Possible Hull Wad Length Adjustment

[ArtS]

THis is a roundabout story, but may turn out to be beneficial.

I recently ordered several bottles of Artisan olive oil and Balsamic from a place in Maine. I ordered eight bottles total which were delivered today. I opened the rather surprisingly big box and "OH NO!" PEANUTS!

I hate having to get rid of these and work around them. I noticed they didn't seem to build up static and stick to everything. After unpacking I found an insert explaining their use of peanuts, saying they were required by their shipper with 2" on all sides. Then they mentioned they were environmentally friendly as they were made from 100% cornstarch and were edible if dropped and immediately dissolved if placed in contact with water.

They are a little smaller than a regular styrofoam peanut, were hard to crush but when they are they recoil back to almost their original size. I held one under running water and it was gone in 10 seconds.

People are always debating the best filler for light shot loads, generally leaning toward beans, cornmeal, stacks of flat wads etc. It struck me that this may be an almost perfect answer. No static to contend with, almost no weight added to the payload, no environmental issues to either animals or the ground, appears t have the strength to crush but hold the wad pressure, and no potential plastic combustion issues to foul the barrel.

The peanuts themselves are more cylindrical than peanut shaped. Once you determine a useable length, it would take seconds with a razor blade or hobby knive to slice up enough for a reloading session.

I have no idea who makes them but this one box would keep me for years. I plan on trying a few test loads as soon as I get a chance.

[Paul Harm]

The proper length fiber wad or cushion area in a plastic wad is your best bet. Thanks for the story though.

[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Paul Harm

The proper length fiber wad or cushion area in a plastic wad is your best bet. Thanks for the story though.

I think you missed the point. There have been discussions without end on the board about fillers for light loads. A large contingent use and recommend beans etc. I have never agreed with this approach due to the shot intermingling with the beans and the significant weight of the filler. Stacks of fiber wads also have a significant weight. They are biodegradeable but with a life probably measured in decades. The peanuts I have, and I found are available in every office supply store, seem to offer a better alternative than any of the others. They are almost weightless, they show a lot of structural strength (more than a regular peanut), they are an ideal diameter to completely fill the bottom of a 16 or 20 gauge shotcup, they can be cut to length to achieve the proper crimp length and they will degrade instantly on the first contact with rain. (I have tested this). They in fact can be eaten by animals since they are simply vegetable starch.

I guess the point is that I don't believe the statement about plastic wads and stacks of fiber wads being the best solution. The problem from a practical standpoint is that plastic wads are not commercially available in lengths suitable for a lot of combinations of components for light loads. For the reason stated above I have never been a proponent of large stacks of fiber wads due to the weight increase. Spend the time to look up data for loads that differ only buy shot weight. A small increase in shot load weight leads to a significant increase in pressure. It is a function of mass and the pressure/accelleration curve. All things equal, the load with a given shot weight and lowest total ejecta weight will give a lower pressure.

The ideal solution, to me, is to load multiple cartridge lengths based on the minimum load length for the recipe. This doesn't bother me, because I don't mind segregating cartridges to a few lengths. The reason I made this comment is that it seems to me to possibly be the first "ideal' method if you if you stick to standard cartridge lengths.

[J.B. Books]

Whatever works. When I need to take up the same room as 1/8 of an ounce these work great. They are also a low cholesterol snack while reloading shells.

[Peter A Van Tassell]

Originally Posted by Pete Lester

Whatever works. When I need to take up the same room as 1/8 of an ounce these work great. They are also a low cholesterol snack while reloading shells.

Oh look!! Donut seeds!!

(Working up my loads, using felt with BP12 shot cups and roll crimping. Stack height simply isn't an issue)

[Mike of the Mountain]

Corn starch "peanuts", Cheerios, beans..... Guys, you are hunting over bait!!! Just sayin'.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Originally Posted by Peter A Van Tassell

Oh look!! Donut seeds!!

(Working up my loads, using felt with BP12 shot cups and roll crimping. Stack height simply isn't an issue)

If those will germinate into glazed crullers, then by all means, have at it!!!!!!