Okay, I changed my votes, since I use both plastic and brass.  But on wads, I checked both plastic and nitro, etc cards because that's what I use in all brass.  Plastic hulls get plastic wad only.

Now for the question, I've never heard of reifenhauser hulls.  What common hulls would be an example?

Abilene,
Your primary preference for a plastic Hull is not a Reifenhauser style shell, you use a one piece compression formed or unibody Hull..  Those include the Rem STS and Nitro Hulls, the Peters Blue Magics (i still have a large bag of those from over 30 years ago), Win AA hulls, not the newer AA-HS and the Federal HOA shells.  There may be a few others and the Federal Gold Medal used to be but it has changed.  People are now hoarding the One Piece Win AAs like I do the Peters Blue Magics.

In the center photo below the old Federal Gold Medal Compression hull is flanked on either side by two different kinds of Reifenhauser two piece hulls.

 


A Reifenhauser style is named after the company that developed the extrusion process maybe 70 years ago to make extruded tubes strong enough and heat resistant enough to make shell bodies out of.  Almost every shell I didn't list above is a Reifenhauser style and that arguably includes the newer Win AA-HS hulls (but Winchester wants to act like they are a "one piece" equivalent).  If you look down into the shell if there is a separate base wad whether compressed paper or plastic then it is a Reifenhauser style.  Those shells are described as "two piece" which is confusing because they are actually three piece if you count the metal base.  Technically the unibody shells are "two piece" because they have a metal base.



Most but not all Unibody hulls have a tapered interior, they get thicker towards the base, so they require a wad that gets a bit smaller at the base.  You can use the red WAA12 wads in your Rem Nitros as well as the Win AAs.  Actually  Winchester made the Win AA-HS mimic the tapered shape so you can use that wad in the AA-HS even though it is a two piece plastic hull.

This is the new AA-HS hull:  Note the "taper" type of bases.

Paper Hulls are actually very strong and they resist the heat, but they wear out faster than a unibody shell.  The Win AA, the Rem STS/Nitro and the Blue Magic hulls all have a tapered compression formed base and will last until you literally melt them.  As you know Real Powder burns a lot hotter than the smokiless powders.

Reifenhauser hulls with flat base wads normally have more room for powder and they will accept a larger variety of wads and often work better with fiber wads.  Your Nitro Card will fit deeper if you are using a load like 40-60gr of BP.  If you use a full 3 Dram equivalent (80gr BP) then you will probably be above the tapered area in a Compression Formed Hull enough that the Nitro Card will fit well.

Does that help?

~Mako

Mine is the latest from Cimarron. Yes, Chinese but rather nicely made. The finish is almost a phosphate type black and does not seem super durable. The action is as slick as gooseshit though. I have not got to try it either due to weather etc. but it functions perfectly with 5 dummy shells in magazine.. It did pinch my trigger finger against the hole in the lever the trigger comes thru but that is fixed.
I really think I am going to love it and the price was good.
Macon Due 29445

Scotty, pretty much run what you brung. Distance is 50 yds. max. Handgun portion about 10 yds. Rifle portion will be 40-50 yds.

  DEACON 

You Betcha Red Ryder!!  Most KOOL indeede     My Kinda Shotgun it are 

Yo Coffinmaker, will this work?