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I have gone through the pheasant season using my Aya #2 16 Ga. loaded with 1-oz. CP #6 shot, 32 gr. 4756 with a published velocity of 1328 fps at 7440 psi in the open barrel and 1 1/8 NP pushed by 25 Gr. of Trail Boss in the tight barrel. The loads are good medicine for pheasants
The loads were shot packaged in all brass Hammer Double Company Crown Series shells. Three of the hulls lost their over shot wads and shot that were glued in with Elmer’s Glue.
Today, I will pickup Water Glass and see if I can get a better seal. The patterns were very symmetrical and every time that I patterned the loads, the improved cylinder load overlapped the modified load better than any load that I have ever patterned.
I do not have velocity or psi data for the Trail Boss load and I may not send the hulls loaded with Trail Boss to Tom Armbruster, because it is his recommended load. I will eventually get Velocity data locally. Both loads did not expand the hulls and after being loaded and shot multiple times, the hulls slipped into either barrel nicely.
I have been told that plastic wads will not work in the Crown Series hulls and that information is valid because the inside diameter is larger than “standard” 16 Ga. and requires oversize wads.
I just ordered from Rocky mountain Cartridge (RMC) in Cody WY, 1 box each of 28 Ga. and 16 Ga. brass hulls and will pick them up Monday. These brass hulls are turned from bar stock, considerably thicker than Crown Series hulls and cost $5.40 each.
According to RMC any published load in gauge appropriate reloading manuals will work in their brass hulls because they have the “same inside diameter” as plastic hulls. I’m looking forward to trying the plastic wads in the new hulls.
As stated in a previous thread, reloading brass hulls takes at least twice the time to load than plastic or paper, but for hunting, how many do you need?

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

They served our grandfathers well Cool

Love using the all brass shells! You will be very happy with the Rocky mountian shells. They last for ever and ever, amen!! I have used Duco glue on the over the shot wads. Don't recall ever lossing a wad. They are the only shell that I use in my grandfathers Ithaca fluess. It's great to see the bird and fiber/paper wad come floating down to the ground . It makes the young guys ask, "What are you shooting?". Let us know in a few years how many reloading you got out of the shells. I have loaded some as many a 18 times. Just like the bunny; still going!

Joined: 25 Feb 2006 Posts: 50 Location: john day, or

I have worked up 16 gauge loads for brass hulls:
A .070 12 ga nitro card over powder, 3/8 16ga filler wad, BP-12 wad (4 slits to base) with two 1/4" 20ga cork wads inside, one ounce shot, one .125 20ga nitro wad over shot.

I use a MEC Jr single stage loader to assemble. Use enough pressure on the 20ga nitro wad to force it inside the BP-12 shot cup so that the top of the wad is inset about 1/16" inside. Holds the shot in the shell and pattern well. Apparently top wad was does not disturb the pattern.

I use 17 grains of Unique for smokeless loads, and a rounded 3.1cc (Lee powder measure) of Hodgdon Triple Seven for 'black powdrer' loads.

Works for me.

Member Joined: 09 Dec 2005 Posts: 989 Location: Las Vegas

jschultz: Any chance you can post some pics of the brass loads?

Matt

DDAWG - Duco is also recommended by Rocky Mountain.
31116Ga.- Hammer Double supplied the data for two loads with their hulls, both use SR4756 and they claim to have additional loads. I have requested loading info from them and as of this writing have not received same. Tom Armbruster has done pressure and velocity tests for Hammer Double.
Citorifeather16 - Tomorrow, I’m picking up 28 and 16 gauge hulls from Rocky Mountain and on the next bad weather day I’ll load some, take a few pics of each mfg.’s hull and post pics with dimensions.
According to Rocky Mountain, their brass hulls will last a life time for an average hunter. After + or - 2000 reloads with black powder, a local cowboy action shooter has had problems with loose primer pockets. Rocky Mountain drilled out the pockets and inserted a threaded piece, drilled to 209 primer dimensions. Rocky Mountain hulls can be loaded to gauge specific published data and negates the need for different plastic/paper hulls that one would use to accommodate different powder and shot weights.
Bottom line: One hull for all loads.
While I have no long term experience with Hammer Double’s Crown Series brass hulls, it seems logical that the base wad will eventually fail. So far, these hulls loaded with 1 oz. and 1 1/18 oz. of shot have performed well on wild birds and my pattern board. When a Crown Series base wad failure occurs, I then will be able to assess their value.