When Are Hulls And Shells Unfit For Reload

[Whip Assalot]

I have a lot of AA 12 gauge hulls and assorted .38 shells, both brass and nickel.

 

How can I tell if they will give me problems with shucking and are unfit to reload?

 

I mean, besides the obvious that the hulls are scratched up or cracked. I have some that have some scratches on them, and others where the "AA" label is completely gone, but it still feels pretty smooth.

 

And then .38 shells...do you continue to reload them until you find a crack or it becomes a problem in the reloader?

 

Pictures would be helpful if you can upload them. Thank you!

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

With all of my cartridge brass, I reload them until they split, and then I discard.

For shotgun hulls, pretty much the same.   If they are the Magtech all brass, I reload them till they split.  If they are AAs, I reload them till...  Well, they hardly ever seem to split, so I just keep reloading them.   Some are over 50 years old and have been reloaded many time by me, and my father who was a trap shooter.

Now, if you know a specific hull is giving your problems, discard it.

 

[Eyesa Horg]

Speaking for only my 16 years of experience with my Stoeger and Ellie's 97, we haven't had any issues with extraction. I don't worry about small cracks or roughness/powder burn on the shotgun hulls. I use brass until it starts to crack. If it's a 1/16th or less, I'll use em one more time in the pistol only. I get half a dozen or reloads out of shotgun hull, Remington STS or the old AA. I don't bother with the new AA as many are bulged brand new!

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

My criterion for major matches is different than local matches.  Major matches get new or near new SG shells and rifle brass.  Nickle-plated brass only goes in revolvers.  I toss shotgun shells loaded with black powder after firing.  Regarding AAs, I reload the newer style for clays up to eight times when the crimps start splitting.  I reload STS and Nitros with smokeless until the crimps are failing.  Case gauges for both metallic cartridges with tell you whether they will chamber easily.

[Taos]

I have one SG that is very tollerant of roughed up hulls and shucks most anything. 

I discard badly burned or crackes in the crimp.

Another SG that is picky, it mostly likes near perfect hulls.

So, test some reloads and see what works in your SG.

 

I do not load any of the new Winchester hulls, have had some bad luck with them.

Remington STS, and I have HUNDREDS of old Winchester hulls, and HUNDREDS of old Petters hulls.  Who knows how many times I can reload those.  I save the blue Petters hulls for big matches.

 

My best brass goes for rifle loads.  Somtimes a split case in a rifle can ruin your stage.

If there is a small crack in the mouth of a case, like 1/16 inch or less, I'll load it for the pistol.  Longer mouth splits go in the re-cycle jug.

Nickle cases where the nickle has worn through and brass is showing are for pistol loads.

I pretty much load 'em till they split.

 

Have fun!

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

I load my rifle and pistol brass until they start to split or crack and then I chuck them. I load my shotshells until the crimp end starts to fray and crack then I pitch them.

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

This is when I cull them. 
 

 

Randy

[SnakeM]

Shooting skeet and sporting clays at a much higher quantity then CAS I reload them all till they crack or split. Guessing 20+ times each or more!

Edited Tuesday at 01:38 PM by SnakeM

[Chantry]

On 10/1/2026 at 10:00 AM, Whip Assalot said:

I have a lot of AA 12 gauge hulls and assorted .38 shells, both brass and nickel.

 

How can I tell if they will give me problems with shucking and are unfit to reload?

 

I mean, besides the obvious that the hulls are scratched up or cracked. I have some that have some scratches on them, and others where the "AA" label is completely gone, but it still feels pretty smooth.

 

And then .38 shells...do you continue to reload them until you find a crack or it becomes a problem in the reloader?

 

Pictures would be helpful if you can upload them. Thank you!

 

Presuming you wish to be competitive in your catergory:

Discard plastic shot gun shells when they will longer crimp or shuck cleanly out of the shotgun.

Discard .38 special cases if they split or start sticking in the gun (rifle or pistol).

 

Not caring about my score, 10-gauge plastic hulls get trimmed down when I can no longer roll crimp them or they become too short to be useable. 

[Lawdog]

We shoot BP, so that severely cuts the life expectancy of shotgun shells. The part that will typically keep a shell from shucking is the end with the crimp. After a match I will run the fired shells through a shell checker and toss those that stick. Scorched shells "may" stick, but if the pass the checker I'll still try one more reload. Plus, you can wipe loaded shells with and "Armor All" or similar wipes, and that will help shucking.

 

As for brass, I'm with @Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 and those photos he posted. I usually get a handful of fired brass and gently shake it. Split cases don't make a nice "jingle" sound, more of a dull thud. Similar to being able to tell if a wood baseball bat has been cracked by tapping it on the ground and listening to the sound.

 

Even with this, a bad shell or cartridge can make it into the mix. If I find a split case after it's loaded, I mark the base with a red Sharpie (Red=revolver). Then it gets tossed.

 

If a shotgun shell after loading refuses to hold its crimp, I'll try one last crimp with a drop of Elmers Glue. That shell gets the red Sharpie across the base and is used for practice or a monthly, then tossed.

 

You'll develop your own methods through trial and error and keep what fits you best.

[Vail Vigilante]

Split crimps, loose primer pockets. Rust on the heads if they are made from steel.

[Go West]

I toss nickel brass if they have a cannelure and brass when split. I toss hulls when split or if I see a seam. The AA hulls with a seam may buckle when loading. STS or Rem game loads work best in my shotguns.