doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com wads for tighter patterns

When lead was legal we used a wad Remington called their live bird wad. It had long petals and combined with slow powder and hard shot it shot great patterns. My son's 870 would put every BB in an 18 inch circle at 35 yards (our range to test)We also graphited the wads, increased speed and lowered pressure.
bill

Miller maybe that's where the guy got the idea for seasoned shot.

For lead use the Ballistic Products' Trap Commander wad gave me very good results shot from a cylinder barell.

Again for lead, my experiences are consistent with Don Zutz's recommendations. (It amazes me how well Zutz's stuff stands the test of time.)

For 1-ounce and 1/8-ounce loads Remington's TGT-12 and FIG-8 wads (or their Downrange equivalents)are very hard to beat, especially when Green Dot powder is used. (Also Red Dot powder in 1-ounce loads.)When hard shot is used, and especially when velocities are held to about 1145 f.p.s. to no more than 1200 f.p.s, some really murderous patterns are often possible...center-dense patterns at well over 80% at 40 yards with full chokes. More open chokes can get "snugged up" with these loads, too, with modified chokes often achieving pattern per centages in "the 70s".

For longer ranges using lead shot I also agree with Zutz. There is an old saying from black powder days that goes, in part, "Little powder, much lead, shoots far, kills dead". Zutz recommended 1 1/2-ounce loads at velocities at about 1145 f.p.s., or so. In a gun that can handle these loads pattern per centages can often reach "the 80s" and long range results can be devastating. The trick with these loads, like similar black powder loads, is to use relatively large shot sizes. Zutz recommended no less than #4 shot for reliable 60-yard duck kills and #3 or #2 shot for reliable 60-yard goose kills. These loads can also really mess up a "way out there" pheasant's day, too, especially when good quality plated shot is used. Long range leads with these loads are insignificantly different from "faster loads", time of flight having been more or less equalized at ranges beyond approximately 40 yards.

It's a shame Wallace Labisky's work was never consolidated into one book. Labisky worked for years testing various components, including wads, to produce tighter patterns for long range shooting, primarily at geese. His work can be found virtually everywhere but is primarily found in Ballistic Products, Inc loading manuals- mostly those for the 10 and 12 guages. His work was so specialised it never recieved the attention of the "Blast and Stab" media but is none the less invaluable to those wanting tight, long range patterns.

I recall an article Wallace wrote several years back in which he had tested different lead shot for best patterns. He obtained the highest percentages from a premium, hard lead, unplated shot. I can't recall the brand name for certain but "Diamond" rings a bell.