Next Project - 20 gauge Fiber Wad Loads

[skeet]

Rich.. Gonna be honest. We look back at things in the past in a nostalgic manner. Me too for certain. I remember so many things from my youth as being better. But to be honest. The 20 ga loads of yore while being pretty good for the day..will really not stack up against loads from today..in most guns. That said.. Data is a little skimpy but there are card and filler wads available from 3 or 4 sources out there. Are it cheaper to buy and load 'em..not hardly. It is a niche market mainly for people with the old guns like short chambered doubles and English/European guns. They were a little slower on the takeup when GOOD shotshells came out...continuing to make short forcing cones and short leade chokes. And you also made a comment about paper shell cases not being available. There are some available in mainly 12 ga..but finding 20s is gonna be nigh on to impossible. If I were gonna load 20 hunting loads..in plastic cases..I'd load plastic wads. Heck what am I saying..I do load that way. As a side note..the real culprit in loads today..is the shot. Those Dove and Quail and Rabbit/Skwerl loads are terrible but cheap. The shot is pretty much drop shot with under 1/2% antimony. Load good hard mag shot(6 to 8% antimony) and you will see good patterns and much better killing power. Ain't cheap but look for either copper plated mag shot or nickel plated..good patterns and mag shot makes good loads. I once bought some nickel plated 9's and loaded 'em in the 410. Shot really great patterns and I broke my first 100 straight in the 410 with 'em. Just wayyy too expensive for skeet shooting..and nickel 9s were very hard to find. BTW chilled shot is about 2 1/2% antimony so it isn't much better than drop shot