28 gauge spreader load

[Phillip Carr]

I am looking for some recommendations for a good 28 gauge spreader load.
Any of your favorite recipes are appreciated.

[edgarspencer]

Jay Oliver turned me onto using the BP Brush wad for spreader effect. I tried separating the shot up into 3 sections with overshot cards. Seems to open it up a fair bit. I'm using 13grs. 20/28 in 2 1/2" Fiocchi hulls.

[Bill Murphy]

How do you do that, Edgar? Is it done on the loader or by hand?

[Phillip Carr]

Thank you Edgar.

[Aaron Beck]

I have found the same thing, by layering shot and cardboard wads manually you add a few inches to the spread but it doesnt take a full choke and pattern it like a cylinder. I cut regular cardboard with a 7/16 punch in the drill press.
When using hard shot, a card, fiber or brush wad alone doesnt do much, at least not as much as often reported.
I found the stack of wads more effective than the x type.

[edgarspencer]

How do you do that, Edgar? Is it done on the loader or by hand?

I use a Lee Powder dipper that gives me 1/4oz, drop that on top of a brush wad, then 28ga OS card, another 1/4 oz, etc. I only have a 9000 for 28, so I take then hull out after putting in the brush wad, and dropping the charge bar weight of 3/4 oz, dump that, then put it back in under the crimp starter. It would be a lot easier on a 600Jr, but I don't have one set up for 28ga.
My normal wad would be the Fiocchi RO-28, and I could do the same if I used a 32ga OS card.

[Jay Oliver]

I never went the extra mile of separating the shot by layering overshot cards. I like that idea and it would be worth some time at a patterning board. In a 28 gauge the brush wad is the only option for a spreader. I have some pollywad spreader inserts that are labeled 20/28, but they seem too big for a 28.

I just use the brush wads and load normally. I like them and use them in 20 and 12 gauge as well. I wish there was a brush wad for a 16 gauge.

Most of my small bore guns are tight choked and these brush wads are a nice way to open up the pattern. On several of mine I have thought about opening up the chokes but have been glad I haven't. You have a tight choked gun for long shots and then switch shells for close shooting...perfection!

[Aaron Beck]

For 16 use a hard card and one of the dark fiber gulandi wads. The 28 ga may not be of large enough diameter for the x type to make much difference. I made those too out of chip board but it didnt make any noticeable difference.
Ive always wondered if reclaimed shot or otherwise non spherical shot would give a good short range spreader.

[Daniel Carter]

Orvis at one time sold a spreader with cube shot and i had the idea to flatten some of the shot and see if it made a difference. Using a steel plate and hemmer i deformed about half the load and patterned it. It opened it one choke, mod to cyl. Son made a device like an old wringer washing machine and we run the shot through it and about half is deformed to one degree or another.
Have used them for woodcock and grouse for 25 years and our hit rate has been very good compared to before.So yes deformation of shot will work.

[Aaron Beck]

Daniel
Thats great! Thats what i was thinking of, some type of rolling mill setup.

[Daniel Carter]

Aaron 2 solid steel rollers flatland gap adjustable for gap. Crank handle on each and pore shot in gap while tuning. As you and a helper turn shot will fall through untouched while others are deformed. Trial and error until about half or less are deformed. A third hand to pore shot is handy.
I have found the X spreader to work well in 10 and 12. Use the flattened in 20. My sons were just starting out when we started using these and it doubled their hits. Now they consider it cheating although their bottom barrel contains a cyl. choke.
Younger one made it as a project in a welding class in trade school.

[Arthur Shaffer]

I awlays found the Polywad SpreadR loads to be the best I ever shot. I still have almost a case of them which I save for my daughter to use in an essentially cylinder bore RBL 28 ga. It is .002 and .008 in the 30" barrels. These loads make the left barrel shoot about 20% more open.

I have always found the plastic x type wad much better than cardboard. I buy into the theory that it compresses in the forcing cone and choke and then springs outward to spead the shot. I have always had much better luck than with the cardboard ones.

When I am out of the PolyWad loads, I will use a plastic X over a plastic gas seal/overshot wad with no shot wrapper. I believe this will give the best radial dispersion. Shot will be soft lead or low quality.

[Phillip Carr]

Art I also own a 28 gauge RBL only with 26” barrels.
Have always shot RST Spreaders through it. Wonderful patterning gun for close flushing Mearns quail over my dogs.
Im getting to the end of my RST supply and due to difficulty in obtaining the spreader loads as well as price I am thinking of getting back into reloading, at least for my 28 gauges.

[hugh rather]

Rodger Barlow wrote an article on cubic and disc shot in The Gun Digest annual in 1973 edition.These can be had in digital form or from various booksellers.