2020 Artillery Shells

When the canister shell was first introduced into the consumer market 15 years ago, it quickly became the leader in the reloadable shell category. With the ability to hold more composition and provide a tighter packed burst charge, canister shells were able to provide larger breaks and an even bigger bang. In the past 3 years, the market has been introduced to 4”, 5”, and even 6” canister shells. So, what does it all mean? How tall is too tall? Are larger shells necessary for better performance?

The largest allowable diameter for any reloadable shell for the US market is 1.75” so when 4”, 5”, and 6” shells are mentioned, it simply refers to the length of the shell. 4” was the tallest for a long time and are still great performers. They have a great combination of weight to performance ratio and can hold up to 60g of comp. However, even though 4” shells are often advertised as 60g maximum load, they often contain less. Our Rockstar Shells and Neon Rage Shells are great examples of quality 4” shells that shoot.

Next 5” canisters entered the market. These have more room to make sure they are maxed out at 60grams of composition (the max allowed). The additional room allows for a wider range of effects, larger stars, and plenty of powder to rock the night sky. Good 5” shells will always outperform 4” if you are looking for the biggest and the loudest! Our Predator XL shells, by design, are the best around and getting effect updates every year. We have also upgraded the Terminator shells to make them 5” heavy hitters. Nishiki Fallout is new for 2020 features 12 highly sought after 5” Nishiki Kamerio Canisters. That brings us to 6” and beyond.

6” shells start to get heavy and therefore cannot go as high into the sky. A 6” shell with a normal performance is not worth the reduced height or increased cost. However, we have found that that the additional length can allow for some never before possible special effects. NCI has 2 new 6” shells that utilize the extra length to include some breath-taking new effects. Tiki Bombs are the first canister shell we have seen with a tail! This 24 pack features 8 tiger tails, 8 cracking tails, and 8 glittering tails each with a unique and colorful burst. The second is Super Stinger which features a 2-stage mine effect to break. These fill the sky from top to bottom with some of the best effects possible.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Devil’s Dozen which is one of the best ball shells on the market. I still have a place for ball shells in my shows because of their spherical break that canister shells just can’t provide.