Spent Wad Inspection

[Hixie]

From my muzzle loader shooting and use of saboted bullets, I've learned that it's worthwhile to inspect the spent sabots (if you can find them) when developing a powder/bullet combo for hunting. The condition of the spent sabot can indicate potential problems.

Does this apply to shot shell wads? In the photo are two wads from a light 3/4 oz 20 ga load I want to have on hand for early season grouse and woodcock hunting. I am using Win AA hulls with Win 209 primers, CB 1075-20 wads for 3/4 oz shot, 15.2 gr Unique. This load is supposed to produce 1200 fps at 8200 psi. The shells load up nicely and the crimps are just right with an occasional small open spot in the center. The wads look fine to me but I am not sure I know what I am looking at. The plastic is heavily stippled which I take to mean that the shot was pressed into the plastic (or vice-versa) with pressure but again I am not sure if this is normal or not.

I test-fired them in my Browning Lightning and they shoot very nicely with light recoil. I didn't make a pointed effort to examine the pattern but I could see that the shot struck the target background fairly uniformly. These will be used in my Parker 20 ga guns and as long as they are safe I will pattern them with those guns. Any feedback from the experts here is greatly appreciated.

[Pa SxS]

There is nothing abnormal about those wads. That's the way they look after firing. Your load is perfectly good for a 20ga. 3/4 oz. load in your Parker.

[Double Lab]

Like Chuck said Ted that is normal for a fired wad. I've been shooting that load for years and still have all my fingers.

[Hixie]

Thanks very much for the replies. I figured these were fine but it's always good to have a second opinion. I feel better about going on to load a bunch of them up in #8 and #9 shot. Thanks again!

[Harold Pickens]

Nit picking? Those do not look like CB 1075 wads--they are bright charttruse/green.
Those look like CB1078 wads, they are opaque/white. I use either one for 3/4 oz loads myself. Wads look normal to me.

[Double Lab]

Good eye Harold. Yes they should be lime green if they are the 1075-20. Either way it works but the 1075 is the wad for 3/4oz.

[Harold Pickens]

I have used that load before also Ted, and liked it, still have half a dozen boxes loaded up. Now I am using 20/28 powder instead. The 3/4 oz loads are sweet and I shoot them at clays and game(mostly grouse)

[charlie cleveland]

I ve never had a wad to stick in my gun barrel that I knowed of but I had a coupla of the basewads to stick in my 8 ga guns...also was shooting Ithaca mag ten the gun fired okwas only shooting one shell at a time..well I went to put the other shell in and it would not go in the barrel..i looked in the barrel and there was the plastic hull but know brass on it....the plastic had come loose from the brass some way....so I guess if we all shoot long enough these strange things happen to some of us....charlie

[Hixie]

Thanks again for the replies! Those are indeed CB 1075 wads and no worries about nit-picking...it's a fair question. If you look closely to the wad on the left, you can see the raised shot cup base that the 1075 wad has but the 1078 does not. The photo does not show it well but it is greenish in color. I know that in the bag they all look bright green but if you take one out, it is paler. The photo below with the four wads shows the 1078 wads on the left and 1075 wads on the right. The other photo is a zoom-in where I hope it is easier to see the raised shot cup base. I agree that the shot cup petals are not greenish but it is what it is.