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Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 129 Location: Alabama

I'm working on a few pure TSS loads in 16 for Ducks. I have a few recipes that seem to work and fit well with my components. I have Ched hulls and BP1680 Striker Wads. The best recipe i have calls for 1 1/8 of the 18 weight shot and I'd like to sub 15 weight so i don't have to build so much stack height.

The current load recipe has qty three 1/4 inch felt wads and then a single 1/8 inch cork wad. I'm covering the Cork with a tyvek disk. I was hoping to ditch some of these felt wads in favor of 1/2 inch fiber wads. I'm hoping a single 1/2 inch fiber wad then the cork and tyvek will make the proper stack height. My question is the fiber wads. I have never used them before and they seem to cater to the black powder guys but i was curious if any of you guys have experience with them for shot reloading. Thanks in advance as always.

Harry O

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1847 Location: Central ND

I have no experience with fiber wads using TSS. I do have a lot of experience with fiber wads with steel, lead and bismuth.

I would toss the cork and felt wads and subsitute .125 card wads and fiber wads. If the fiber wads are too thick you can easily split them horizontally to get the correct wad column height. Felt and cork wads don't do anything better in a smokeless shotshell load when used inside a plastic shot cup than card and fiber wads will, especially with steel or other hard shot. If anything you will find that felt wads will allow pellets to imbed, fiber wads turn to confetti especially the Butler style fiber wads. There is no benefit to using wax edge fiber wads for this application either.

I don't use felt or cork with lead or bismuth, it is just a way to separate you from your money, with no benefit in either external or internal ballistics.

Toss the tyvek wads also. Tyvek is good for one thing inside a shotshell and that is to use the tyvek as an overcard wad in buffered loads. When used that way the tyvek seals in the buffer and doesn't mess with patterns.

I am guessing that the loads you are using were in a BPI manual. They put all kinds of stuff in a shotshell that is pretty much useless when it comes to patterning.

Member Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 2354 Location: West MI

By and large agree with MSM2019 suggestions. No need for Tyvec if hard card under shot.

Are you using this BPI data?

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/LD16BP1680.pdf

If so, the 1 1/8oz 15 weight loads call out 2-1/4" (20ga) felt under 1-1/8" (28ga) card so your idea of swapping 1-1/2" fiber should work fine.

FWIW, if you haven't purchased your filler components yet; I find when loading steel and bismuth in those wads that 24ga fillers work very well.

Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 129 Location: Alabama

Love this forum! I appreciate the insights. I'm gonna order some of the components and get started. Can't get the 15gram shot in the size i want right now so it'll have to wait till that shows up. I'll report back when/if Confused

Orwell