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Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

What’s the preferred hull that’s currently manufactured for reloading 16 ga?

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2346 Location: West MI

All current things considered, any with a 16 stamped on the one end.

Kidding/history aside, my preference is for Win/Ched/RST (equal in my eyes) & RGL.

Joined: 09 Feb 2015 Posts: 817

I would prefer the Rio if it weren't for the Rio primers. The hull is very rugged. Even on the fold. But you must use their primers. Thats the down side.
I do keep a few hundred hulls and keep 2000 primers on hand though.

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

If you really want to use Rio with American primers, they make a tool that works well.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1837 Location: Central ND

The hull that reloads the easiest is the Remington, however many times they don't last more than 2 - 3 reloads.

My 2 favorites are Federal and RIO. I agree with Hammer bill, the RIO's are rugged. I bought a case of RIO primers and use the RIO hulls for sporting clays. They cycle well through my 16 ga. 1100.

Joined: 06 Jan 2021 Posts: 89 Location: Florida

For me lately Cheddite, Rio, Federal, and Remington in that order. A lot of my federal’s are older hulls and I think that’s why I currently prefer the other straight wall hulls.

The Remington’s just don’t last near as good as the Euro hulls, I feel like Remington is still using plastic from the 90’s when it comes to 16 gauge. Also the fact that some Remington game loads are 6 point and some are 8 point makes it annoying while reloading.

From previous threads on the question of hulls, it really seems to be personal choice as to what is best, instead of a collective answer.

You could try to set up a poll, perhaps.

FWIW, I like Federals. Others don't because of a paper basewad, or they only get a few loading out of them.

The number of reloads per hull seems to be dependent upon the user. Person A will claim 7-8 loads out of hull X, but Hull Y splits the first time. Person B will say Hull Y reloads 5 times, and they could never get a crimp on Hull X and they split the second time, so they gave them all to Person A!

Many variables in: age/lot of the hulls, loads, guns, presses...

So, long story short, YMMV. Very Happy

Joined: 31 Dec 2020 Posts: 5 Location: United States

For me it is the Cheddites. RGL hulls get crispy too quick. I have been having good luck with Cheddites with 7/8 oz loads over Vectan A1. They seem to hold up well and I am breaking clays.

Joined: 07 Jun 2020 Posts: 224

Member Joined: 08 Oct 2012 Posts: 371 Location: Indiana

Old colonel, I don't think they will hold up at all so you prolly should just send them to me and I'll properly dispose of them for you Laughing

Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 1307 Location: Western WA

I have been reloading 16 ga far more than I ever anticipated. Reloading has essentially eliminated a great impediment to my 16 ga shooting, I.e. , the emotional resistance of forking over my hard earned funds to purchase 16ga ammo at someone else’s price and convenience. Reloading gives much of the choices and initiative back to me.

As far as 16ga hulls go, my preferred choice is Cheddite in any of its various incarnations inc RST, Win, etc. Cheddite hulls fill and crimp consistently, have precision fit with many Euro type wads, use all kinds of primers including Rio, reload many times, and perform great.

However, Rio hulls have lately become available to me in quantity, and have proven to be a very solid alternative to Cheddite. They reload and perform identically to Cheddite, with the exception of requiring Rio primers. When I exhaust my supply of Rio primers, my cartons of Rio hulls might be relegated to long term storage.

After significant use of RGL hulls, I now regard them with deep dissatisfaction. Yes they can be reloaded but the texture of the plastic is very coarse and weak. However the most serious flaw is their undersized internal dimensions, for which only Remington wads are suitable, and not the more advanced Euro wad designs, if one takes component design and fit seriously.

Fed hulls have good utility but their composition base wads have short lifespan in humid conditions.

Finally, notwithstanding the great ardor expressed here by many for Win CF hulls, the tapered wall hull design is obsolete if not outright hazardous.

ADDENDUM: After reloading several 100s of Fiocchi hulls I noticed frequent base wad separation after 2 or 3 reloads. I no longer regard them as useful for my recreational reloading purposes.

V/R
B.

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2346 Location: West MI

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1695 Location: Minnesota

Seems like the only complaint on rgl's is longevity. If only Remington had a better plastic...
Seems that you can get the same velocity with less powder than other hulls
You can use the claybuster wads,which are much cheaper
Loading with a Sizemaster,I never have any problems and they crimps are great.
In a pinch like when things get scarce, you can use the Fed20s1 wad for 7/8 oz
At least in the past if you got the right batch, they loaded up as 2 5/8 for short chamber gun needs

Has anyone ever noticed if the rgls last longer with a particular powder?

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1837 Location: Central ND

putz463 & Brewster11,

I haven't had the problem with RIO's having the basewads get loose. But thanks for the heads up.

My RIO hulls are from new factory loads that were 1 oz. @ 1300 FPS, red hull, high metal head, with a red basewad. They were old stock bought at Dick's about 3 years ago. Gonna guess the hulls are about 4 years old.

I will check them all before I reload them and I will post any issues with loose basewads here. I am using RIO primers and I am resizing them to 0.737" to 0.738", using a 9000G or a Sizemaster.

Joined: 21 Mar 2019 Posts: 523 Location: Texas

I also haven’t had any issue with Rio’s. I have cut several apart and getting the base wad out even then is tough, so maybe they fixed the problem. Then again I load the cheap federal paper base wad and don’t have problems. I do however use an o/u so any issue isn’t an issue for long.