Im in need of some 3" fiocchi hulls if anyone has any extra in their lifetime supply lol. Will gladly pay above retail if necessary.

Ballistic Products has primed 3" fiocchis for 16.79 per 100.

They've been out of stock for months.

There doesn't appear to be any for sale anywhere in the USA. I've looked everywhere I could think of, and everyone is out. I don't know if Hal has that 1.625 oz load that's uses Lil Gun available in another hull or not. I really hate to change; that load shoots so well in my gun.

A 2.75" hull will work for the recipe if you leave out the seal, but I think the seal is one reason that load is so consistent.

Im using a different load that calls for it. I could leave some felt out and make a 2 3/4" work. But like you, id rather not.

Damn sure are. Don't know how I missed it. My apologies.

Dang, I was about to get rich

IKR

So you're saying ya got some?

I had a couple thousand, I’m not sure what I sold down to or have left without going to look.

Does anyone use this hull with a V92 wad and no seal? If you do, have you had any issues with powder migration around the base of the wad? I hate to see powder migration in a turkey load and the red seal stops that completely if you plug the 2 holes in it.

If the V92 will seal ok without it, the recipe will fit inside the Fio 2.75" hulls. They are exactly the same as the 3" except for the length.

I'm gonna load some #10 for my open barrel and having them be shorter would be an easy to identify which shell goes in which barrel.

PCP, let me know how the tens work in your open barrel. Just bought a sxs and thinking about doing the same thing.

I gotta get some hulls before I can load any test shells, but I'm certain the 10s are gonna work ok. I've killed turkeys with 9.5s in the open barrel, and the 10s have already been proven by other hunters to work well. If I choose the open barrel to shoot one then the turkey is gonna be close, so penetration is not gonna be an issue. But I think the computer models say the 10s are good to 60 anyway.

PCP, I shot the 3" Fio's with the VP92 for years. Never had an issue with powder migration. I did start putting a nitro card in the powder cup last year but that was just on a tip from another reloader to increase pattern density.

How much tighter did your pattern get?

10-15%. I have an 870 that just throws open patterns. I've tried everything I know to try as far as chokes and barrel polishing goes. Got this tip, and went from 275 to 315 in the 10". This is with 388 per oz 9s so a little smaller than a full 9.

Cool. I wonder what it would do to a regular patterning 870?

Never know for sure, but I'd guess it would tighten it up too.

Thanks, that was exactly what I wanted to know. Before you used the nitro wad, did you trim the hulls to get a good roll crimped, or fold them with a press? My load roll crimps perfectly with the red seal, which is 1/4" deep. If I leave it out, a 2.75" hull should crimp perfectly, and it should also produce a more open pattern, which is exactly what I want from this barrel. And now shells will be 2 different lengths and it will be easier to load the gun in the dark. I've been marking the 9.5 shells with a red marker, so different lengths will be better.

I will give you a tip that I've discovered from all my testing of sxs loads. The red seal that BPI makes will likely tighten your patterns even more than a Nitro wad when using this hull. A Nitro wad doesn't fit real tight in this hull, but the red seal has to be really forced in. That produces more consistent ignition and more consistent patterns. I don't have actual numbers readily available; they are on targets stored in the shed. But the numbers showed more consistent patterns with the red seal, and my perception was that they were also tighter. I felt I absolutely proved the consistency was better with the seal; tighter patterns were just a perception, but I think the difference is real.

Do NOT forget to plug the 2 holes in the red seal if you use it. I use several coats of fingernail polish, but most any sort of glue will work. I lost a turkey because of those holes before I understood how important it was to plug them.

It's interesting to me that in my 3.5" 12 gauge load using a Cheddite hull, the Nitro wad makes a really tight seal and work just as well as a plastic seal would. Every type hull is different, and it seems the manufacturers allow a great deal of tolerance on the specs of various components.

Thanks again, I'm gonna order some hulls.

I did trim mine probably 1/4" maybe a little less. Never measured exactly, I just have it marked on my dowel. I was roll crimping too.



I wasn't very clear earlier, but I actually buy a 28 gauge Nitro card, and it sits inside of the powder cup and rests on top of the powder. It is a snug fit to get it to go in the powder cup, and I think it slightly increases the circumference of the wad. It is noticeably tighter putting the wad into the hull for sure.

It sounds like I am accomplishing the same end goal with different components, but I have seen the exact same results of tighter, more consistent patterns.