In contrast, the hulls used in factory hunting loads are usually more ballistic-friendly for the non-toxic reloader, but are more difficult to load. Straight-walled hulls like Winchester's Polyformed and Federal's Field hulls, are softer and not near as strong as the AA or Premier hulls. These hulls require good load-fit and careful crimping-die adjustment to get decent crimps (I never get great crimps) without buckling or crushing the hull from the crimping pressure. They don't last very long, 1 or 2 reloadings at the most, but have more space for bulky steel pellets and generate less pressure. Consequently, you can load larger shot-charges and/or higher velocities with these hulls.

Federal Gold Medal and One-piece, Remington SP, Fiocchi, and Activ hulls are somewhere between the two extremes I've described. These hulls provide adequate space for heavier loads, develop less pressure than the AA or Premier hulls, but hold up longer and crimp better than the Field or Polyformed hulls. In my experience, the Federal Gold Medal hull is the finest for reloading 2 3/4 inch steel-shot loads. The widest variety of loads that most closely match factory-load ballistics is available for this hull.

Now that I've identified the hulls with good ballistic characteristics for steel reloading, here are two examples of how important those characteristics can be and how potentially dangerous substituting hulls can be:

1. In Reloading Specialties "Steel Shotshell Reloading Handbook", Winchester AA and Federal Gold Medal hulls are loaded with the exact same load of Win. 209 primer, 30.5 grains IMR-4756 powder, SAM1 wad, and 1-ounce of steel shot. In the AA hull, velocity was 1543 fps and pressure was 11,830 LUP, while in the Gold Medal hull, they were 1484 fps and 10,140 LUP.

2. In Steel Reloading Components Inc. "Reloading Manual", Federal Field and Remington Premier hulls are loaded with the same, heavier load of Win 209 primer, 31.0 grains of Blue Dot powder, SRC 12TW wad, and 1 1/8 ounce of steel shot. The load in the Fed. Field hull did 1298 fps with 12,010 PSI pressure, but in the Remingtion Premier hull, it did 1398 fps and 17,410 PSI. That's a 5,400 PSI difference in chamber pressure attributable entirely to the hull!

High pressures and lack of space in rigid, one-piece target hulls, are not near the problem with bismuth as they are with steel. Bismuth pellets are denser (require less space) and compressible (which absorbs some of the chamber pressure) and thus AA or Premier hulls will likely be very popular for reloading 2 3/4 inch bismuth loads.

3-inch hulls:

There is much less variation amongst 3-inch hulls. Because clay targets are not shot with 3-inch shells, virtually all 3-inch hulls are straight-walled and high-volume. Winchester produces a AA-type 3-inch hull that generates higher pressures than the other hulls, but the rest of the 3-inch hulls are quite flexible ballistically for steel-shot reloading.

The characteristics discussed for 2 3/4 inch hulls also applies to 3-inchers. Federal Field and Winchester Polyformed are the softest and most difficult to crimp, the Federal One-Piece and Fiocchi are a little better, and the Remington SP and Activ hulls are the easiest to work with. I like the wide array of data for the Federal One-piece hull, but the crimp area of the hull is laminated and tends to fall apart, even from the factory firing. Of the 3-inch hulls, I prefer reloading the Remington SP.

Sources of Hulls

A good supply of hulls may be the most important resource to a reloader. Especially for the steel reloader, where 3 or 3 ½ inch hulls provide the greatest flexibility for creating high-quality waterfowl loads, options are pretty limited. Generally, you must either buy or scrounge them.

I do not like to buy hulls. The cost of purchasing hulls will take a big bite out of your savings from reloading. However, if you want a large quantity of consistently-loaded shotshells, it may be your best option. Ballistic Products and Precision Reloading have good selections of new and once-fired hulls at costs ranging from about 5-cents to over 10-cents per hull. If you use one of the popular target hulls (Winchester AA, Remington Premier, or Federal Gold Medal), there are a variety of sources, like shooting ranges or sporting-goods stores, that may be cheaper. I recently purchased 1,000 Gold Medal hulls mail-order from an advertiser in Gun List, and they arrived at my door for just under $40. Three-inch hulls are more expensive, usually between $60-$100 per 1,000.

However, I scrounge the majority of hulls that I use for non-toxic reloading. I contact all my waterfowling friends prior to the season and ask them to save their hulls for me. I usually get cooperation without suggesting how wasteful it is to leave brass and plastic in the marsh when you know somebody could use it. Because I prefer Remington 3-inch hulls, I go so far as to look hard for the best price on Remington shotshells and then inform my friends. I did such a good job a couple years ago, that I ended up with an inventory of over 2,000 mixed 3-inch hulls. Just picking up your partners empties can add up pretty fast, unless you hunt with another reloader. Some disadvantages to scrounging are that it takes time, and you usually end up with a mixture of hulls that need close inspection and some cleaning before use.

However you choose to build an inventory of hulls, positive identification of each hull is necessary to assure you use the appropriate loading data to build a safe, effective non-toxic shotshell.