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.