doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Brass hulls and over shot cards

I'm hoping someone out there is loading brass shotshells and has an answer. What are you using to hold in the over shot card? I have tried Elmer's Glue, Duco, something else and even ordered a bottle of sodium silicate with the understanding that was the original adhesive used. Elmer's and Duco dry out and the sodium silicate, being sodium, appeared to turn to salt.

If I use the shells fairly soon after loading there's no difficulty with any of them but long term on the shelf, something like a year, none have been satisfactory. I'm getting ready to load a box and would like to use something better, if there is such a thing.

For me Elmer's wood glue works well and lasts much longer than Elmer's white glue. I've used it on Rocky Mountain and 'antique' brass hulls. The temperature the loaded ammo is stored may affect whatever you use. My unheated basement will get cold during the winter and I sometimes the glue and overshot card will move or fall out when loading the hull into the gun.

I gave up on the glues. I just use 1/8” thick , tight fitting wads , and have no problems.

edited as I typed 1/4" when I meant to type 1/8"

Although you probably already know this, for any NON RMC Brass Hulls you need to go a size bigger on wads & cards 11 gauge for 12 gauge and so on.

In my .410 turkey brass, I use slightly oversized OSC's and Duco Cement glue. Never had an issue with that set up (RMC brass). From season to season they are stored in my home. Gil

Chantry, I thought I used wood glue but I might have dis-remembered. I'll try it.

Daryl, what does that thick a wad do to the pattern, if anything?

Chantry, yes sir, I'm using 15 gauge wads in the 16 gauge hulls. My hulls are Mag-Tech, I believe. They aren't RMC.

Gil, thank you.

I found that when I used lubed cushion wads the lube on the inside of the brass prevents any glue from sticking. Now after inserting the wad and before adding shot, I wipe the inside of the mouth thoroughly with an acetone-dampened rag, and then I use waterglass (sodium silicate) to secure the overshot card. Seems to work.

I always thought water glass pretty much lasted indefinitely. Interesting that the poster has problems with it turning to "salt".

I just cut the point small enough to run a bead of silicone around the top of the over the shot card and it will dry and hold the shot in, and when fired, the silicone and shot card fly freely with no adverse effect…

Sodium silicate or water glass is an inorganic salt. But it really isn't corrosive to brass. In fact, it is used in some plumbing and cooling systems to prevent corrosion.

I haven't yet tried loading with brass hulls. But a friend of mine does, and he drips a thin layer of melted candle wax on the over shot wad to hold it in place.

Sharps4590, I really don't pattern my shells, but they seem to break clay birds nicely. Then, my all brass pinfire ammo with the 1/8" thick over shot card works fine on partridge, sharptails, and pheasants.

edited as I meant to type 1/8" and incorrectly typed 1/4"





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Stanton, another fella mentioned he used 40% waterglass and his stayed clear and that it lasted well, as you mention. Do you know what % waterglass you're using? A year ago or so someone dropped my bottle and broke it....and he doesn't remember what the percentage was....

encouraging to see many of you apparently shooting black powder...

Welp, I loaded them this morning and believe I discovered my difficulty. The 15 ga. hard card and fiber cushion wad work fine but the 15 ga. OSC is just a wee bit too small. I have a few hundred 12 ga/ OSC's and with a bit of dexterity I made them work. I also cleaned the inside of the case mouth with acetone and used Elmer's Tite Bond glue. We'll see.

Ed, I shoot quite a bit of BP in this drilling, it isn't Nitro proofed, and in several cartridge rifles as well as muzzleloaders. I guess I haven't outgrown Davy Crockett and Dan'l Boone or all my rondy and Longhunter years.

Vic,
You might try a light crimp to hold the oversize overshot wad.
Mike

I wondered about that, Mike. Thing is the wad and shot column are 5/16 to 3/8 in. below the case mouth. I don't know if that's normal or I'm just loading a short load. I'm loading 70 grs of Ffg, hard card, fiber cushion wad and 1 oz. of shot. That's pretty much the classic "square" 16 bore load.

When I loaded BP shotshells and w/o crimping the case,,I kept the OS wad in place with cheap white door& window caulk.
A little placed onto the top wad and then with your thumb press down on it and smear it around the case on top of the wad. It will work itself into the joint where the wad meets the case wall and form a small fillet of the stuff.

Let it cure, usually at least overnite (the directions on the container will say how long it takes to cure). It forms a rubbery seal that simply comes apart upon firing and blows out the muzzle with everything else.

Usually sold in the caulking gun type cartridges, but you can buy small tubes of the stuff that just squeeze out small amts thru a slender applicator. Very handy to use.

Vic,
Kutter's idea sounds good if you don't want to use 1 1/2 or 2 cushion wads.
Mike