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Ohio Wirehair
PostPosted: Sat Jun 03, 2017 11:19 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 546
Location: Ohio

I purchased some hulls from a member here and my questions are, 1. Some of the hulls are Hiawatha, purple and made by Federal who in the world were they? 2. Some of the hulls are Federal or Wards,they have a solid brass base. How long ago did they stop making solid brass bases?
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16GAwaterfowler
PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:36 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 287
Location: missouri

Ohio Wirehair wrote:
I purchased some hulls from a member here and my questions are, 1. Some of the hulls are Hiawatha, purple and made by Federal who in the world were they? 2. Some of the hulls are Federal or Wards,they have a solid brass base. How long ago did they stop making solid brass bases?

Gambles was a retail chain kind of like Montgomery Ward, they went out of business sin the 1980's.
Most of those hulls are from the late 60's or 1970's, Federal made hulls for several outfits under their brand name.

Montgomery Wards-- Long Range, Field and Reliance
Western Auto-- 2 3/4 " magnum, Maximum load and Field load
Gambles/ Hiawatha-- 2 3/4" magnum, Ace and Airway

All of them should load up the same as Federal 16 gauge Field hulls.
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Dave In AZ
PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 4:43 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 13 Oct 2015
Posts: 348

You really know your stuff!
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Ohio Wirehair
PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 8:02 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 546
Location: Ohio

What about the ones (Federal and Wards) with the solid brass bases? Their easy to pick out because of 2 rings around the brass.
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16GAwaterfowler
PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 10:51 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 287
Location: missouri

I really don't know how long ago they stopped making them, I have quite a few of them with the Revelation name on them, load them up like the Federal hulls.

Brass bases are not as uncommon as people think both Remington and Winchester kept on making actual brass base hulls up until the late 1980's or maybe early 1990's. I have plenty of Winchester 16 gauge compression formed hulls that have brass bases on them.
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Jagdhund
PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:21 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 29 Jan 2010
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Location: McPherson, KS

I'm sad to say, that I have experienced metal fatigue with a number of my vintage Federal high brass, brass head hulls. They are splitting not only the side of the head, but the rim, also. This has happened with factory loaded ammo, so it's not due to hardening from the sizing die.

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16GAwaterfowler
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 3:26 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 287
Location: missouri

Brass gets old and brittle after a while depending on quality or the lack of, it could last along time or for one firing. I've seen many of the old Winchester Mark 5 hulls crack after one firing.
Remember most of the hulls we use aren't meant to be reloaded by the factories just fired once and thrown away.
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MaximumSmoke
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 9:55 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 01 Dec 2005
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Location: Minnesota and Florida

Federals were especially prone to base and rim splitting from the get go, much more so than any other brand as I recall, especially in the paper hull days. I still have burnt powder specks embedded in the cornea of my shooting eye from a split rim of a 20 gauge Federal paper I fired in an old Marlin hammer pump. The powder and gasses went right down the firing pin into my unprotected eye -- very painful. Wear shooting glasses. Optometrists still find the specks and wonder what they are. A few days after the incident it stopped hurting, and really hasn't bothered me since. Lucky boy. I was 11 or 12 years old. That was probably one key event that prompted my dad to buy me a brand new Model 12 Winchester in 20 gauge -- it was 1964 when I got it for Christmas. The new Model 1200's and 1400's had just come out and the Model 12 was therefore "obsolete" -- new in the box $65. That took care of the worries about split rims on reloaded paper shells. I still have that gun and hunt with it occasionally. Glad I still have my eye, too. I'll probably sell that gun one of these years -- you'll have to wait longer to harvest my eyes, I hope.
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byrdog
PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 12:53 pm  Reply with quote
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I DONT have mine

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big-k
PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 4:22 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 25 Feb 2008
Posts: 34
Location: ohio 44442

I have some new old stock from about 1980..ish They are Browning plastic 3" 20ga. number 2# shot I saved them for special needs like Fox hunting or, or. A few years back I pulled them out of my dry storage to find several of the base heads had split top to bottom and could be removed...bummer, cant shoot them anymore! SXS Ohio

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Jagdhund
PostPosted: Sun Jun 11, 2017 3:28 pm  Reply with quote
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big-k wrote:
I have some new old stock from about 1980..ish They are Browning plastic 3" 20ga. number 2# shot I saved them for special needs like Fox hunting or, or. A few years back I pulled them out of my dry storage to find several of the base heads had split top to bottom and could be removed...bummer, cant shoot them anymore! SXS Ohio


I would: 1) sell them to a collector or 2) break them down and salvage the components.

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