Cautionary Note on Shotshell Wads

[@JaredHempfield]

I cut the petals off the WAA12SL wad and use 1/4in buffer with 1oz Lee key drive range scrap lead in Nitro hulls and has worked well so far, steady 1500fps with HS-6 36gr and very accurate. I finally just found some 12S3 that are more rigid. Great tip as well Fortune Cookie taught me was to run the slug inside the wad through the chamber with a wood dowel to feel for resistance whether or not to utilize the petals. My Mossberg835 can do both but not in the 500.

[@archangel20031]

I have an entire tackle box dedicated to holding a sample of all my shotgun reloading components, hulls, wads, slugs, shot, basically everything I have ordered or have on hand so I can sample this and that to see what will and will not work.

[@mikedouglas9535]

Good video, I found this spring loading once fired Winchester comp formed hulls in 410 with 7 1/2 shot using win aa-41 410 wads they loaded fine. When I ran out win wads I used claybuster equivalent 410 wad and had problems loading the shell they would not crimp well. After comparing the win wad and claybuster I found that the pedals on the claybuster wads were .006 thicker which made the inside dia smaller by .018. You might check that with the claybuster and win wads your using. Mike

[@samwilliams5283]

Fortune Cookie covers wad slug combinations, if you can push them through the barrel with a wooden dowel you're good to go. If not find another wad.

[@ryanripley8449]

It makes no difference. Ive used wads that flared out and had no pressure or accuracy issues. In fact ull find when they swage through the barrel ur accuracy gets ALOT better. Plus slugs have less pressure automatically unlike shot that sets back and creates a somewhat seal. That lead will give way before the barrel. Especially with the jump out of the shell into the forcing cone.

[@showproja]

The CB1118-12 was supposed to replace the WAA12 too. They don't.

[@deepmarsh]

I’ve never seen an actual Winchester waa12. In what ways are they different?

[@coldandaloof7166]

You need to buy the Lyman shotgun reloading manual NOW. It explains this very issuse in great detail. Never substitute components for something else. It can cause drastic pressure changes. And at the low pressures of shotguns that is very dangerous. Get the manual.

[@jamespollard1670]

Good info .

[@jungleno.]

Same problem with the claybuster FEDERAL wad substitutes.

[@showproja]

You can use them, but you have to fillet those ribs out first. Not worth it.

[@ocean374]

Winchester is no longer available try downrange wads I like them better than claybuster I use claybuster for trap so it’s fine

[@edbetsworth2772]

George....does the claybuster wads have ridges (plastic vertical lines) on the petals? If so, use a box cutter to cut that section of the petal out, and it should take care of the problem.

[@jungleno.]

Just buy Win wads and save yourself the headache.

[@kimbennett2750]

I'm no expert but I don't think you're supposed to use those wads. The slug needs to expand like a minnie ball to seal the bore.

[@314299]

No, the Lyman slug is intended to be loaded inside a wad.

[@SilntObsvr]

The base cup on plastic wads does that job -- it expands like a hollow base bullet or slug would without the wad, and doesn't leave lead in the bore when it does it. Now we find there are two sizes of base cups -- one a couple thousandths smaller, made for Reminton and Winchester type hulls with a tapered wall (reduced inside diameter approaching the base wad), and the other that little bit bigger for straight walled (Federal and import) hulls. I've just found that the taper-wall wads will not just allow powder migration into the cushion section in straight-wall hulls, but may also fail to seal so badly that very low velocity results (potentially dangerous, if a wad were to remain in the bore and another shot be fired). So what wad you use does matter, and not just in terms of slugs fitting.