"Cheditte" NPE

[edgarspencer]

I recently bought 500 NPE 28ga hulls from Ballistic Products, and notice some changes, which gave me pause.
They were 65mm, and BPI website said the headstamp was the 4 stars. However, the hulls do not have the typical 4 stars I have come to identify with Cheddite. These hulls have four 'dashes' in between 4 "28" markings.
Scondly, the new hulls are primed with a brass colored primer, similar to Winchester 209 primers.
The business end of the primers is sealed with Blue lacquer, as opposed to Red, on the CX2000 primers. A call to BPI with my concerns yielded no concern on their part. A quick look on the Cheddite website (English and Italian) seems to indicate the primers are NOT CX2000, but actually CX1000, which they indicate is intended for small bore (24, 28, 32 & .410) and if I'm reading it correctly, are milder.

A quick measurement seems to indicate a very slight difference in the base wad height, also, requiring a minor adjustment on the press cam.

My question, since my original loading was tested by Precision, is, has anyone noticed any 'change' in performance?

[Harold Pickens]

Interesting, Edgar. I have a new Mec 600 jr in 28 ga I need to get set up. What is your load recipe? I will be loading 70 mm hulls, mostly the old AA's, but do have a bunch of cheddite and Noblesport. What wad do you like in the euro hulls, I am going to use the pink claybuster wad in the American hulls, but dont know if they are appropriate in the euro hulls. Loading for a Dickinson 30" 28 ga.
BTW, that 16 O frame hammer gun shoots much better for me with that set of longer 20 ga barrels.

[edgarspencer]

Harold, I can't pass myself off as someone who knows anything about much. I loaded AA back in the 70s. That sounds so much better than saying I loaded them 50 years ago, and back then, we had one choice for wads; AA Winchesters. I used ball powder that came in 25lb cardboard kegs. I think 25 pounds of 20/28 would cost about what I paid for my first car.

I don't load any tapered hulls. I stay with Fiocchis and Chedittes. I like PT-28s, when I can get them in Fiocchi, but only because Fiocchi doesn't bring in their RO-28 wad anymore, and I wasn't smart enough to buy like Craig Thompson.

I like Sporting 28-II in Cheddite hulls, and push both of them out with 12.5grs of 20/28. I only load 28s in 2.5", but buy whichever in 2.75" and trim when I have to. 3/4 oz of 7 1/2 shot. They seem to break targets better than #8.

I load 2.75" for my daughter, and the only change I make is to use the original SP-28 wad.

I'm sorry those 26" 16ga barrels became so disappointing once you got those 20ga barrels, but everyone in my family was better looking than me, so I know how they feel.

[6pt-Sika]

Back in the late 70’s I started loading for shotguns mostly for skeet and trap . And at the time I was enamored with Winchester powders . Used 452AA in the 12 , 473AA in the 20 , 540 in the 28 and 296 in the 410 . Later Winchester brought out WSL and WST for the 12 and I used both , they replaced 473AA with WSF which I then used in both the 16 and 20 . They quit selling 540 and to the best of my knowledge never replaced it with anything . But on the other hand Hodgdon HS-6 is supposed to pretty much be the same thing . Only one from almost fifty years ago Winchester still makes is 296 go figure

[6pt-Sika]

As to cost back in the 80’s I’d drive up to FAirfax R&G and Jim Tyrell would hook me up . I’d buy 20 bags of shot a case of Pattern Control wads for each of the four skeet gauges , 10,000 WIN 209’s , 10 pounder of 452AA , 10 pounder of 473AA an 8 pounder of 540 and an8 pounder of 296 . I’d carry about a thousand in cash and usually come home with maybe a hundred bucks .