The new style Top Gun hulls have more room in them than a Federal Gold Medal. The Gold Medal has a flat basewad, nearly level with the top of the primer. The Top Gun has a cupped basewad that is lower than the top of the primer. Much like a RIO or Cheddite hull. Hodgdon gave you the correct info.

You can probably use the Gold Medal data in the Top Gun hull but not the other way around, however the velocities will probably be a bit lower.

IMHO, find some Gold Medal hulls. The loads will perform as they should and they will assemble as they should.

As far as reloadable, I have been reloading the Top Gun hulls with the plastic basewad for quite awhile. They just won't reload as many times as a Gold Medal. For the most part, I use the Top Guns as one and done.

BPI gave you iffy information, they are definitely not the same hull and they do reload differently.

 

The new style Top Gun hulls have more room in them than a Federal Gold Medal. The Gold Medal has a flat basewad, nearly level with the top of the primer. The Top Gun has a cupped basewad that is lower than the top of the primer. Much like a RIO or Cheddite hull. Hodgdon gave you the correct info.

You can probably use the Gold Medal data in the Top Gun hull but not the other way around, however the velocities will probably be a bit lower.

IMHO, find some Gold Medal hulls. The loads will perform as they should and they will assemble as they should.

As far as reloadable, I have been reloading the Top Gun hulls with the plastic basewad for quite awhile. They just won't reload as many times as a Gold Medal. For the most part, I use the Top Guns as one and done.

BPI gave you iffy information, they are definitely not the same hull and they do reload differently.

Thanks for the detailed response.

 

Dogchaser is right on, IMO.

 

Degenerate3skimo,

Here is a picture of the inside of the two hulls. Top Gun is on the right.

 

I have been loading top gun with gold medal data . They shoot fine a little slower . The main problem it the crimp you need a taller wad . The Mec 9000 you need the long thread cam crimp punch.
This is for clay target loads.

 

the NEW top gun hulls are shown above, there's still a million or so of the old style paper base ones kicking around out there.
you can use the same basic data but your wads crush section is gonna need to be taller in the new hull.
good thing i bought all those wads to load the old style hulls just before federal changed them again.

 

1 1/8

1,310

Fed 209A

Green Dot

Windjammer

24

8,800

I Have tons of once fired top gun hulls. I'm using the yellow windjammer . There chronoing over 1300 number 9 shot for skeet.

 

I had no luck with Top Guns. 2 different guns (1 O/U, 1 auto) would peel part of the "brass" with the ejector and hang up the gun. Was a PITA clearing the auto and no fun on the O/U.

 

I wonder if adding a gas seal in the top gun would help with volume issues one may have.

 

I'm sure your resizing them not sure why that's happening. I've loaded at least a thousand of them and never had one hang up. I shoot o/u and auto. Are you loading the plastic base wad one's? That's what I load.

 

Sized on Mec 9000. Plastic basewad (20g were paper). The metal is prophylactic thin. Extractors on both guns would strip a slice back. On the O/U, the extractor ended up on the wrong side of the rim. I recall some issues upon close as well. The auto took a good blow to the bolt lever to open up.

Never had an issue with Gun Clubs. That's the only steel based 12g hulls I currently use.

Really wasn't worth an investigation for me. Maybe that these were quite stout (Annie Oakley) loads (the reason I used a Fed hull in the first place). I have plenty of 12g hulls and various colors, most with brass. Gold Medal with the same components, no issue.

 

the consensus was to use the pink SL or zombie green winchester 1 oz. wad.

i been using the pink wad in Rio hulls [red-dot] for a while now, and the 1oz. lightning windjammer wad [green-dot] in the cheddite hulls, both with an ounce of shot.
if i ever burn out the old paper base hulls [or the 30-K wads i got for them] i'll use the S-L Pink wads and switch the Rio load over [only with Promo] and toss out the Rio hulls.

 

If you can get it, the best wad for stack height in Federal hulls is the CB-6100 for 1-oz. loads .

 

Thanks. I just found the CB 6100’s. It seems that many people here are using this wad for the new Federal shells.

 

I load thousands of them (Federal Top Guns). 1 1/8 oz in the CB-3118-12AR cup. Load them for trap handicap with Green Dot and Cheddite primers. I can pick the cases up by the barrel full at the gun club, all once fired. Load them on a Grabber set with a tight re-sizer. Works perfect, loads look perfect, couldn't be happier. When I dump all my Cheddite cases, I will load Federal for singles as well. I load and shoot 15,000 per year.

Maltz

 

I load thousands of them (Federal Top Guns). 1 1/8 oz in the CB-3118-12AR cup. Load them for trap handicap with Green Dot and Cheddite primers. I can pick the cases up by the barrel full at the gun club, all once fired. Load them on a Grabber set with a tight re-sizer. Works perfect, loads look perfect, couldn't be happier. When I dump all my Cheddite cases, I will load Federal for singles as well. I load and shoot 15,000 per year.

Maltz

I have tried that exact CB-3118-AR wad with top gun hulls, but all of the crimps are concave or dished like people are saying. Are you seeing the same results? I have only made test loads yesterday and have not patterned them or chrono’ed them yet. I assume they will shoot well, but does this dished crimp really affect the ballistics? I will find out.

I ordered CB-6100, CB-6118 and CB-2100’s last night and will try these out with the top gun hulls. I have tons of these as well from our club range. I’m new to Shot shell reloading and primarily have reloaded Remington Gun Club hulls with perfect crimps.

I’m also checking out different powders since it’s hard to find the same powders if at all. I have about 4 lbs of bullseye that I have seen some data here. Has anyone used this before? Any loading data? Thanks.

 

Who exactly at Federal told you Top Gun hulls are not reloadable?

 

The Top Gun and ‘3 Dram’ Federal hulls both have the plastic base wad. There is definitely higher volume than the gold medal. I’ll try the other wads when I get them.

There are so many of these new Federal hulls around, even if they just reload once or twice, it would be fine.