wads

[TSK/MN]

Hello,
I'm just getting into reloading shot shells. What 12ga wads would you experienced shot shell re-loaders recommend for imp. cyl. chokes to hold the pattern tighter a bit further? Hoping to use my Ithaca 37 on some pheasants this season. Once a wad is decided on then I can look up some recipes for it. Thanks.
TSK

 

[Bailey Boat]

Actually, the wad has very little to do with extending the effective range. There are wads made to "spread" the pattern faster by incorporating a post into the center of the interior of the wad.
If you have a fixed imp cyl there isn't much you can do except get a little closer before flushing the birds. (fat chance with most pheasants) or consider having screw in chokes installed in your existing barrel by someone like Briley.... OR.... find a replacement barrel that can and will interchange.....

 

[Cougfan2]

Do yourself a favor and buy the Lyman Shotshell Handbook/Manual. Best reloading manual for shotgun out there. Follow their recommendations.

 

[TN Shooter]

You would want to use one a wad with a deep shotcup that is designed for a 1 & 1/4 oz load like the Winchester WAA12F114 because the more the shot is protected from the surface the barrel the less it will be deformed and the tighter the pattern will be. Another good suggestion would be to use nickel or copper-plated shot and a buffer. The use of all three of these components would keep your pattern tighter with a given choke than using a target shotcup designed for a 1 or 1 & 1/8 oz. load, regular lead shot, and no buffer.

Despite using these advantages, however, you would be best off doing a lot of pattern testing to find the best combo of powder, wad, shot, & buffer. This can be either a lot of fun or frustrating, depending on how you look at it

Good luck with the pheasants!

TN Shooter

 

[snuffy]

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/reloading_components/shotshell.asp
On this link, notice the wads listed for hunting. Then look for the wad listed as sp-12. This wad gave me the tightest patterns with high center density, for long range ducks, back in the day where we could still use lead for waterfowl.

It works by having the front of the wad slit, the back half remains unslit or solid. This delay the release of the shot by a fraction of a second, making the center of the shot pattern denser. Then there's ribs of solid plastic running full length inside the shotcup that delay the wad fingers from opening too soon.

If you can find some locally, they would be the first one I would try to tighten an Imp cyl choke. You might be able to find them on the midway site.

Like this;
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=804364&t=11082005

 

[TSK/MN]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see what I can come up with.
TSK

 

[Steve C]

Wad selection should be determined by the oz's of shot you want to load, the powder you want to use and the empty cases you have to reload. Select one type and brand of case to use. Shotgun loading is strictly cook book. No variation to published data should be attempted. I load mostly 1-1/8 oz loads for trap and quail. Mostly I use Hornady Red Versalites, WAA12 Winchester wads, but have used Pattern Control and Clay Busters.