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Do you lube your shotgun shells?


Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life

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Been reading replies to some other threads about a bunch of different subjects, mostly about shotgun, such as stuck hulls, resizing the bases after finishing the reloading of the hulls, how much to hone the chambers to ensure easy extraction/shucking of expended ammo, etc.

One thing that jumped out at me was how many actually put One Shot, or silicone spray or some other favorite lubricant on their shells.

I am not a top gun with the shotgun but a decent shotgun run for me is about 3.9 - 4.1 for four shots. I run Johnny Meadows SKB's and he does an excellent job of honing the mouths and polishing the chambers to minimize sticking. I just keep them clean and run them. I only use STS or Nitro 27 hulls in my guns.

 

I do not use lubricants of any kind on the shells themselves because it makes the shells harder for my old hands to grip properly to load.

 

I will run a silicone rag into the chambers maybe every third stage using one of the Pro Shot handles with a bore mop on it to push the rag around and that will suffice for lubricant and cleaning. Sometimes I just use the bore mop without the silicone rag. I do run all of my shells through a MEC Supersizer prior to loading on a MEC 9000GN to reduce the bases to minimum size and lower the lever pressure on my shoulders as I typically load about 500-700 or so at a time. (yes I know the press has a collet to resize the base but the "pre" sizing seems to make my arms ache less at the end of a session). I will use a case gauge on every shell and any that do not enter and fall freely are sized yet again on the Supersizer. Any that fail a second case gauge go into the practice only box. I then box up my shells and case gauge them again at the range before they go into the belt.

BTW I have 3 case gauges that are all slightly different from one another as far as their internal dimensions, two that I got from C&I one from an estate sale with no identifier on it. I use the tightest C&I at home the other C&I (next tightest goes to the range) and the other (loosest) stays in the extra parts box.

It has been several years (2-3 at least) since I had a stuck hull.

 

So what do you do?

 

Regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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After I load them, I leave them sitting on the bench for at least a weak. I then run them through a check gauge and are separated into 2 piles...match and practice.

 

Then, I put the shells in an old pillow case made out of t-shirt material. I spray them with armor all and shake them up in the bag to ensure they are all covered.

 

They then get boxed up.

 

I don't do anything else with them other than put them in the belt, and head to the firing line.

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11 minutes ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

I do not use lubricants of any kind on the shells themselves because it makes the shells harder for my old hands to grip properly to load.

 

 

My thinking exactly. I run the same Johnny Meadows SKBs as you. As long as I keep  the chambers and hulls clean there’s no problem with shucking. I run a Bore Snake through the chambers after every stage. 

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I always spray a bore mop with ballistol about every 3 stages. I make sure to run the bore mop through my chambers after every stage. Then when I go to reload my shotgun belt I use it to wipe my shells. As the shells sit in the card board boxes and move around they tend to get fine particles of cardboard dust on them. So wiping them down removes that and also helps them come

out of the chambers.

just my two cents worth :)

 

Slick 

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A long time ago I sprayed a bunch of my reloads with silicon spray. I was amazed at how far I could throw a shotgun shell while trying to load on the clock. I don't do it any more.

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I have a nylon bore brush about 6” long. I scrub out my chambers every stage. 

 

I wipe my my shotgun shells down with a bit of ballistol on a rag. Not a heavy coating, just a quick wipe to knock any dust/dirt off. 

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2 hours ago, Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 said:

After I load them, I leave them sitting on the bench for at least a weak. I then run them through a check gauge and are separated into 2 piles...match and practice.

 

Then, I put the shells in an old pillow case made out of t-shirt material. I spray them with armor all and shake them up in the bag to ensure they are all covered.

 

They then get boxed up.

 

I don't do anything else with them other than put them in the belt, and head to the firing line.

Ok another curiosity question. Why do you let them sit for a week?

I have found that in really hot weather (think New Mexico or Arizona July) the shells will expand to where they no longer fit the case gauge above the base of the shell even though just a few days earlier they fit just fine. Back to the supersizer when I get home. :) Have you found that time is more a factor than the heat? Or is there something else I have missed?

regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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3 minutes ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

Ok another curiosity question. Why do you let them sit for a week?

