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Thread: Winchester Universal hulls and gas seal wad

  1. #1
    Boolit Man
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    Winchester Universal hulls and gas seal wad

    Hi, I've ordered some gas seals for reloading 12 gauge 7/8 Oz. Lee drive key slugs in Winchester Universal hulls. The base wads on these hulls are pretty tall, and I am concerned that if I seat the gas seal down to where the base wad ends, I might have some air space under it where the powder goes. Does anybody ever use some sort of filler over the powder to avoid this?

    Scotty

  2. #2
    Boolit Master

    rancher1913's Avatar
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    take a hull and cut it in half longway, now place wad in the half section and see if it leaves a gap. you can compare and find "like" types of hulls this way.
    if you are ever being chased by a taxidermist, don't play dead

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master

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    What manual are you using for your load data?

  4. #4
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by rancher1913 View Post
    take a hull and cut it in half longway, now place wad in the half section and see if it leaves a gap. you can compare and find "like" types of hulls this way.
    OK, it leaves a gap.....now what?

    Scotty

  5. #5
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by longbow View Post
    What manual are you using for your load data?
    Hodgdon online and Lee data. The question was about what to do about airspace under the gas seal.

    Scotty

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    toallmy's Avatar
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    What ever you do don't leave a gap .

  7. #7
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by toallmy View Post
    What ever you do don't leave a gap .
    What do we use to fill that airspace?

    Scotty

  8. #8
    Moderator

    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    These hulls are good for one reload and then they are trash. I use them for practice loads that will be shot someplace where I can't pick them up. No loss, at the old price of $21.74 /100 at Walmart they weren't worth reloading.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  9. #9
    Boolit Bub
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    They're 35.98 now

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    I have never used anything to raise the powder height except powder in shot shells .

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy
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    Quote Originally Posted by scottyp99 View Post
    Hi, I've ordered some gas seals for reloading 12 gauge 7/8 Oz. Lee drive key slugs in Winchester Universal hulls. The base wads on these hulls are pretty tall, and I am concerned that if I seat the gas seal down to where the base wad ends, I might have some air space under it where the powder goes. Does anybody ever use some sort of filler over the powder to avoid this?

    Scotty
    Hi Scotty,

    You didn't say what wad or gas seal you were using in this load, but that makes all the difference. These hulls can be reloaded (though most find them rather flimsy) with Win AA data, and similar components will fit. So, you should be treating these as "tapered" hulls. Most gas seals (not full shot cup wads) are made for straight-walled hulls and really not meant for this type of hull.

    The simplest way to load Lee slugs in Winchester Universal hulls is to use the genuine Winchester pink or gray wads; Claybusters don't work because of the ribs on the petals. This can be a winning combination, and I've done it many times with good results. Just be careful not to put too much pressure on the final crimp, or you will buckle these thin hulls.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master
    toallmy's Avatar
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    Your powder charge must completely fill the hull to the bottom of the wad , gas seal .
    I hate the plastic inserts in the base of the hulls .

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    maybe I'm misunderstanding what you have done so far. have you tried putting in the powder charged and then measure to see if there is gap.
    if you can find published data for the hull and use what is in the data there should be no problem.
    I was shooting some winchesters out of a box yesterday going after a couple feral cats. I'm pretty sure they are the same hull, these were low aluminum bases 1 1/4 oz #4 shot. the only reason I picked up the Hulls is I dont like to litter up the place. they just dont compare to the old AA hulls. the Remington hulls seem to take several reloads with no problem and the bulk fiocchi and cheddite hulls Ive gotten in the past hold up real well too.

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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