Any chance one of you gents started down the TSS loading path and quit? Got any 3” Fiocchi 20 gauge hulls you could/would get rid of? I can either buy em or I have some 2 3/4” hulls I could trade for em either one.

I just ordered some from BPI and got them this week. I can spot you some and you order your own to replace

I'm pretty sure I have some extras , I'll hook ya up.

Bump. Still looking…

Would cheddites work for you?

No sir. I hate em. 😬🤣

Would empty hulls work that have been fired?

No sir. With the limited equipment I have, only new/primed hulls will work for me unfortunately.

I guess beggars can be choosers………..

Yeah….or beggars can already have a pile of those chitty hulls and is hoping and praying he aint forced into having to deal with em indefinitely. 😬🤣

What load are you using? The 1 and 5/8 oz load based on Lil Gun that Hal developed and is so popular will work fine in a 2.75" hull. The only difference when I load them is that I put a nitro wad in the 3" hull and that theoretically produces a tighter seal for better ignition. But in the tests I've run myself shooting them over a chrony I could not tell any difference in velocity.

Maybe you are using a different load and the 3" hull is required, but you can surely produce great loads with Fio 2.75 hulls. I use the short hull for 9.5 shot that I use in the open barrel, but after several years of doing it I think that is a waste of time. Put the gun on him with any size TSS and turkey is dead.

The recipe I have calls for the 2 3/4” hulls too, no complaints so far, it’s the only one I’ve used

Now I see why you traded them to me you goober. What’s wrong with em? I may need to dump the two bags I have onto PCP or someone lol

Hal’s Big 20 XL. Fiocchi 3” hull. Have never had to trim and it rolls beautifully. Easy, peasy and what I am used to. Really dont want to change a thing.

I’ll prob have a box of 20ga 2.75 hulls after this weekend pattern session.

I'm about to load a few and checked my notes. I said above that a nitro card was the difference in the 2.75 and 3" loads, but my memory was bad. It's actually one of those low profile gas seals that is the difference. Are you using the gas seal? For anyone unfamiliar with it, you MUST fill the 2 holes in the seal or it will end in a broken heart.

I am almost certain that Hal originally intended the Big 20 xl to be fold crimped. It has 1/2" of hull above the shot and that is the perfect amount to fold. The red seal is 1/4" deep, and when you use it that leaves you 1/4" of hull above the shot, and that is the perfect amount to roll. If you are not using the gas seal and rolling 1/2" then we must have very different techniques.

Here's a pic that compares the 2 hulls and 2 loaded shells. The only difference is shot size and the gas seal. The load works just fine if you use 2.75 hulls and leave out the seal. Hope this helps.

I use the fiocchi hulls and the big 20 XL. I trim my hulls prior to loading with my trimmer and it only takes a second. The crimps on my hulls look good imo

I dont know all of the details you are talking Mr. Steve. I have never used a nitro card nor a gas seal. Just some components in VP92 wad, 1 5/8 of shot, 3” hull, and roll crimping with no trimming (without totally throwing his recipe put there). Exactly as Hal provided to me years ago when I started. Works like a charm, I have all of the stuff to do it with (other than an abundance of Fiocchi hulls), and I would love to not change a thing in the future.

I’ve never used a gas seal in the big 20 XL or the XLC. I wonder if Mr. Steve is using a modified load or a different wad perhaps.

No, I'm using the VP92 wad and building them exactly according to the recipe. I'll text you a picture of of it, but I suspect you already have the exact recipe.

So the difference has got to be in the way we are doing the rolls. I don't think I am unusual in wanting 1/4" of hull above the shot to roll crimp. I've read that in many places, and it has always worked very well for me. I load about a case of 12 gauge a year and 1/2" above the shot will fold perfectly on my Mec press or the Pacific press.

If y'all are able to roll 1/2", then you are just doing something a lot different than what I do. I'm in no way saying you are wrong, just that we are doing it differently somehow.

Jughead, if you can't find any hulls anywhere, I still have about a half a bag and will give you a dozen or so to get you through the year. Just getting them up to Yankee land where you live will be the problem.