Shucking Shotshells & Sticking

[Max Payne]

I have developed a problem with my shotshells sticking & would love some feedback. I'll try to keep this as short as possible:

First started sticking about 4 or 5 years ago when shooting a State match in the pouring rain. The 2nd day I started using a swab with Silicone spray, & it fixed the problem. Also, when Featherlite lack of quality control starting being a problem, I started chamber-checking all of my match shotshells. No problems for about 2 years of shooting, then I started having sticking problems with the silicone & switched to Ballistol. No problems for about 2 1/2 years. I shoot an  Skb 100 from one of the best smiths. Bought an Skb200e from the same master at the SE Regional last November. Not naming him because I don't want you to get the idea the problem is the SG's. Everything going great with my regular routine of brushing with a SG wire brush, brushing with a UniqueTek SG brush, then swabbing with Ballistol in the barrels. In January, shooting a match in 22 degrees I had several stuck shotshells in the match. I have always shot 2 or 3 stages between this routine with no problems. Upon advice from some pards, I stopped swabbing with anything, & just did the brushing with the wire & the regular SG brush. I'm practicing a lot now with the shotguns cause that's my weakest gun, & I'm sticking too many shotshells. I shuck by slamming the stock against my shoulder. I'm shooting a combination of Gold STS & Gun Club hulls reloads, all chamber-checked. I've tried brushing dry, Silicone, Ballistol, & I tried WD-40 today. And, when I use any lubricant I then run a clean patch thru so there's no excess. Maybe I'm getting sloppy on my angle when I shuck against my shoulder? Anyway, would appreciate hearing what works best for you fast guys.

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

I didn't have good luck with Gun Clubs hulls so now I use mostly STS with AA's occasionally. I pull a bore snake through to clean barrels before a match then use a 12 gauge mop sprayed with Ballistol to swab out the chambers after each stage. I also check shells with a case gauge and if they don't fall out by their own weight the go in the practice bin. 

 

Randy

[Cheyenne Ranger, 48747L]

I resize my hulls before every reload--no problems as long as I open the SxS completely

 

have you tried commercial loads just as a base line?

 

I do put a bunch of effort in the shucking part--can send it out the front windows of the stage building

 

 

[Marauder SASS #13056]

So many variables. Your method should be good, but it is all the the technique.

To check to see if it is you or the gun/shells, have someone record you while doing it. 

 

Hopefully, you can see when it works and when it doesn't.

 

Sometimes we don't give the shells time to get out before we move the gun, etc.

 

When I do it right, my 97 does pretty well...

[Warden Callaway]

If you could video record yourself shootin' n shuckin', maybe you can see what's working and what's not.

[Fast Tracker]

You shouldn't have to slam the stock against your shoulder. A quick jerk should clear the empties. Have you closely examined your chambers to see if they might be a little rough? In a clean dry gun, do empties drop out when you open the action and tip the barrel up? Do loaded rounds drop into the chambers by themselves? If you answer no to either of the last two questions the chambers might need some more polishing. 

I po!ished the chambers on my Baikal and can get through a whole match with no trouble shucking the empties.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

24 minutes ago, Marauder SASS #13056 said:

 

When I do it right, my 97 does pretty well...

 

Amen..... 

 

Howdy Max.

if it were me, i would call the gunsmith.   Sometimes, they are aware of certain situations that might quickly help solve your issue.

 

I get an occasional call about a Marlin 'gremlin' and from having to deal with a similar situation from other Marlins, I have been able to help a few folks over the phone.

 

Best regards.

 

..........Widder

 

[J-BAR #18287]

I shoot mostly STS hulls reloaded with black powder.  I do not swab chambers between stages, and it is very rare to have a hull hang up over a 5 or 6 stage monthly match.   I clean guns between days during multiple day shoots, so 5 or 6 is the most I shoot in competition.  But I may run 50 or 75 shells through the gun in a practice session, and again do not have hanging hulls very often.  Not bragging, just fact as Will Sonnet used to say.  So if I can run dirty blackpowder hulls with few problems, you should be able to shuck smokeless loads without a problem.

 

If hulls hanging up in the chamber is due to faulty shucking technique, then experiment with a change in technique.   My first impression is you are overdoing the chamber stuff.  If there is any lube residue in the chambers, a smooth sided hull may stick in there like two pieces of wet glass stick together.  So, to test the "shucking technique + chamber maintenance" hypothesis, start a practice session with the chambers absolutely clean and dry.  Practice loading and shooting two, then pause, point the muzzles absolutely vertical, break the gun open and see if the empties will fall out just with gravity.  See how many times you can do this until hulls start hanging up. If you can get through a box of shells without any hulls hanging up then I would say your shucking technique needs refinement, because the hulls are falling out on their own pretty easily.

