Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Remington SxS factory shells


Harvey Mushman

Recommended Posts

Pards,

 

Did some searches here, but did not see this specific issue. I am a SxS shooter who is gathering reloading equipment, but due to no reloading time, I've been shooting factory low noise, low recoil Win Featherlites (and saving the hulls for reloading when I have more time).

 

Our local shops say the 12ga Win AA Feather Lites (with the smooth hulls) have been discontinued. These were 2 1/2 dram #8s at 26 grams (about .91 oz). As you double shooters know, they shuck just great from nearly all of our SxS SGs.

 

Apparently, Winchester (in their infinite wisdom) has replaced them with the Winlites in the same formula - still says low noise, low recoil, and feels the same, HOWEVER, these new shells are ribbed and WON"T SHUCK from any of my SxS and several of the pards I shoot with have the same prob!!!

 

So, my questions are:

1. Has Winchester really quit the smooth AA featherlite shells, and if not, where can we get them?

2. If they have quit, what are the specific, equivalent factory Remington STS shells folks have been using (I understand they hold up for reload better)? Any advice on sources is also welcome.

 

Remember, this question is specific to shucking from SxS.

 

Thanks in advance,

Harvey :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has come up before and turned out not to be true. The local Sportsman's Warehouse has piles of the Low Recoil Low Noise AKA "featherlites." As far as the hull any Remington STS is fine. However, there is no low recoil equivalent in the Remington line. They make some "Managed Recoil" loads that are supposed to be lighter than normal. However, they are no where near as light as the "featherlite" Winchesters. Your post makes it sound like you have actually purchased featherlites with ribbed cases? Have you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This has come up before and turned out not to be true. The local Sportsman's Warehouse has piles of the Low Recoil Low Noise AKA "featherlites." As far as the hull any Remington STS is fine. However, there is no low recoil equivalent in the Remington line. They make some "Managed Recoil" loads that are supposed to be lighter than normal. However, they are no where near as light as the "featherlite" Winchesters. Your post makes it sound like you have actually purchased featherlites with ribbed cases? Have you?

 

Larsen,

 

I have purchased and shot them (ribbed lowe noise, low recoil Winlites). They all stick in my honed Stoeger, Stevens 311 and Rossi.

 

I appreciate the local lore aspect of this, but our biggest local dealer is a regular shooter with us. If it ain't true, please point us to your current source for ordering NEW ones and we'll be happy as pigs in STUF! :lol:

 

Thanks,

Harvey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truly strange. Their web site still shows the old AA12FL8 number which is a double A hull. They also show a WL12FL8 which is the Winlite. When you go to the comparison page they look like the same hull. http://www.wincheste...es/default.aspx

 

I still have some, but am going to Sportsmans tomorrow to see what the shells in the latest shipment look like. All they have are the AA12FL8 marked shells and they are still in an AA box. My guess is they are still making the AA hull and the WinLite has the same ballistics but is a little cheaper.

 

(Just clicked on the link and it only takes you to the comparison page. Check the AA and WL and push compare and it will bring up the picture.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truly strange. Their web site still shows the old AA12FL8 number which is a double A hull. They also show a WL12FL8 which is the Winlite. When you go to the comparison page they look like the same hull. http://www.wincheste...es/default.aspx

 

I still have some, but am going to Sportsmans tomorrow to see what the shells in the latest shipment look like. All they have are the AA12FL8 marked shells and they are still in an AA box. My guess is they are still making the AA hull and the WinLite has the same ballistics but is a little cheaper.

 

(Just clicked on the link and it only takes you to the comparison page. Check the AA and WL and push compare and it will bring up the picture.)

 

Thanks Larsen,

 

Look forward to hearing if the smooth hulls are still in current production (and how to order) - certainly hope so!!

 

Allegedly, the shells I shot two weeks ago and again today were the "factory replacement order" for the "factory discontinued" smooth" ones. It'll be nice to get to the bottom of this.

