2 1/2" cheddite 20 ga loads

[Harold Pickens]

Well, after much cursing, frustration, bourbon, and crushed shells I think I am set up for 2 1/2" 20's. I pulled the short kit off my 16 ga Mec 600 and put it on the 20--fit great, After much cam and crimp adjustment, wad pressure adjustment, more cursing(did I mention bourbon), I think I'm there.
All this because the left barrel of my 20 hammer gun prefers cheddite hulls. The rim on the cheddite hulls is definitely thicker than AA and Rem Gun club hulls, and seems to eliminate the light strikes and misfires I got with my other reloads( and factory AA shells), I have a little tool that cuts down shells to 2 1/2" , and works on 12, 16, and 20 ga using your portable drill--a guy on the 16 ga forum sells it, and is much slicker and easier than those sold by Precision and BPI, and cheaper. Cheddite 2 3/4" shells are much longer than AA and gun clubs. I wouldn't even bother if those shells would work in my Manton. Put a AA, a Gun Club, and an RST side by side and there is almost no difference in length, Bruce Day showed us that--the Herters/cheddite are definitely much longer than those other shells and have to be cut down. A trip to the SC range is necessary now to try out the new reloads.