 

If it is not a technique problem, then it must be a shell or gun problem.  Worst case scenario, it's both.

 

I learned as a veterinarian that the most valuable animal a rancher owns is the first one in the herd that dies.  If you can find out what killed that one, you have a good chance at saving the rest of the herd.  The analogy here is, you should be saving all the hulls that hang up, rather than throwing them away.  Save a hundred of them in two separate bags, one for each chamber. Record which chamber hangs up the most, which brand hangs up the most in each chamber.  Inspect the crimps for burn marks, the outside of the hulls for roughness or burrs.  The more information you can determine about the problem, the more likely you will solve it.  I think it is too soon to do things like additional honing of chambers, because you aren't sure that is the problem.  You need to generate some hard data first.

 

 

[Max Payne]

All good stuff. Video is a great idea. And, I like the idea of shooting & then holding it vertical & see if they drop out. I think I've pretty much tried all the other suggestions listed, so I won't try to reply to all of them. The brand new problem is also happening with both my skb100 & my 200. I think it's me. I know the break angle is slightly less on the 200, so maybe I've adapted some kind of bad habit.

 

I think what really caused the new problem is that I was bragging right before the first problem match that I couldn't remember the last time I had a shell stick..

 

Thanks again, & maybe we'll have some more good feedback show up also.

[Lazy Eeyour]

You might try cleaning the barrels and chambers with acetone to rid any plastic buildup. Do not get any on the stock as it will melt the finish. Then re-oil the barrels.

[Sedalia Dave]

What press are you reloading on?  Does it have a collet resizer?  Maybe the bases are not properly sized.

 

Different gun but I started having issues with my 87 extracting factory hulls. A close inspection showed that the rims were not properly formed and had rough spots that I could feel with my fingers.

[Max Payne]

MEC 9000. Mostly Remington Gun Club hulls now, as the micrometer says the diameter is smaller than either Featherlites or STS Golds. The sticking has been with both STS Gold & Gun Club, all chamber-checked. And, if they don't fall freely into & out of the chamber checker, they go into the practice pile. I've been thru about 1000 Gun Club hulls now, & I have yet to have a single one not pass the Fall-in, fall-out of the chamber checker test. I can't remember a shotshell sticking in years, shooting every single Saturday. The only new thing is switching to the SKb200. But, when I went back to the 100, I still have the problem. Now, to quantify, I'm talking about sticking maybe 3 in a 6 stage match. But, you know what that does to your time. And, often something bad snowballs when it happens also, Without a lot of detail, two weeks ago I had one stick to that led to other bad stuff & a SDQ. Ouch!

 

Thanks again for all the feedback!

[Warden Callaway]

Size going in the chambers is one thing.  And the size after fired is another.   I hear over and over how hulls of materials other than brass cause problems with extracting.   I'm thinking the brass headed hulls expand and contract somewhat.  But steel expands and doesn't contract much. 

 

I have a buddy in Iowa that's not a Cowboy Action shooter but has Stoeger coach gun in 20 gauge.   He was getting along find with it until he bought some 10 flats of Federal shells that were on sale. He quickly found out that even though they drop in fine, they expand so much he can hardly get the gun open and then has drive out the hulls. 

[watab kid]

almost always when mine stick - plastic federal premiums - its a dirty chamber , low loads are letting a lot of stuff by the case into the chambers , but i did have issues with my federal papers swelling a bit - some so much i had to discard them as they would not load , stored in an environmentally controlled location but still paper 

[Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580]

I have a Stoeger that I shoot Gun Club hulls in all of the time. I find that if I don’t make sure that I get it open completely at least one of them will stick, no matter whether the chamber is clean or dirty. I would second, or third, or whatever, the motion to video yourself and see if something has changed in your technique.

[Chili Pepper Jack]

Have Ophelia give you a lesson or two, bet that will get you on the right track!  

 

I took an empty hull wrapped it with 800 grit sandpaper and oil inserted it in and spun it around a few times and have not had a problem with them sticking. Now that I wrote this I know I will never get another to shuck again! LOL. Your to fast anyway Max, slowdown some and give an Outlaw a chance! 

[Max Payne]

6 hours ago, Chili Pepper Jack said:

Have Ophelia give you a lesson or two, bet that will get you on the right track!  

