Best wad for .678" round ball?

[edp2k]

Hello :)

What are the top 2 wads to use for .678" round ball in a 12 Ga.?

I am asking for the top 2 because, for example,
wad "XXX" may be the best but is very expensive or hard/impossible to get,
but wad "ZZZ" may only be 90% as good but is common, easy to get, and inexpensive.

Thanks!
Ed :)

[Hogtamer]

for what hull?

[edp2k]

for what hull?

First off, I am a shot shell reloading newbie.
(Been doing metallic rifle/pistol for decades)
I have a MEC 600 Jr. and also hull vise and roll crimp tool, so can do either roll or fold crimp.

OK, let talk about 2 different types of 12 Ga. hulls.

1. fiocchi 2 3/4" 16mm clear or the new federal 2 3/4" clear.
I'm mostly interested in these (as compared to the Rem gun clubs below).
I understand that both of these are straight walled and thus should take the same wads, and loads should be interchangeable (+/- a bit of wad column height).
https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Fiocchi-12ga-275-16mm-clear-hull-bag_100/productinfo/064121600/
https://www.ballisticproducts.com/Federal-12ga-2-3_4-new_primed_clear-hull-100_bag/productinfo/0621275/

2. Remington gun clubs or nitros.
Compression formed. can get these once fired locally cheap.
These are 2nd in line of interest for me as compared to the fiocchi and clear federals.
I understand that these hulls have a different internal capacity and tapered inside diameter
of the hull as it nears the base, and thus will probably need a different wad than the fiocchi and fed hulls
and probably a different powder load.

I'm interested in making loads of around 1300 FPS or so.
Not real hot cannon blasters.
I'm figuring a 1 oz .678" water dropped wheel weight round ball @ 1300 FPS will put down a good sized white tail or black bear pretty well,
under 60 yards for smooth bore and under 100 yards for a rifled barrel.

For powders, I was leaning towards HS6 and also have green dot and red dot.
I could also probably go get some universal clays.

I will be shooting them out of a rem 870 and 1187 both smooth and rifled and also a mossberg 500 both smooth and rifled.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Trap Commander wad for rifled barrel:
https://i.imgur.com/Xe5oie3.jpg
Two .125 nitro in wad below RB and one in the base cavity.
https://i.imgur.com/tp5FTLC.jpg
Universal 33 gr should give you 1300fps and a CCI 209M primer in Fiocchi or Federal hull.
Ajay Madan

















:

[rancher1913]

when you do a informational post you don't mess around, good job.

[dsh1106]

Hi Ajay

Any chance you could PM me.

I'm looking to try the T.C.W for my .678 RB, (both Smooth Bore and Rifled Barrel) any suggestion on load data (other powders etc) or is this avail at BPI as well? Which manual Advantages?

thanks
Scott

[longbow]

Can't comment on the "best" wads because I simply don't have much selection here so haven't tried bunches of wads. Pacific Verelite worked well for me and also regular Winchester 1 oz. and 1 1/8" oz. wads NOT Win AA Red! The Win AA Red has not worked well for me at all with petals pinching and gas seal blowing. They seem to be "fragile" and a softer plastic than any other wads I've tried.

The regular Winchester wads are a bit thin in my gun (0.733" bore) for tight fit and I've actually gotten a little better accuracy using snuggly patched 0.662" balls. Upcoming will be a paper wrap in the shotcup then 0.678" ball to make sure there is a good snug fit. With smoothbore it isn't real critical as long as the fit is not sloppy. With rifled gun though I'd think you'll need a pretty tight fit as there is little bearing area on a ball to transfer the spin from the rifling. I think you'll need a tight fitting combo for that so maybe paper patching or Mylar wrap or similar.

If you can find thicker wads then that would do it too. Whatever gives a good fit is the answer.

I'll also recommend using at least one 16 ga. or 20 ga. nitro card wad under the ball and a scoop of COW or cornmeal between card and ball. Without the nitro card wad(s) the shotcup tries to wrap itself around the ball. I've recovered wads with cracks/tears in the bottom of the shotcup if I didn't use the nitro card wads. It may depend on shotcup and cushion leg some but I think it is a good idea to use the cards.

You should look up SuperBlazing Sabots posts. Ajay has posted lots of info on different wads and fits with different round balls and slugs. Lots of good info there.

Longbow

[edp2k]

Thanks SuperBlazingSabots and longbow :)

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Edp2K, please note the Trap Commander wad happens to a blessing for us Nitro Express loaders with rifled barrel but if you are going to use a smooth bore then the safety checks need to still be done for your own safety.
Here is a chart of .678 RB in wad fit:https://i.imgur.com/CtlOdHK.jpg
For the Commander wad just add two .125" 16 ga nitro cards in wad below RB and try pushing it backwards to see how tight it is.
A good fiction fit is anywhere from 5 to 10 lbs:
https://i.imgur.com/2nkY5pd.jpg
It's a good idea to just check your barrel OD at muzzle, for your own information.
https://i.imgur.com/YhuNGLi.jpg
My brother Longbow has done a lot of tests and has a lot to offer and will help things out.
We are all in it to win it.

Ajay Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Rancher, when you talk you don't drift either. Hit the nail on the head right away !
I wish we had more honest down to earth shooters like you, reminds me of good old time I had right here not too long back.
They are the ones who encouraged me to do all these like you put it " informational post " I did these tests 24/7 just to help my brothers put meat on the table for pennies a pop !
I not only enjoyed every minute of it but felt good being good to my friends by helping them.

Best regards,
Ajay Madan
Super Blazing Sabots