Below is a guide to the various straight wall hulls found in the US Domestic Market and Internationally. This guide is by no means complete, so if you spot something missing or incorrect, please post it so I can edit the list for accuracy.

I have made a best effort to identify the OEM manufacturer of branded hulls through published information but shot shell manufacturers may from time to time source hulls from more than one hull supplier. Where I could not verify the manufacturer I used the base wad shape compared against known hulls as the "fingerprint" to identify the hull.

Straight Wall Hull Reference

All hulls listed here are of Reifenhauser construction, a straight plastic tube with a separate plastic base wad and metal rim. Exceptions to this are noted (*) below.

Known primer dimensions are:
“A” American Standard 209 =.241”-.242”, “E” European Standard .244”-.245”

European Hull Manufacturers OEM and Contract:

Cheddite: Primer Size A
Cheddite, Kemen, Kent Fast Steel, Kent Velocity, Ballistic Products Multi-Hull (w/stepped white base wad), RST, some Eley, Lyalvale, Gamebore White Gold, Hull Cartridge 65mm, English Sporter and DanArms Sport.

USDM Federal Estate & Winchester SuperX Xpert (Bright red hull with gold color steel rim).

Remington Shur-Shot (Australian distribution) http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=225338&p=2060404&hilit=+1+3%2F8+remington#p2060404

UEE/Maxam: Primer Size E
Rio, Diana, Orion, Kemen, some Eley, Lyalvale, Gamebore, Vinci, Venatum, SAGA, Cartuchos GB, Melior, Eley Hawk, Maxam, Suprema.

Nobel Sport: Primer Size E
Nobel Sport, Clever Mirage, Clever Grand Italia, Clever T2.

Fiocchi: Primer Size E
Fiocchi, Ballistic Products Multi-Hull (w/flat gray 7mm base wad); *4/2016 forum member reports Clever 20 gauge are Fiocchi.

Baschieri & Pellagri (B&P): Primer Size E
B&P Proprietary hull using Gordon System cushioned plastic base wad.

Remington Shur-Shot (Australian distribution) http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=225338&p=2060404&hilit=+1+3%2F8+remington#p2060404

US Domestic Market (USDM)

Federal: Gold Medal w/plastic basewad; Top Gun* and Estate* w/wound paper base wad (Dark Maroon with silver color steel head); ***Federal all plastic with .090 base compression formed hull. Primer Size A

Added 4/2016: Federal Import (Rio/MAXAM hull) dark red with gold color steel head marked "12 GA" & "FEDERAL" with 8-point crimp. Primer size is E, factory primer copper cup with silver primer. Fired primers measure .245" at cup. Current boxes are bright red with black label, marked FIELD & TARGET Multi-Purpose Load

Winchester: SuperX (Cheddite), XPert Steel proprietary hulls. Found with two base-wad heights 2.75”, 3” and 3.5”. Red Tall, White Short. **Winchester AA-HS & Universal, Super Dove, Super Speed all use separate tapered cup base wad, not considered a straight wall hull. Primer Size A

Remington: SP Plastic, Type-6, black or yellow flat plastic base wad. Primer Size A

*Straight wall hulls but not true Reifenhauser due to paper base wad.
**Reifenhauser hulls but not true straight wall due to tapered cup base wad.
*** Straight wall one-piece compression formed hull. Largest capacity 2.75" and 3" hull I know of.

Edited 4/16 to add Federal import hull

Cerberus,

Thanks for putting this together!

I was having an off-line discussion with another member and one thing mentioned was the (seeming) endless variety of SW hulls.

Case in point: several boxes another shooter was using recently of 12ga 'Victory' shells, made in France. (They are identical to and reload just like RIO's)

I don't know if he'll chime in or not but, your chart goes a long way toward making a molehill out of a (seeming) mountain!

Nice work Cerberus, thanks for putting this together!

First post edited to add:

Cheddite: Remington Shur-Shot (Australian distribution)
http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=225338&p=2060404&hilit=+1+3%2F8+remington#p2060404



Photos credit MK10

B&P: Remington Shur-Shot (Australian distribution)

http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=225338&p=2060404&hilit=+1+3%2F8+remington#p2060404



Photo credit MK10

???????

Federals - Gold Medal & Top Guns, Remingtons - 2 piece SP, Winchesters - AA HS, last time I looked aren't Euro-hulls.

My complaint proven by the participants of this subforum within days of this subforum being started.

I thought the same thing too at first, but I'm not as anal about this forum as you are. Somehow the word "straight wall" hull should have been included in the forum title, but it wasn't because the word "eurotrash" is the word that gets poo pooed so much on the other side of the wall.

Sooooooo, once again, if you don't like it here, we won't miss you that much.

Federals - Gold Medal & Top Guns, Remingtons - 2 piece SP, Winchesters - AA HS, all have international distribution, some areas more than others.

If you don't like the existence of the sub-forum then complain to the site owner and ask him to shut it down.

