Tight Shooting gun

[kcw12]

My sterlingworth shoots a pretty tight pattern. With that being said it is choked mod/full. I was wondering if i was to hand load up some shells with fiber wads in a AA case or something like that, would open the pattern up some. I may just buy some paper cases, and shoot those for dove season. Any thoughts on this.

[Twice Barrel]

My sterlingworth shoots a pretty tight pattern. With that being said it is choked mod/full. I was wondering if i was to hand load up some shells with fiber wads in a AA case or something like that, would open the pattern up some. I may just buy some paper cases, and shoot those for dove season. Any thoughts on this.

Not using a shot cup will open your pattern up a bit but you are loosing a lot of fliers due to barrel scrub (deformation caused by friction between the unprotected shot and barrel wall) your pattern will not be as dense and effective. Recommend you consider using post/spreader discs sold by Spread-R or X inserts sold by Ballistic Products. These will open your pattern while maintaining pattern density.

[kcw12]

Im gonna try the fiberwads for personal testing. And the spread alls

[PhillyFoxB]

Assuming your SW is a 12 guage, there is an excellent spreader wad made by PC. I believe they are calling themselves DownRange these days. The wad is basically a Winchester AA copy with a center post in the middle of the shot cup. This wad does an excellent job opening up the pattern of tight chokes - with your chokes you should get about IC and light mod. I've loaded thousands of these wads all the way down to 3/4 oz for skeet and 5 stand and they work great. Best of all, they feed through your press like a regular wad.

An old timer at my club also uses these wads for station 8 with his regular skeet gun.

[Twice Barrel]

PhillyFox is this the wad you are referring to:

PATTERN CONTROL WAD 12ga 1-1/8oz (POST) 500/BAG
Price: $9.79
Availability: In stock
Item Number: DRPCPOSTB
View all Downrange products




Product Information
This is a 1 1/8 ounce wad that is designed to spread the shot and increase the size of your pattern. In our testing, it spread the shot about 2" to 3" over conventional wads at 30 yards. It is ideal for sporting clays; skeet and short yardage trap applications.

Seems like from Grafs testing the increase in pattern is negligible but they might be worth a try. How much increase in pattern size did you achieve? Did you gain a full choke increase?

[PhillyFoxB]

The bag says PC 12 Post but doesn't give a product number. I think Pattern Control only makes this one wad. They used to be white in color but are now being made in mutlicolors within the same bag.

Like I said, I've loaded many thousands of these wads and they work most effectively through tight chokes, ie, a full ckoke will open to IC or light mod. There is minimal change to an IC or skeet choke which I supposed makes sense since you are not working with much constriction in the first place.

[kcw12]

So it will basically take a full choke and put a mod and a mod to IC or so. But wont really work with IC or lower. Or am i not correct.

[Silvers]

You might consider doing up low pressure reloads that use the Gualandi spreader wad such as used in Fiocchi and Gamebore factory spreader loads. The Gualandi wad doesn't have a center post. I has a + (cross) molded in the shot cavity and will open the pattern 10-15% in any choke - as measured at the standard 40 yards. In fact you can get a "negative choke" spread in a cylinder bore barrel. For example in one series of tests a cylinder choke ( zero constriction) produced average 26.4% patterns, and the Fiocchi spreader did 21.1%. That was in a 20" circle at 20 yards, my standard short range patterning procedure. I'm told the Gualandi spreader wad is available as a reloading component; it might be worth testing in low pressure handloads in your Fox. Silvers

Edited - corrected spelling of Gualandi

[eightbore]

When I was using the PC wads, they made a full line, not just the Post wad. To increase the effect of the post, slide a length of plastic hose over the post to increase its diameter and also its length if you wish. This will not only open your pattern more, it will decrease the shot capacity from 1 1/8 ounces to 1 ounce or less. It is the best choice for a spreader wad because it can be run through a loader without jumping through hoops.

[kcw12]

Im gonna try cutting the pedals off the wad, and making my own pc wads.

[Silvers]

Just a suggestion, anyone making spreader shells would be well advised to do pattern testing on paper at 20-30-40 yards, looking at the distribution of the pattern and comparing pellet count with regular shells with the exact same shot fired for a control. Sometimes spreaders make donut patterns, holes in the center. I remember one gent I ran into on the Lehigh sporting course; it has old quarry holes filled with water. He was shooting homemade spreaders in one of the ponds to impress his friends. The splashes looked nice and wide. Lehigh also has a regular pattern plate and later I saw him shooting at the plate. Center of the pattern was pretty sparse. I don't remember what his components were but I gave him a Gamebore factory spreader. He fired at freshened plate with the same barrel and choke and the distribution was very different, nice and even. Silvers

[eightbore]

KCB12, the PC wad won't be duplicated by cutting the petals off of another wad. The PC Post wad has a post in the middle and it also has petals to perform the duty of petals in any shell, prevent leading and shot deformation. Why make your own when the PC wad doesn't cost any more than a regular wad?

[Chuck Heald]

One issue with cutting the petals off the wad is leading of the bore. Why make it harder to clean your gun? Wads are about the cheapest componet out there. A spreader wad has real testing behind it. Homemade spreaders will require testing and likely a lot of trial & error to get the same performance, IF it can be equaled. Just my thought, but I'd pick something else to spend my time to experiment on other than something inexpensive and already solved.

[eightbore]

In my experience, bore scrub causing shot deformation is way overrated when shooting at 40 yards and less. I have shot 90% 40 yard patterns with ammunition containing fiber wads and soft lead shot. I doubt that such patterns are the result of a lot of deformed shot. A big post in the middle of the shot load is a much better shot disperser than flat sided shot. To clarify my method, I put the length of neoprene fuel line over the PC post before I start to load the shells. Pick a size of fuel line that is a friction fit on the post. The PC Post wad with the fuel line over the post is treated just like any other wad, calls for about one ounce of shot in a load that normally uses 1 1/8 ounces with a normal AA wad. It is a very agressive spreader yet does not require any attention when loading. I have used this system for more than 20 years and have not found a better one.

[kcw12]

I guess ill order some from recobs, or the cheapest place i can find them.