Buy all the Winchester AA or Remington STS you can find for $5 a box. That is a steal.

Here is the deal on target loads,
When it comes to reloading the  newer style hulls, STS for 12 and 20 gauge, AAHS for 28 and 410.

Regarding 410, The super sport AA's are the ticket with the standard AA's loaded more on the sedated side (read you want the shells to clock around 1275 or better for the best patterns in that gauge.

As for if you don't reload and will not be selling the hulls, then either brand will be fine since the are both produced with hard shot, clean powder, and will produce less recoil/cleaner patterns than the cheap shells.

On the cheaper shells, often they are produced with cheaper shot that does not patter as well as hard shot, and faster burning powder that will produce more recoil since the faster the powder, the less you have to use to make the speed.  Also, the metal on them are made of steel, not brass, which helps to cut the price down as well (read rust after years of reloading use).

This past spring I admitted I was never going to reload so I began selling my empty hulls. Five cents for 12 and 20 and ten cents for 28 and 410. I known I could get a little more for the 28 and 410 but this way the sell fast.

What Dano says is true. Most guys prefer to reload 12 and 20 STS and AA 28 and 410. But I now have regular customers on shotgunworld for all STS and AA hulls.

MIKE.

After reading this thread I checked both Walmarts near me and neither had AA's or STS's on sale. Must be a regional thing. MIKE.