Anyone have any good 20 gauge spreader or brush loads?

[Buckshot Bill]

I am looking to enter the realm of spreader or brush loads for a 20 ga I have. It is a tightly choked SxS and I do not want to alter the chokes so thought this would be the route to take for close shots on birds and rabbits with the right barrel (fixed mod choke that patterns like a full). I'd like to shoot 1 oz of shot and longshot if applicable and would love to obtain imp cyl patterns if possible. I was looking at the different wads and inserts BP offers and was unsure where to start as I can find no data in my manuals that use these components. Any help would be appreciated!

[elvas]

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Dispersor-X-20ga-spreader-wad-bag_250/productinfo/072DX20/

[kenyerian]

Try experimenting with just a gas seal. a filler wad and overshot wads. We used to start with a gas seal, then a filler wad (maybe 2 to get shot to the right level for crimping) then we wood put a third of the shot in and than an over the shot wad, another third of the shot and an overshot wad and then the rest of the shot and the final overshot wad. Then crimp and you are good to go. no shot cup so the load will definitely spread. My brother and I used to load them with an old lee loader for grouse hunting. You have to adjust the wad column so you have the right height. http://www.ballisticproducts.com/X-Stream-spreader-insert-200_bag/productinfo/3220001/ We tried making our own inserts out of card board but ballistic products make them out of plastic now so there are alot of ways you can go. We got our widest patterns with out a shot cup. Of course that was back when we were using paper shells. Roll crimping worked better for the hunting loads.

[kenyerian]

As far as data goes http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/ you should be able to use the data from Hodgdon.

[Buckshot Bill]

Thanks,

I have hodgdon and alliant manuals neither list loads for BPI's various spreader or brush wads unless I missed something.

[junkbug]

Just for this very reason, I plan to try some small scale shot shell loading using card and fiber wads, and smokeless powder(no modern plastic wads). The info is still out there, and the loads are much less sensitive to component variation. I will sort hulls by type (tapered or straight) but not much else.

The old rule of thumb was to tighten patterns by going for the heavier allowed charges of shot, and lighter powder loads(lower velocity). To open patterns use the lighter charges of shot and heavier recommended charges of powder (higher velocity). I will try this out with a few older guns, especially one Lefever SXS.

Best wishes.

[kycrawler]

I use magtech brass hulls. In a single shot nef 20 gauge. It is full choked but shoots ic or modified with red dot card wads and a glued in overshot card

[fecmech]

I have used the 20 ga wads from BP and they pattern well.

[Col4570]

To make Spread Shot divide your shot with a card as follows.Powder,Wad,Card,Shot divided x2 with a Card,finaly an overshot card.
Another way is to make a cross out of Card and equally divide the Shot both methods will give greater spread.

[MarkP]

BPI sells a brush wad and a Spreader X wad not sure if they still sell these as I bought them in the mid 90's. The X wad can cut your hulls at the mouth upon firing.

[Reverend Al]

In Europe they sold "cube shot" loads using square shot to make them spread quickly ... you could try "squaring up" some normal round lead shot with a pair of pliers and then load them over card and fibre wads (no plastic wad sleeve) and see how they pattern? Just a thought ...

Again, as previously suggested home made cardboard "X" inserts have been used for years to segregate the shot charge into 4 portions. You could cut the "fingers" off a normal plastic wad so that you only have the gas seal portion left, then cut two pieces of stiff cardboard in the length and width of the remaining hull space. Cut a slot into one of the pieces so that you can slide the other piece of cardboard up onto the first until flush and then insert the cardboard "X" into the hull on top of the gas seal. Pour the shot charge into the hull equally into the 4 small chambers you have created and then crimp as usual.

Some of the wad makers used to offer "post" wads that had a centre post moulded into the shot cup portion of the wad which helped to spread the charge after it left the barrel.

If your chokes are very tight and you are trying to really open up the patterns then I suspect the best results would be to use bare card and fibre wads without a plastic sleeve to contain the shot and use the "cubed" or mis-formed shot as well. That should produce very open patterns a short ranges ...