old wads ???????????

[turtlezx]

have 30+ year old AA 12 gauge wads they have gone brittle. If i push down to compress the mid section breaks apart.
Unlike a newer hull that springs back. Iam sure when fired that section will come apart.

Is it safe to shoot them our should a junk them ???????????????

[Johnch]

Hate to say this
But they are IMO JUNK
20 or so years ago I was given 4500+ of the Winchester AA 12 wads

Not sure how old they were
But just like you said
When compressed the center section broke
I loaded 100 of them
On firing the base wad also shattered
That round of trap , I believe I broke 4 or 5 birds
Tore apart the other 75 shells I loaded with those wads
I added them to the burn pile and never had to worry about those "FREE" wads again

John

[slim1836]

Thanks, I was wondering the same thing.

Slim

[G W Wade]

Luckily it's just wads, the cheapest component in the loading process. At the price of shot and powder, I would toss the wads to be sure. GW

[Shanghai Jack]

Recently scored a boatload of various hulls along with thousands of wads - I went through all the bags of wads and "krinkle tested" them. Some bags had even deteriorated. Many were still good but a number of the old AA would crumble in my hand - throw em away.

[turtlezx]

i figured tossem glad to here responses

[trapper9260]

If they are like that , junk them. Just check them for what you do get or have and see how they are . I have Alcan wads that was given to me many year ago and they are just as good as if I bought some not long ago. Because i have wads that is over 40 years old and is just as good as I just bought them. How did you store them? That is the main thing on them. if it is near heat then you will have problems. So far all the wads I had stocked up on are no problem and is like you just bought them.

[turtlezx]

maybe alcan used better plastic than winchester
i had alcan also that were older than the AAs and still good

these were estate stuff so storage conditions un known

[barkerwc4362]

Whether wads are good depends on two things, the quality of the materials used in their creation and the conditions of their storage. If they were stored in a controlled temperature environment and not exposed to light most wads will have a long usable life. It's when they are stored in extreme temperatures and in brightly lit areas they tend to deteriorate rapidly. Wads made of better quality materials tend to last longer when stored properly, all other factors equal. Poor storage conditions will cause all wads to deteriorate.
Bill

[Jedman]

I guess I had better go through all of the wads I have. I use to shoot skeet in all four gauges and more or less quit about 25 years ago when most of the younger guys got married or had kids.
I have continued loading 410 and the old wads in that gauge still seem good probably because there isn’t a crush zone. I still have several thousand of 20 & 28 ga.and some 12’s as I loaded a lot of hunting loads back then also. Mine have all been stored in a basement in old file cabinets so sunlight and hi temps they have never seen. Thanks for giving me a reason to thin down some of the stuff I don’t use anymore.
I also have more than a lifetime supply of loaded ammo in those gauges and I have newer components for 32, 24 and 18 gauge guns I own.
Jedman

[smkummer]

Yep, I have had to throw away old AAs. I shot a few and they didn’t sound right. So my test on old wads is if I can bend the petals 90 degrees AND it doesn’t break off.

[William Yanda]

My Dad always told me: "If in doubt, don't." Think about it like this. What is the function of the wad? Do I really believe these brittle wads have a snowballs chance of performing that function correctly?
Good luck.

[ascast]

good to know- I would not have thought of that

[William Yanda]

Jedman, 12, 16, 20, 28, .410. I was going to ask which you left out but looking at the list after I typed it I realized that .410 is a bore measurement, not a guage. How did you come up with your list of four?

[Jedman]

Yep, I have had to throw away old AAs. I shot a few and they didn’t sound right. So my test on old wads is if I can bend the petals 90 degrees AND it doesn’t break off.

Jedman, 12, 16, 20, 28, .410. I was going to ask which you left out but looking at the list after I typed it I realized that .410 is a bore measurement, not a guage. How did you come up with your list of four?

When I was shooting skeet competitively they only use 12, 20,28, & 410 and I shot those 4 gauges. I had separate loaders for each gauge to make loading easier and faster . For hunting I have hand loaded 10 ga. 24 ga. 32 ga. and 18 ga. using my Mec loaders to deprime , prime , and seat wads with most of those I have roll crimpers for as they are all plastic cases. The 18 ga. I had to have lathe turned solid brass casings made by RMC and was able to buy wads from Ballistic Products for them, I do not crimp the all brass cases I just use a card over shot wad and melt wax over it to hold them in. I also shoot round lead balls out of the 18 ga. and have killed a hog with it.
I have owned probably 8 to 10 - 16 ga. Shotguns over the years but I never reloaded for them.

Jedman

[centershot]

I had a bag of WW-AA wads that were given to me, along with a Mec 600 press, about two years ago. After reading this thread I went to the loading bench and opened that bag of wads and checked them out......the gas seals snapped off every one of them! It just about broke my heart to throw all those beautiful wads in the trash can.....

[Shanghai Jack]

I had a bag of WW-AA wads that were given to me, along with a Mec 600 press, about two years ago. After reading this thread I went to the loading bench and opened that bag of wads and checked them out......the gas seals snapped off every one of them! It just about broke my heart to throw all those beautiful wads in the trash can.....

tHE mec 600 will have deteriorated as well. Send it to me for disposal.

[centershot]

tHE mec 600 will have deteriorated as well. Send it to me for disposal.

Shucks!! I shoulda' known that nothing good comes free........(sigh)

[trapper9260]

I had a bag of WW-AA wads that were given to me, along with a Mec 600 press, about two years ago. After reading this thread I went to the loading bench and opened that bag of wads and checked them out......the gas seals snapped off every one of them! It just about broke my heart to throw all those beautiful wads in the trash can.....

Use Clay busters that is equal to WW-AA you will be better off.

[centershot]

Use Clay busters that is equal to WW-AA you will be better off.

LOL! I have a couple of bags of those awaiting my next shotshell loading binge!