[Dakotashooter2]

I recently bought some winchester super X hulls(2 3/4") on fleabay. These are polyformed with the plastic basewad in the highbrass configuration. Using the data from the newest lyman manual I tried to load a 1 1/2 oz load over 30 gr. Blue Dot with a WAA12R wad and winchester primer exactly as the book lists. The problem is even with no compression of the wad there is way too much room left for any crimp. I'm sure I could get in another 1/4 to 1/2 oz of shot before crimping I have double checked my powder charge and shot charge and they are correct. What gives. One thing I am questioning is that these hulls were originally buckshot loads. Would those loads use a hull with a different configuration to accomodate the volume such a large pellet would occupy?
I'm pretty sure I have identified the hull properly. ??? :? :? :? :?

 

[Bob_K]

I looked in the Lyman #4 and the load I see is 31.0 grains, not 30. Although Blue Dot is a fluffy powder, one grain should not make that much difference but maybe so. In shotshell loading, you have to follow the recipies fairly closely or you won't get the correct stackup of components to achieve the correct crimp. Three possibilites:
1. You have 3" hulls, not 2 3/4. Compare them to some other fired hulls you have.
2. This was a 3" or 3.5" PF hull that was cut to 2 3/4. Either one would give a hull with a much lower basewad than the 2 3/4" PF. (Look at the basewad heights in the Lyman manual.)
3. Winchester changed their hull construction for their PF hulls. They also now have a "Universal" hull that is used in their promotional shells that is different than the PF hulls contained in the Lyman manual. They have a silver, I believe Aluminum case head. (You said you had highbrass, so these are probably not the same hulls.) When I find the "Universal" hull, I just discard them.

All my 00B hulls are Compression Formed, not Poly Formed. I suggest you section a hull and compare basewad height to the diagram of the WW 2 3/4" hull in the manual.

 

[Dakotashooter2]

Bob you are correct on the powder 31 gr is what I loaded, direct from the scale. These are definitely 2 3/4" hulls and they have the "melted seal" still evident. I sectioned one and they have the white plactic basewad. Now I don't know how dimentionally correct the hulls pictured in the Lyman manual are but the basewad pictured appears to be much higher than the hulls I have. I just sectioned a "dove and quail" and a "heavt field" whic appear to be what the manual has listed and there is definatly a major difference in base wad height. I'm begining to think my buckshot theory may be correct. Those loads utilize from 3-7 grains more of the same powder with the same wad. It may well be worth a call to Winchester to find out what the scoop is. May do a volume comparison vs compression formed as it appears they may be very similar. Thanks for the help.

 

[Bob_K]

Except for the highbase PF WW hull, the Compression Formed generally has less capacity since it is a tapered case.

As a rule, if the hull I have does not match the hull specified in the load data, I don't use it. It is not worth damaging my shotgun, nor can I expect good shell performance. If I can't get good shell performance, I'm just wasting components.