I have found that in really hot weather (think New Mexico or Arizona July) the shells will expand to where they no longer fit the case gauge above the base of the shell even though just a few days earlier they fit just fine. Back to the supersizer when I get home. :) Have you found that time is more a factor than the heat? Or is there something else I have missed?

regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

I'm in AL, and it can get pretty warm here, too. These things do tend to expand a little bit when letting them sit. 

 

My reloading room is climate controlled, so it may have more to do with time rather than heat.

 

Of course, my post loading rituals are only the last couple steps of a 12 step reloading program :o

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 It sounds like what most of you are saying is a positive action to keep from having any issues.  From what I see most people that are having sticking issues with their shotgun are using non-brass based cheap shotgun shells. A lot of them have very minimal chamfering or polishing done to their chambers.  I think the combination of those things cause a lot of issues. One of the biggest issues that I see is that people have a very weak or poor method of shucking their hulls.  A lot of people do the tip the barrel  up and shake them out. Or they open the gun and start plucking out them with their fingers. Your fastest shooters have a very  forceful movement of the gun to force the shell out.  Either pushing it forward or pulling it back and snapping the shells out with inertia. 

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1 hour ago, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

Ok another curiosity question. Why do you let them sit for a week?

I have found that in really hot weather (think New Mexico or Arizona July) the shells will expand to where they no longer fit the case gauge above the base of the shell even though just a few days earlier they fit just fine. Back to the supersizer when I get home. :) Have you found that time is more a factor than the heat? Or is there something else I have missed?

regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but my Supersizer only sizes the metal base of the shell and nothing above. From your description it seems your crimp is swelling or otherwise opening up a bit after loading. Possibilities are your stack height is a bit too tall or your crimp isn’t deep enough. Some hulls with thick plastic like AAs will tend to “blossom” if the crimp is too shallow. 

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9 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Maybe I’ve misunderstood, but my Supersizer only sizes the metal base of the shell and nothing above. From your description it seems your crimp is swelling or otherwise opening up a bit after loading. Possibilities are your stack height is a bit too tall or your crimp isn’t deep enough. Some hulls with thick plastic like AAs will tend to “blossom” if the crimp is too shallow. 

No the swelling is within an eyelash of the base. In practice they work nearly as well as my case gauged shells as the extractor lifts them high enough to shuck cleanly. I simply choose to not use a marginal shell. As far as crimp I use a traditional type depth where the folds are slightly recessed below the outer edges. I typically get about 4-5 reloads out of the STS and 6-7 out of the Nitro. I suspect the swelling has more to do with a weakening of the bond between base and hull but have no idea how to prove that. I get rid of the hulls when they “crystallize” from heat near the mouth or if they develop any burn through or pinholes in the creases of the folds.  I have not used AA (red) hulls in many years for most of the reasons on other threads. 

Regards

 

:FlagAm: :FlagAm: :FlagAm:

 

Gateway Kid

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I reload on a Mec 650 and do my resizing on a Mec Super Sizer prior to placing in the 650. Since I'm using once fired AA shells, I inspect and wipe each shotshell with an older silicone gun cloth prior to beginning my reloading session. 

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I see a lot of folks blameing stuck hulls on steel bases. I must say that I have no particular trouble with them. My experiences points to the vast majority of stuck shells coming from the crimp staying open and hard against the forcing cone area in the barrels. A good crimp is more likely to pull back in just a little and release a bit better. A good hone used on the forcing cone at the end of the chamber often helps.

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I wipe my hulls with silicone spray before loading them,and sometimes after ,depending on current conditions.

Adjusting the height  of the shot in the shot cup seems to help keep a proper crimp.The shot should be at the top of the wad's petals or just slightly below.

I brush out my chambers once or twice during a 6 stage match, and I use a Slix size on all my rounds before they go into my belt.Seems to have help my loading and shucking appreciably .

 

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I use fired AA and Rem (brass base) hulls, resize the base and give em a wipe with a silicone sprayed rag before boxing them up.

Run em in both a SxS and a '97 and they seem to work fine... off the belt, in the chambers and then back out.

 

Oh yeah, I love picking brass for the guys who dip there shells in Crisco... thanks. Yuck!

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No lube for me. 