 

Thanks,

Harvey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larsen,

 

I have purchased and shot them (ribbed lowe noise, low recoil Winlites). They all stick in my honed Stoeger, Stevens 311 and Rossi.

 

I appreciate the local lore aspect of this, but our biggest local dealer is a regular shooter with us. If it ain't true, please point us to your current source for ordering NEW ones and we'll be happy as pigs in STUF! :lol:

 

Thanks,

Harvey

 

My local Dick's Sporting Goods hasn't had any of the AA Low Recoil, Low Noise in stock for a couple of months now. I bought a case a couple of weeks ago from Midway. It wasn't cheap at 85 bucks, but I needed the hulls for when I get my reloading press anyways.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last time I bought featherlites at Walmart they were in the smooth cases. I am going to use the Managaged Recoil Remmies today. I used them a few weeks ago and they seemed acceptable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Checking the Winchester comparison page, the images for the WL12FL8 round and the WW12FL8 round look the same because the same image is used for both data pages.

 

I also looked at the Winchester AA comparison page. They uses the same cut away image for all the different choices.

 

Who ever made the web pages for Winchester did not use images of each type of round available. They used just one or two generic images to represent all the rounds available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most folks around here think highly of the Remington STS Light Target loads. Green smooth sided shells that fall out of the SxS easy and only have 1145 fps. For a little stronger load with about the same light recoil, I like using the Remington Nitro 27 Low Recoil Premiere Target rounds. They are gold colored, smooth-sided and 1235 fps, but I notice very little difference in recoil. I prefer 7 1/2 shot, but a lot of people use 8s with no problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could also try the Winchester Xtra-lite, which as I remember is 1oz at about 1050fps vs the Feather lite's 7/8oz at 950fps. The Xtra-lite is smooth sided, with a brass base, are the same or cheaper then the Feather-lite and are far more easily found.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MEC Jr $75 bucks on e-bay and you can customize yer' own and save a few bucks too. The featherlites are the only thing out there that low @ less than 7/8 ounce and 980 FPS....that you don't have to cook up yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The low noise low recoil, i.e. featherlights do not perform the same as the Winlites. I bought a couple of boxes of Winlites as they were a bit cheaper, but they would not shuck from a single SXS we own. Gave them to my son to shoot in his 97. I do not believe Winchester has stopped making the featherlights. Wal-Mart, Pro-Bass, Sportsman's Warehouse, and Cabelas stores still sell them-as of last month. Just picked up a couple of cases of Featherlights a couple of weeks ago. There was a thread a couple of months ago where a shooter reported his local shop told him Winchester quit making Featherlights but it was not true then and not likely true now. Winchester still shows them in their on line catalog.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go on line and get some Aguila Minishells. Yesterday we tried them out with my sxs and my daughters single shot. What a hoot!! No kick not much noise and plenty of shot. Smooth side and about an inch long makes shucking them out pretty easy. I wounder if they could be reloaded?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the replies.

I'll keep the flame alive for the original smooth featherlites - hope to locate some soon.

Thanks for the other options, as well!

Harvey

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the web, Recobs seems to have plenty of WINAA12FL8, and Graf's has a few cases as of today.

 

Local supply usually depends on the buyers at local stores believing there is a big enough market for light shells, and ordering them. There is a good chance you have not been fed "the whole truth" by your local gun shop guy. That would not be uncommon.

 

Good luck, GJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Remington does make an STS Low Recoil, 2 1/2 drams, bought cases of em before I started reloading.. IMHO the STS hull is much better than the Win AA. Good Luck

STS Low Recoil

 

Jefro :ph34r:

 

These are great shells. I have 10 cases in the garage. They have an 1100 fps velocity, compared to 980 fps for the AA12FL8. I have six cases of the AAs. Wildcat really likes the AAs, whereas I prefer the STS. I notice the people who reload shotshells on my posse grab my empties quicker than they do the AAs. :)

 

You can find a host of places selling these shells by simply Googling them up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are great shells. I have 10 cases in the garage. They have an 1100 fps velocity, compared to 980 fps for the AA12FL8. I have six cases of the AAs. Wildcat really likes the AAs, whereas I prefer the STS. I notice the people who reload shotshells on my posse grab my empties quicker than they do the AAs. :)

 

You can find a host of places selling these shells by simply Googling them up.

