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

Picked up about 75 or so empty Feds todays 5 had water/ice in them--I need to put this to rest --Does the basewad come loose after being wet????I will let them dry /load and shoot in a stackbarrel to see if the basewad stays in the bore.The hulls were on end and 3/4 to completely full--I separated these--Any experiences with failures of the basewads on these Feds????----Or is it a myth?????I have always used Rems or my sacred stash of AA"s

I have not had a base wad problem with the 16ga purple hulls at any time. I have had the 12g federal cheapies with the same paper base wad come loose several times. I quit using them this year. I just got tired of having to check every time I used or reloaded them for loose wads. On the other hand the 16ga has held up much better for me with no problems. Then again I never used any that had been half filled with water or ice.
Best,
Ron

Member Joined: 02 Oct 2007 Posts: 1975

I just purchased about 200 empty federal hulls. Heard that the basewad might come loose. I deprimed all of them and checked for loose basewads. Not a one.

Federal hulls, both plastic and paper, are pretty much all I use, and I've never once had a wad separation problem.

*Last edited by 16gaugeguy on Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:34 am; edited 1 time in total*

Once fired paper base wad Federal hulls which have never gotten wet are a fine hull to reload if you don't try to stretch the number times you reload them past two times. If there is evidence the paper base wad hulls got wet, I'd strongly advise not using them. The wads can swell, then shrink back to a smaller than original size often as not. Plus, the metal bases on basic Federal hulls of this type are no longer brass, but steel. Rust will weaken them inside as well where it is hard to see the damage. The combination of a loose base wad and a corroded metal base is a recipe for disaster.

This advise I've printed goes back to before most of us were born. The old timers who depended on this type of hull already learned the dangers of using water damaged paper based hulls or used up ones and have warned us not to. Why relearn what they did the hard way. Trust their advice and avoid paying the price. The cost of replacing the questionable hulls or ones that have been reloaded twice is far cheaper than the potential consequences of a burst gun barrel. Thanks for listening.

Member Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 665 Location: Louisiana

If it's been wet, toss it.

Guest

Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 596 Location: 17603

hoas,
I'd be leary of paper basewad hulls that have been wet. For the cost, new primed Cheddites are great value IMHO.

https://www.grafs.com/product/185032

Cheers,
R*2

Hello Twice Barrel :

Ole GG is not too far off base on this one , 6 loadings sounds like me , I use em up but that is streching the life of a paper hull to just about where the rubber band breaks I have made it to 10 times before the tube shot out of the barrel but just to see how long it took is the only reason for this .
Now of course this was with the 12ga Federal Paper Hull .

I know I am going to get hollered at for this one , but here goes , if one shoots a break open gun and will blow down each tube before loading a round in the chamber , go ahead and use your wet base wad hulls ( I would always do so ) but if your shooting a fixed breech gun such as a pump or auto , THROW THE HULLS AWAY , like GG said it isnt worth it .

I used to shoot Federal Paper exclusively for many years and learned from the OLD TIMERS that blowing down the tube HAS A PURPOSE not to just look to look odd , this tells you if you have a base wad stuck in the barrel or not , if you do NEVER LOAD A ROUND BEHIND IT , OR YOU WILL BE SORRY .

I like the Federal Hulls and am not one bit afraid of loading them to the Max , BUT I ALWAYS CHECK MY BORE'S EACH AND EVERY TIME , its just a real good practice to get into .

The call is yours , if your like me and check your tubes each time then go ahead and have no fear , IF YOU DONT CHECK YOUR TUBES EACH AND EVERY TIME , then do like 16GG said and give them to someone else and get plastic base wad hulls .

Regards Charles

Guest

Has there ever been a documented case of base wad separation with the base wad lodging in a bore? I have heard a lot of speculation about the base wad of Federal and the new Winchester hulls lodging in bores but never any creditable proof. There have been instances where it was suspected to have caused barrel ruptures but with further investigation it turned out to be loaders error using too much powder or the wrong powder which was the culprit. If base wad separation had been proved to be a problem I'm sure there would have been a bunch of product liability suits file against Federal Cartridge Co. As it is there aren't any warning labels warning against reloading these hulls.

There is a fellow by the handle of Jugchoke, I believe, on shotgunworld.com who states he has lost a barrel to a Federal hull that lost its base wad. I think his gun was an autoloader.

I, personally, have loaded the Federal 12 ga. plastic hulls as many as 4 times and have had no evidence of loose base wads. I cut a once fired and a 4 time reloaded hull apart and the base wads were virtually indistinguishable to the naked eye except for the blackening of the material. I don't know what material they use but it doesn't appear to be paper. I see no reason not to reload them. I shoot these loads in an O/U.

Having said that, throw the water soaked hulls away. That just seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Member Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 161 Location: New Mexico

I haven't had a problem with the Federals, but a number of Fiocchi have had loose basewads.

TB, you can do whatever you want with your guns and your reloads as long as you have the decency to warn whoever you are standing next to that you might be taking a risk. I sure as hell would not want to stand next to you. Thanks for the consideration.

Guest

Well, you would not be doing it long. Have the number of a good lawyer handy if you do. Better wear some kevlar too. Boston PD swat teams tend to be edgy. Laughing

Seriously though, if you are ever shooting at a club on the line with other shooters next to you, I hope you have the sense and consideration keep those overused hulls in the ammo box at home and not in your gun. That was my point.