I use these cheap Cheddite hulls that come pre-primed. They have shallow ribs (for my chamber's pleasure). I only load 2F BP. I have a chamber brush that I remember to use a couple times per year. My SKB's chambers are well polished. I think I had a hull that didn't shuck earlier this year. Typically they come flying out. 

Every gun/hull combination is different. I went through many reloadable hulls: red, gold, green, until I found what works best for me.

 

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I had my LGS, who is also a CAS participant, hone out the chambers in all 3 of my SxS in both 12 & 20 ga. I do nothing special to my reloads and have never had a fired shell fail to shuck in any of them.

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I too have honed and polished the chambers in all of my SXS shotguns. I shoot Winchester AA and do not put anything on the shells and do not mop, lube or otherwise mess with my shotgun between stages. Shells shuck easily with 99% reliability.

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17 hours ago, Slick McClade said:

I always spray a bore mop with ballistol about every 3 stages. I make sure to run the bore mop through my chambers after every stage. Then when I go to reload my shotgun belt I use it to wipe my shells. As the shells sit in the card board boxes and move around they tend to get fine particles of cardboard dust on them. So wiping them down removes that and also helps them come

out of the chambers.

just my two cents worth :)

 

Slick 

If you shoot Copperheads 97 you don't have to worry about that cardboard dust.

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I was going to say that I lube them every 20,000 miles but then I realized that you were asking a serious question

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Reloads can benefit by being wiped down with a good paste wax. The wax does not make the shells slippery to handle.  Everyone's mileage is different.

 

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3 hours ago, Ace_of_Hearts said:

Reloads can benefit by being wiped down with a good paste wax. The wax does not make the shells slippery to handle.  Everyone's mileage is different.

 

Or a little bit of Pledge Furniture polish on a rag.

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NO.  I shoot All Brass MagTech 12Ga with APP or BP and you tend to get a little Blow-By.  Any kind of lubricant soaks up the Blow-By and makes the hulls stick.  Dry Brass hulls come out of the gun much better.

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The old pledge trick has worked well for me for many years. Plus they smell real nice!

 

Bugler

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1 hour ago, Bugler said:

The old pledge trick has worked well for me for many years. Plus they smell real nice!

 

Bugler

 

If you wipe down a straw cowboy hat with Pledge, it gives you a bit of rain barrier so you can get under better cover.

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After checking them in a full length checker, I wipe them down with Amour-All on a shop paper towel and box em up. The ones that are tight in the checker I re-check in the guns chamber and have never had a problem shucking or the wife's '97 not extracting. The Armour-All cleans the dust off and I don't find them to be slippery when I use them. Now using STS hulls, but didn't have much issue with AA's either, although some would bulge from the wad and go into practice just to be safe. They still fit in my SxS however.

I am one who has found the steel base shells to be an issue in my Stoeger, ya gotta break it over your knee to get it open. Shot 4 and called it good. Was just checking for a Pard at a match and will never put them in one of my guns again. YMMV

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Used Breakfree for awhile, Ballistol for awhile, Silicone spray for awhile. All worked for a nice amount of time, & then I started getting stuck shells with each. Couple of engineers I shoot with told me that anything added will add width & not be as efficient. I now dry wire brush the chambers about 6 strokes (just the length of the shell) & then use another wire brush with a 3' X 3' cotton cleaning patch for 6 or so strokes. each stage. I chamber check each shotshell (reloads & factory shells both) with a 6 hole EGW chamber checker as I load my belt. If it doesn't pass, it goes into the practice pile. You could easily do the brushing after 3 stages each time, but I can't keep myself from doing it every stage, as it only takes a few seconds for both my SG & my wife's.

 

This has worked perfectly for a long time now, & I doubt I'll change my practice in the future. Also, it's nice to not get the slickum on my hands by using all of the lubes.

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I spray a SMALL amount of amour-all on a rag and wipe them down before putting them in

the plastic cartridge box.  Just enough lift all the dust and dirt off. I little dab will do ya.

Don't want them real slick. But do want them real clean.

 

Spray a little rem-oil on my bore mop and run that through the SG every few stages.

 

 

VERY seldom have one stick. Would say never. But I am sure it has happened. 

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