Having trouble sizing 10 gauge hulls

[Cory Rams]

I just bought four Alcan all brass hulls to use in my Charles Daly 2 7/8” 1873 SxS. I’m afraid I’ve wrecked them trying to get them to size. The shells are a hair longer than 2 7/8” but are way to swollen and don’t want to chamber. I’ve tried running them through a loose Mec sizing ring several times. I even polished the cases along the way. I trimmed one down a 1/16 shorter and got the breech to close but not without tinkering with it and doing so very firmly. I trimmed again closer to 2 5/8” and it’s about the same. A tight firm fit and the breech will close. I have to tap the hull out from the muzzle end with a cleaning rod. I’ve ran the hulls through my loose Mec sizer a good dozen times. The sizer ring is no connected to a Mec press so I’m Taping them in and out of the sizing ring using a socket. I do have some wrinkles on the shells where the ring must have came off unevenly. I’m wondering if I just keep cutting down the shells till they fit loosely? The gun was measured at 2 7/8” and I’ve shot RST 2 7/8” shells out of it with no issues of fitment or sticking. The RST and my reloads in plastic hulls drop in and out loosely. The used all brass Alcan shells I was told we’re used in a 10 gauge cannon so I wonder if the the chamber was extremely large compared to my gun? It seems that every time I run the shells through my Max sizing ring they seem to slde into both chambers a little easier. Just don’t want to run them up and down dozens of times till they fit properly. Any suggestions or did I get some hulls that I shouldn’t be using? My plan was to cut them all to match the other 2 5/8” and shoot them all to see if the hulls will fireform the wrinkled dents and hoping they would all fireform to the point the gulls might fit better? If not I’ll stick with plastic hulls.

[Milton C Starr]

Just my limited experience resizing brass/hulls. On some of them I have to resize in 2 steps, basically a beginning one and then the final one. If I try to use certain hulls in the final resizing without doing the first partial resizing it will crumple the brass. I also think whatever type of lubricants you use probably plays a part in how easy your resizing goes. I would take a digital caliper and measure inside the chamber then measure your unsized brass shells to see what the difference comes out to.

[charlie cleveland]

some times the hulls just wont fit because they are to large to fit some real tight chambers...so try some different brass shells....charlie

[Bill Murphy]

The only acceptable sizer that is part of a reloader is the PW 375. I haven't run brass shells through mine, but it sizes everything else OK. If you can get hold of a 375 in any gauge, all you need is one sizing die in ten gauge to do the job. You don't need the whole set of tools.

[Cory Rams]

After about a dozen more times of running brass hull number one through my sizer. It still would have to be pushed into the chamber. I removed the barrel and kept taping the hull on and out with a cleaning rod making note of the shiny high spots where it was rubbing in the chamber. I took a piece of 400 grit sandpaper and rolled it around the shell and gently spun the case on the sandpaper pressing on the high spots. After about an hour of trial and error it fits in and I can gently remove it. Three more to go.

[charlie cleveland]

I have had to tap a few into my barrels this works but a slow go...charlie

[Cory Rams]

I tapped hull number 2 into my barrel. I had to trim it approx an 1/8” or so to get it to flush. I figured since I trimmed the other to approx 2 3/4” I would make them all the same length and trimmed number two down to equal length of the first shell. After tapping and removing shell number 2 from the barrel several times it still had to pushed in with force and tapped out. I ended up running it through my sizer several times, sanding with 320 grit sandpaper on the high spots and polishing. Kept rotating all the steps for a good hour or so till till shell number two would drop into either chambers loosely. What was weird is the first shell I sized yesterday grew to the point it chambered with force again. I repeated the process till both shells dropped into both chambers with a loose fit. Good thing I only have four shells total or I would have quit while I was behind. Two more to go. I plan on pin tumbling them when I’m done sizing them. I’m hoping tumbling will smooth out the surface and aid in chambering.

[charlie cleveland]

I bought 9 Winchester nickel plated shells none fit the gun....after many trys I finally got 4 of them to fit...saving the other 5 for better times...hang in there ....charlie

[Cory Rams]

I loaded up the two I got to fit loosely with a 100 grains of FG, a 1/4 nitro card, a 3/4” fiber cushion wad, 1 5/8oz of #5’s and an overshot card. I tried them at the range along with some of same Laos and charge in a cut down Winchester hull roll crimped with the only difference missing a 3/4” fiber wad. The modern roll crimped style load out shot it hands down at 25 and 40 yards. The brass hulls seemed to fire form out the wrinkles and dents I put in them from the sizing process. Both brass hulls dropped right out loosely after firing. They did have blow back round the casings after firing from the front to half way back. I’ll get they other two to fit and keep all the brass for backups since they don’t pattern as well as plastic hulls.

[Cory Rams]

Here is a copy of post with my groups using all brass VS plastic hulls with the same load with the addition of a 3/4” fiber wad added.

Tested the above loads the other day….






Here are my targets from a few days ago. I tested 100 grains of FG in a Winchester hull. I loaded with a 1/4” nitro wad and 1 5/8oz of #5’s. It didn’t group as tight at 25 yards than my #6 load but IT DID have more hits at 40 yards than my test with #6 nickel plated shot. That was kind of confusing to me. It didn’t pattern any better than the RST load at 25 yards but patterned better than any load I’ve tried at 40 yards to date. At fifty yards I only had 3 hits VS with the #6’s.

I then tested all brass hulls with the same exact load but added a 3/4” fiber cushion was over the 1/4” nitro wad. The groups were poor compared to the plastic hull loads.


Plastic hulls…


25 yards…




40 yards….




50 yards…





All brass…


25 yards…




40 yards…