[Winchester Brass]

Thanks for the reply,

I will try that with a friend's gun and see what happens.

Hopefully, it's the brass and not a chamber problem. In the meantime I will buy some other brass and see if it continues with my gun.

I have a 1991A1 that is very reliable and accurate, with a bushing change, and would hate to "mess" with it!

Side note: Your latest book on "The 1911" is excellent both in content and clarity. Hopefully you have more books coming on the 1911.

[Winchester Brass]

Hi,

I should have a proof-reader, I can't believe I ommitted the caliber. Sorry, it's a 45 ACP.

I load it to 1.25" and I have not checked the speed.

I will measure the crimp but I have not changed anything and this is a recent problem with this brass only.

Good thought, I will chamber the round and take it out and measure to see if the bullet is getting set back.

Thanks

[Winchester Brass]

Hello,

I recently bought some new Winchester brass and after about 5-6 loadings I have split about 20 % of the cases already. These are not the small splits that occurred with the previous S&B brass at about 10-15 loadings, but splits down the side of 1/8" or more.

I have loaded previous mixed brass, including Winchester, and do not recall having this problem. In fact, I recall feeling Winchester was one of the more durable cases.

I load a moderate 200 LSWC, 4.8 gr of WST and have not changed the "bell" or  final crimp, if that makes a difference! I load on a SDB with factory settings, recently rebuilt.

Is Winchester not durable or perhaps I just bought a bad batch?

I "read" that other people get 20-30 loadings on good brass. If that's true then what brands do they use and/ or maybe I am "working" the brass too much by belling and crimping?

Thanks for your input.

[The Correct Shotgun]

Hello,

It is good advice to try(shoot) as many guns as possible before you buy. Most shooters would be glad to let you try their shotguns during practice.

There is no "shooting" advantage between auto loaders and the O/U. It just depends what feels better and what you want to spend. Shoot some autoloaders and some different O/U's with different bbl lengths to give you a feel for the balance and your preference. Light shotguns are an advantage for hunting but not clay targets.

Autoloaders have less "felt recoil" and are cheaper. Generally, they are not as reliable or durable as a quality O/U ,but you can buy 2-3 of them for the cost of a single $2,000 stacked gun. Beretta would be the best bet in autoloaders.

In the $2000 and under price range I would stick with the Browning and Beretta. Lot's of them around and both are proven and reliable.

There are many good used sporting clays guns that can save you a lot of money. Just make sure the bbls have not been altered and it doesn't look abused.

Good luck and have fun.

[Paper Hulls]

Hello,

IMO the paper shells from Federal do "feel" softer in recoil than plastic hulls, plus they smell better.

I do not believe they pattern any better than a high quality plastic. I used to shoot them exclusively(many rounds) but they became higher in cost than plastic and could not be reloaded nearly as many times. Once fired empty hulls became unavailable in my area so I switched.

They are also very easy to reload(effort) compared to plastic if speed is important to you in reloading.

If you don't reload I would recommend them.

Take care.