My wife, the recoil expert in our family will not shoot anything but Win Featherlights. I have tried her on the Rem low recoil loads and she will not shoot them. One hurts her shoulder and the other doesn't. As a result any time I see the Win Featherlights I buy some to keep several cases on hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Remington STS Light Target is 1145 FPS with a 1 1/8 oz load. They are the smooth hull.Stock number STS12L7

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's really hard to believe that a person doesn't have time to reload their shotshells. Normally it only takes a box per shoot, and two if your wife shoots. Even with a single stage MEC press, 150 to 200 shells per hour is very easy to accomplish. It take's longer to drive across town to purchase shells, than it takes to reload them at home. Saves Dollars too.

 

I know that people are busy with their lives, but if you have time to shoot, you certainly have time to load the few shells it takes to shoot a match. Reloading, you can make any kind of load you want. The receipe for the Featherlites is published, and is easily duplicated.

 

 

RBK

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usede STS shells pretty exclusively for a while then decided to get some featherlites to try them out. Went to the local Cabelas and bought a couple boxes. Turns out they were the ribbed variety and would not shuck from my TTN.

 

Next time I went and bought shells I opened the box of featherlites and they were the smooth variety. Both are marked featherlites. Will take a closer look at the boxes tonight to see where the difference is.

 

I have never had any issue with the STS not shucking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usede STS shells pretty exclusively for a while then decided to get some featherlites to try them out. Went to the local Cabelas and bought a couple boxes. Turns out they were the ribbed variety and would not shuck from my TTN.

 

Next time I went and bought shells I opened the box of featherlites and they were the smooth variety. Both are marked featherlites. Will take a closer look at the boxes tonight to see where the difference is.

 

I have never had any issue with the STS not shucking.

 

Went to Sportsmans to check and they had a mountain of the regular smooth sided featherlites. The different is make sure you are buying AA12FL8 and NOT WL12FL8. The WL appears to be a cheaper version and has ribs. Check the product code on your boxes and see if one isn't an AA and the other a WL. If they are both AA or both WL, then who knows what is going on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are great shells. I have 10 cases in the garage. They have an 1100 fps velocity, compared to 980 fps for the AA12FL8. I have six cases of the AAs. Wildcat really likes the AAs, whereas I prefer the STS. I notice the people who reload shotshells on my posse grab my empties quicker than they do the AAs. :)

 

You can find a host of places selling these shells by simply Googling them up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's really hard to believe that a person doesn't have time to reload their shotshells. Normally it only takes a box per shoot, and two if your wife shoots. Even with a single stage MEC press, 150 to 200 shells per hour is very easy to accomplish. It take's longer to drive across town to purchase shells, than it takes to reload them at home. Saves Dollars too.

 

I know that people are busy with their lives, but if you have time to shoot, you certainly have time to load the few shells it takes to shoot a match. Reloading, you can make any kind of load you want. The receipe for the Featherlites is published, and is easily duplicated.

 

 

RBK

 

I have absolutely zero desire to reload shotgun shells. I can buy exactly what I want to shoot. I do reload a whole lot of pistol and rifle rounds tho-about 10,000 per year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I need to start following wildcat around and catching her empties, is that what your saying?

 

Or fight the other posse members for my STS hulls. I just leave them on the table and stand waaaay back as the sharks circle. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have absolutely zero desire to reload shotgun shells. I can buy exactly what I want to shoot. I do reload a whole lot of pistol and rifle rounds tho-about 10,000 per year.

 

Same here. I used to reload shotshells when I did a lot of skeet shooting, but those days are gone. Now I just reload my .38 and .45.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.