Loading Federal paper cases

[416 Rigby]

Have any of you experienced swelling of these cases due to moisture absorption? I tried some many years ago and they seemed to be a little tight in the chamber. Is this normal, or is there any special trick to using this hull? I was thinking of trying some again.

Thanks,
Rick

[Holeshot]

I load fed. papers all the time, I will buy a flat of new trap loads from Cabelas and reload the emptys. Years ago I had trouble loading old cases that had swelled. Problem solved.

[Paul Harm]

I had hundreds of old cases given to me and had problems with swelled cases so bad I gave up on them. Sounds like David has the correct solution.

[416 Rigby]

Thanks, gents.

[Steve Havener]

Where is the swelling most evident, case mouth, base at the brass or the tube in general?

[416 Rigby]

I think it was the tube in general, from what I remember. I really like the AA case, but thought I might try paper again just for fun.

[Researcher]

I've been reloading Federal papers since I was a teenager. Before the Olins introduced the AA, the Federal Paper was THE hull for reloading. Once fired Winchester RANGERS, Western EXPERTS, Remington SHUR-SHOTS and Peters VICTORS littered the ground at the trap clubs in the Pacific Northwest, but if there was a Federal paper among them, it had been reloaded enough times to be burning pinholes through just above the brass.

Was your problem with cases swelled from getting wet or from being fired in an over-size chamber?

Back in the day, Herters made a heated resizing and depriming machine for paper shells. As one neared the bottom of the stroke, the spring-loaded inside rod and depriming pin slammed down and firmly reseated the base wad. I'd love to get my hands on one of those. There is usually about five pages of Herters reloading stuff on ebay, but I've yet to see one of these resizing machines come up. I know a couple of guys at the Spokane Gun Club that claim to have them, but no offer to sell!!

[416 Rigby]

It's been about 15 years, so I don't really remember the specifics or even where I got them, just that they were tight, so I pitched them. I dug through my drawer this afternoon and found 4 of them from back then in a sealed zip lock bag with some sample Lage Uniwads. I sized them again on my Mec 600 and pushed them into my chambers...pretty tight. I didn't even make it until the brass entered the chamber, and had to pull pretty hard to get it out. AA's and other fired cases go in and out easily.

Maybe I'll talk to a pal who shoots trap here occasionally and see if he has any that were fired recently and see how they fit.

[Paul Harm]

It's the paper case that swells, at least for me. The shells were stored in a basement for years. They would even stick in my Mec Grabber - last station. It was a old Grabber with metal dies - switched to plastic and solved the problem. Then about half the reloads would be hard to chamber. I just threw away about 1000 empties. Now if I could find some new Federal once fired papers I'd love to reload them.

[416 Rigby]

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Fed...tinfo/FPAP121/

Here you go Paul.