 

I took an empty hull wrapped it with 800 grit sandpaper and oil inserted it in and spun it around a few times and have not had a problem with them sticking. Now that I wrote this I know I will never get another to shuck again! LOL. Your to fast anyway Max, slowdown some and give an Outlaw a chance! 

Ophelia won't share, & she's been down with the flu for 5 days anyway. If she doesn't perk up soon, I may have to trade her in for a lower mileage model. I took several of the ideas above & tried them out today. First, I cleaned the heck out of the barrels & chambers with Acetone. Oiled them, wiped them clean. Then, I chrome polished them with Flitz. Last step was my drill motor & a mop on the chambers. Filmed myself. Shot 2 boxes of Gun Club  reloads. Had 2 stick, & the camera told me I was sloppy on my shuck on those. Then, when I got thru shooting, I cleaned everything the same way again. Let's see how everything goes tomorrow. Wonder if any fast Outlaws will show up? Thanks again for all the feedback, except for Chili Pepper Jack.

[Krazy Kajun]

You might try letting someone else shoot your shotgun with your shells and see if they have the same problem, someone who does not do the BlackHawk method of shucking.  Get with me tomorrow and we'll test fire it before the match on the warm up stage before everything get's started.  Come a little earlier and bring an extra box of shells so you can have one or two pards shoot YOUR gun with YOUR shells.  If they have the same problem as you it might be the gun, if not then it'll be you.

 

Kajun

[Ripsaw]

You should be checking the shells with a case gauge, not your shotgun. 

[Rance - SASS # 54090]

4 hours ago, Krazy Kajun said:

You might try letting someone else shoot your shotgun with your shells and see if they have the same problem, someone who does not do the BlackHawk method of shucking.  If they have the same problem as you it might be the gun, if not then it'll be you.

 

Kajun

 

This is my thinkin also..

Rance 

Just sayin 

[Sedalia Dave]

Any chance your shot or powder charge has changed?  If the loads are not generating enough pressure you may be getting too much blowby, Is it possible you press is throwing an occasional light charge? Do you use a powder baffle.?

[Max Payne]

I don't shoot any SG shells that I haven't checked with an EGW chamber checker. After cleaning both SG's with Acetone, polished with Flitz, & paying to my shucking, I didn't have a single one stick in today's match. I did have a pard point out that when I slammed the SG into my shoulder, the SG would close a little. I suspect that may have been my biggest problem. I've eased off on the shuck, & everything seems to work okay. I don't think it hurt anything to do the Actone & Flitz treatment though. 

 

Thanks again for all the helpful feedback.

[Eyesa Horg]

On 2/23/2018 at 10:37 AM, Chili Pepper Jack said:

Have Ophelia give you a lesson or two, bet that will get you on the right track!  

 

I took an empty hull wrapped it with 800 grit sandpaper and oil inserted it in and spun it around a few times and have not had a problem with them sticking. Now that I wrote this I know I will never get another to shuck again! LOL. Your to fast anyway Max, slowdown some and give an Outlaw a chance! 

 

I basically did the above exept with lapping compound on a ribbed Federal hull when my Stoeger was new. I shoot mostly many times loaded AA huls and changing over to STS. I clean the gun & chambers after numerous matches when I happen to look in there and think UHG! In 5 years I've only had one hull hang up and figured it my fault. You said you have sometimes gone years without trouble, so maybe occasionally you're doin supin different.

[Shooting Bull]

I apologize if this question has already been asked. Are ALL of your shells smooth sided or are some of them ribbed? Ribbed hulls have a tendency to stick much more than smooth hulls. 

[J-BAR #18287]

1 hour ago, Shooting Bull said:

I apologize if this question has already been asked. Are ALL of your shells smooth sided or are some of them ribbed? Ribbed hulls have a tendency to stick much more than smooth hulls. 

 

Maybe.  I had good luck with the cheapo Remington Black Gun Club shells shucking easily.  A ribbed hull makes less contact with the chamber wall than a smooth hull. You don’t really know until you try them in a particular shotgun.

 

If for some reason I could not get STS hulls, those are the ones I would use.

[Yusta B.]

1 hour ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 

Maybe.  I had good luck with the cheapo Remington Black Gun Club shells shucking easily.  A ribbed hull makes less contact with the chamber wall than a smooth hull. You don’t really know until you try them in a particular shotgun.

+1  I've been shooting Herter's from Cabelas, $54 a case, free shipping. They have shallow ribs & seem to shuck well, at least out of my SKB 100.