Reconditioning shotshells

[Make do]

I use Remington Shotshells in my 20 gauge. After about 3 loadings they start to stick. I recondition the neck which seems to improve the crimp, I resize them with a MEC base sizer and with a CH full length sizing die. Afterwards they slide into the gun easily. But upon shooting they tend to hang. What would you suggest to condition the shells, or what else should I check. I have watched Branchwater Jack video on his method, but that seems to reject too many of my shells (at least more than my cheap self can tolerate)

[Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646]

Have the chambers been polished?

 

Imis

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

I load and shoot the same hulls. Do your hulls have a brass base or a silver metal base? My shotgun chambers are honed and polished and even hulls that I have loaded 5-10 times still chuck out reliably. However sometimes the silver metal hulls do stick and I have to flick them out. Brass hulls expand when fired but then retract a little. The metal bases expand but don't retract as well and sometimes stick. Also after cleaning my shotgun I take a bore mop with some Ballistol and mop the chambers.

[Captain Bill Burt]

I primarily use Remington Gun Club which have the aluminum (I think) bases.  I resize those prior to reloading on my P/W and I've had good results, though after 5 reloads or so they get chucked.

[Go West]

Not sure about 20 ga. hulls, but I mop the bore on my doubles after every stage. Some folks wipe their shells down with WD40 or silicone, I don't.  I toss my shells when they split near the crimp. You could try a sizer/checker.

 

If you haven't polished your bore, you might want to try it.

[Make do]

Hi the chambers have been polished. The Remington have a silver base and the Winchester that also work well have a brass base both are low.

[Make do]

Also of note it seems that the blown out crimp (after firing) is the part that speads out and keep the shell from falling out. Does the plastic part of the shell have a temper?

[Branchwater Jack SASS #88854]

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

44 minutes ago, Make do said:

Also of note it seems that the blown out crimp (after firing) is the part that speads out and keep the shell from falling out. Does the plastic part of the shell have a temper?

Back your load off some 

[Bearfoot Tracker]

46 minutes ago, Make do said:

Also of note it seems that the blown out crimp (after firing) is the part that speads out and keep the shell from falling out. Does the plastic part of the shell have a temper?

My wife also shoots 20 gauge. We could not get the factory Fioochi ribbed shells to chuck from her gun. We decided to stay away from the ribbed shells and are only shooting reloaded Winchester AA and Remington STS shells now. They both shuck very easy.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Just for reference, all the bases that look like aluminum are steel.  The brass ones are brass plated steel.  Might be some exceptions I don't know about.  I know a few folks whose SxS will shuck the steel base okay, but most including mine don't.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

2 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

The brass ones are brass plated steel. 

 

SOME of the brass colored head covers are steel, some are completely brass.   Test with a magnet, the full brass head covers will not stick.

 

Remington STS/Nitro hulls, Federal HOA and Winchester AA hulls are the most common hulls that still use a brass head cover.    As far as I know, all other hulls have steel head covers with some sort of light plating or wash - brass, cadmium, copper and nickel are the most common platings.

 

A sticky hull is almost always a steel head cover that expanded and holds tightly to the chamber walls.   Honing the chamber walls smooth reduces the tendency of the steel bases to stick.

 

good luck, GJ