Two ammo brands I'll be avoiding...

Chief Brody · Post by **Chief Brody** » Mon Jul 28, 2014 4:23 pm

Had a rough time during two stages at a steel plate match on Long Island, NY yesterday. My 870P runs very slick, always feels great - until I put in some sub-par shells. Winchester Universal Game & Target AND Estate field loads gave me an extremely tough time. I'm trying to shoot a stage as fast as possible, instead I'm railing on the gun just trying to eject the spent shells. Had zero problems with Remington and Fiocchi ammo I also had on hand (Federal always runs great, too). Now I know what she likes and dislikes. Win and Estate, never again.

Website · Post by **Synchronizor** » Tue Jul 29, 2014 9:59 pm

The Federals have been my go-to cheap target loads since the Remington target shell bulk-packs stopped being stocked in my area. I've had bad luck with those Winchester Universals, and I've seen them jam other brands of shotguns. Never tried Estate target loads. I shoot a lot of Estate buckshot though, and that's always functioned well, but those are loaded in high-cup shells. Same goes for higher-end Winchester hunting loads.

BP_Z28 · Post by **BP_Z28** » Wed Aug 06, 2014 1:41 am

My 870 hates everything Winchester, always jams.

Lately have been shooting remington and federal with little to no problems

shootall · Post by **shootall** » Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:58 pm

This is interesting as I have never had a 870 not feed shells. I have used old shells (paper from the 40-50and 60's) , Promotional shells , top of the line, reloads , Shells from around the world . Winchester , Remington , Rio, B&P , Federal , Rottwielder ( slugs and bird shot), Estate , Shells made in Canada and others. Trust me if a gun will shoot shells from Canada it should be fine with other brands. Could it be a tuning issue ? Maybe an extractor adjusted incorrectly ? I do have a newer gun that some shells just eject and fall to the ground and others that get thrown 6-8 feet or more. I figured it was my working the slide differently.

Website · Post by **Synchronizor** » Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:06 am

The thing is, those old paper shotshells were better made than a lot of modern ammunition, with quality brass cups and thick hulls. Most modern shotshells use steel cups, and for some of the cheap target loads, that steel is very thin and soft, so it tends to expand and stick in chambers. This is the issue with Winchester Universal target loads; not higher-end Winchester shells, just those bottom-dollar bulk-pack Universals sold at Wal-Mart.

870s do get more tolerant of crap ammo once they're broken in, and there is some randomness in whether or not an individual shotgun will tolerate these kinds of shells.

shootall wrote: Could it be a tuning issue ? Maybe an extractor adjusted incorrectly ?

You can't really adjust an extractor in an 870, it just pops in and works. Besides, if the action is sticking closed because the shell won't extract, it's obviously not an extractor problem.

shootall · Post by **shootall** » Thu Aug 14, 2014 4:55 pm

Sorry missed the part about sticking shut. You can work with spring and surface though.

efriedrich · Post by **efriedrich** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:10 am

Winchesters universal are trash and federal top guns are a little better but both are cheap and readily available in my area, but I prefer to shoot Remington gun club's when they are on sale normally for around $5.50 a box/25.

Website · Post by **Synchronizor** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:59 am

Gun Clubs are definitely a step up over the cheap bulk-pack stuff from other brands. They still have steel cups, and I've seen them hang up in brand-new chambers occasionally, but the hulls share the strong STS unibody design with Remington's premium target shells, so they stand up & function well and are great for reloading.

John A. · Post by **John A.** » Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:29 pm

efriedrich wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:10 am Winchesters universal are trash

I agree wholeheartedly. I am not a fan of them at all. I have found that many of them are swollen and bulged and don't lend well to feeding or extraction.

Synchronizor wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:59 am Gun Clubs are definitely a step up over the cheap bulk-pack stuff from other brands. They still have steel cups, and I've seen them hang up in brand-new chambers occasionally, but the hulls share the strong STS unibody design with Remington's premium target shells, so they stand up & function well and are great for reloading.

STS are my favorite hull for reloading. I've reloaded some of them more than a dozen times. And these were not light loads either.

Plus, the STS has the smooth body hull, which seems to feed and extract very well, even in some problematic chambers. They are especially helpful in single and double barrels that don't have ejectors.

I bought a full case of STS shells at my local walmart for $7 something a box. Been loading those same hulls for a couple of years now. That was one of the "better" decisions I've made

Website · Post by **Synchronizor** » Tue Jan 09, 2018 3:23 am

I love the Premiere STS hulls. With the smooth hull and quality brass cup, they cycle like butter, and always load and crimp beautifully. Also, that smooth hull is really nice for marking loads with a Sharpie.

Writing on ribbed hulls works okay, but trying to rub a previous load's info out to write something new is a pain since the ink stays in-between the ribs and is hard to get to. I end up scrubbing them with rubbing alcohol, which is tedious. But with smooth hulls like the STSs or Winchester HS, not only is writing on them very smooth, but I can also easily rub off the ink and put something new down.

I just wish they were available in more colors.

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