You will find Hull Cartridge 67mm and 70mm use primer size A also. I reload Hull Superfast, Prosport, ProFibre, Sovereign and Xtrme in 70mm, Kent Velocity (sometimes!), Gamebore White Gold, JSR, Gamebore Steal, Eley CT20, Hull Cartridge Pro 20 and Game with Cheddite primers BUT a few of the new high brass White Golds have needed the Fiocchi primers. The old low brass head were my favourite reloads but the new seem slightly different.

Dan Arms have used a larger primer in the past, but as a budget loader, they may well change supplier as and when as previously stated.

The companies listed here all use the larger UEE 'E' primer:

http://www.maxam.net/en/outdoors/what_we_do/cartridges

I do not know if you get these brands in the US.

The 67mm Hull Cartridge are very 'baggy'. Gualandi wads are too loose a fit, although standard Diana fibre are fine.

Excellent post and a great link.

Other than the Rio and Diana we don't see the other brands they make or provide hulls for, at least in my area.

Your on point about the Cheddites and primer sizes. Older Cheddite and Kent hulls still in my stash take the larger primer. Newer pickups, and new Cheddite primers in the yellow box, are all US Standard "A" size.

Thanks Cerberus for your guide to the hulls and primer sizes. Most helpful! I generally use Rio and Nobel Sport primers for that larger sizing. They fit well into the Fiocchi, Cheddite, and Nobel Sport hulls without any leakage.

In my .410 experience, I've found no discernable reason to load an US made case. They all seem to have about the same service life at the end of the day. Each has its weak points when they eventually burn out.

Best,

Tim

Who makes Challenger hulls (from Canada)?

They seem to be just like other Euro hulls (Fiocchi, Nobel, etc), but they crimp shorter than the other hulls. The overall length of the fired hull is 1/16" shorter than 2-3/4".


.

Smelly Benelli, more info is needed. Can you give us a pic of the shell base? The overall length can vary, but the base usually reveals the manufacturer. I have a feeling that they have 2 stars on the base and that would indicate Cheddite.

S.E.C. LIBEC INC.

Phone : (450) 764-3222
Fax : (450) 764-3167
PO.BOX . 120
Ste-Justine-de-Newton, Qc.
Canada J0P 1T0

E-mail adress : [email protected]
Web adress : www.munitionschallenger.com

All my references say they are Cheddite. Look for alternating Stars " * " and "12" on the base.

Do you see a hull marking indication 67mm hulls?

Cerberus, I've acquired a new .410 gas semi-auto that I should have next week. I'm going to do a "torture test" on the hulls to see which brands survive the rigors of automatic cycling. We'll see who stands tall and who is small.

Tim

Now that sounds like fun...

A few years ago Winchester, Marlin and Rossi made lever action .410's, and it's an open secret you can fire .410 in the 444 Marlin. I always thought one of these smoothbores would be fun, but a gas 410 sound even more so.

You know this will require pics and thorough write up on your part, and your torture test should be enlightening.

Hi Cerberus, Yes it should be. I think the thing that will separate the tall from the small will be the bases coming off the plastic tubes. I'll be using the traditional materials for the wading so we can see if that has any good or bad effects.

I've read a bit about the lever action guns and reloading the .444 Marlin cases. In one way I have copied that by gluing the overshot card in the normal .410 plastic hull. Contrary to what most would expect, it makes for a very servicable load. The .410 shell is very easy to ignite with the reduced diameter and volume and the relatively strong 209 primer.

The new/old gun has been throughly tested already. I'm most impressed at the work put into the design.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0cT2JFmsXk&feature=player_embedded

I think the same company makes the molding and fabrication machines that all the other companies buy and use to make their Euro style (Reifenhauser) hulls.

SB, I would have to agree with you after seeing the pics. Stamping Canada on the base pretty well implies it was made in Canada with the same extruding and fabrication machines. They have the usual plastic base wad with little sealing lip at the top where the wad seals the tube. Perhaps they have enough production to warrant the hull production.

That thin gray ring around the primer is the giveaway that this is a Cheddite hull:



When cut in cross section you will see it clearly as a closed groove about half the depth of the basewad. Rio and NobelSport basewads do not have this groove.

I will post a better picture of a cross section in the morning.

The trap ranges in NE Oregon for the most part will provide an abundance of SW Top Gun hulls. There are few if any of the Cheddite, RIO, FIO, etc ever in the bins. I play a bit with the Top Gun and seem to have excellent results. I load them 2 or maybe 3 times and pleats in the crimp start cracking so I discard them. I use the Federal primer, a CB2118 wad and 18.7gr Promo. Today was a great day for shooting.. 93 out of 100, an excellent day for me. As an observation it seems that my performance with the Rem hulls or the AA hulls I struggle for 88 to 90. Do any of you notice a difference in performance similar to this or have I just developed a mind set of some sort that causes this to happen..... I do better because I think I am going to do better? The load and primer for the Rem and AA hulls is the same and the wads are blue dusters...... Larry