed weight in this table is 7/8 oz I load the Lee 7/8oz slug.



Gauge
length
hull
primer
powder
grains
Gas seal and/or wad
Filler Wad
Overshot
shot(oz.)
shot type
P.S.I.
F.P.S.
load notes


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
16.0
2xNC12
1 HCW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,500
1,200
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
18.0
2xNC12
2 1/4" CW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,500
1,200
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
18.0
OB12

COS12
7/8oz
Lead
9,000
1,255
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
18.0
X12X
2 1/4" CW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
9,000
1,260
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
14.0
X12X
HCW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,200
1,160
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Bullseye
14.0
X12X
1/4"cw12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,300
1,150
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Win
Bullseye
14.0
X12X
1/4"cw12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,400
1,150
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Green Dot
19.0
X12X
1/4"cw12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,800
1,270
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
PB
21.0
X12X
1/4"cw12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,100
1,210
Roll


12g
2"
Fiocchi
Fio
PB
21.0
X12X
1/8"fw12
COS12
1oz
Lead
9,500
1,275
Roll


12g
2-1/4"
Cheddite
CH209
Bullseye
14.0
SSW

COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,100
1,130
Roll


12g
2-1/4"
Cheddite
CH209
Red Dot
19.0
(3) 17C12

COS12
7/8oz
Lead
11,400
1,380
Roll


12g
2-1/4"
Fiocchi
Fio
PB
24.0
X12X
12ga cw/fw

7/8oz
Lead
7,000
1,245
Roll


12g
2-1/4"
Fiocchi
Fio
PB
26.0
X12X
12ga cw/fw

1oz
Lead
7,500
1,225
Roll


12g
2-1/2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Bullseye
22.0
X12X
BW12
COS12
3/4oz
Lead
9,000
1,400



12g
2-1/2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Bullseye
19.0
X12X
BW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
9,000
1,300



12g
2-1/2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Bullseye
18.0
(2)X12X
+(2)HCW12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,400
1,270
Roll


12g
2-1/2"
Fiocchi
Fio
Titewad
19.0
2 HCW12

COS12
7/8oz
Lead
8,000
1,210



12g
2-1/2"
Win AA
Win
Bullseye
21.0
LB12

COS12
3/4oz
Lead
8,500
1,345



12g
2-1/2"
Win AA
Win
Titewad
18.0
HCW12
+14C12
COS12
7/8oz
Lead
11,100
1,400

[William Yanda]

I recently saw a warning not to use shells shorter than 2 3/4 in. in Winchester 1300 or similar guns. I believe it was in an NRA magazine. Google: Winchester Model 1200 safety warning