I'm new to reloading shotshells (have done rifle/pistol for many years) and have a couple of questions on filler/spacer material.

1) Cork, felt, fiber. Any real differences to look out for? Are they interchangeable within a load?
2) If shooting a 1 5/8oz 10ga load and it says (3) 1/4" felt spacers, can I:
..........(A) Use (6) 1/8" spacers?
..........(B) Use (1) 1/2" fiber and (1) 1/4" felt?

3) I've seen in some recepies that the majority of the spacers should go OVER the shot column (1 under & 4 over), this seems illogical to me as I would think it would blow the pattern to heck.

4) Overshot cards? .03" cardboard, Tyvec, none? Do they blow the pattern or not?

Thanks,
BMG

You mean they still make that old junk? Why would anyone (other than a hardcore BP shotgunner) even consider it today?
Use compression formed plastic hulls and modern wads. Stick to the "recipe" in the books. Shotgun reloading is "cookbook" reloading, unlike rifle and pistol.

I've used the felt wads as base filler for certain light loads in large cups and with some loads I would use an overshot card to improve the crimp. I would recommend following proven reloading techniques with these components to avoid high pressure, damage to your gun, or injury to yourself. The Ballistic Products folks will have considerable information on advanced hunting loads with manuals and load data books for the various hunting loads and components you asked about. Their site http://www.ballisticproducts.com/

Properly assembled loads will not exhibit blown patterns unless that is the intent of the load such as spreader loads. Good luck with your loading and stick with the load data.

OLD junk? You certainly showed your ignorance there!

The loading of specialty shotgun loads still goes on. Yes there are considerable differances in compressability in the wads mentioned. The hardest are the card wads. They were originally meant to be used as over-powder wads. They are seldom used for that these days. Most of the time they are used for spacers. The differance between the felt and fiber wads has to be spelled out in the load recipe. Plastic one piece wads are used most of the time for standard loadings. Plastic over powder wads, such as the BPGS,(ballistic Products Gas Seal), are used for stacked wad columns using the card-fiber wads.

Ballistic products still has most of them as well as loading data on how and where to use them.

The only time I've used the cork wads is in a bismuth load as an under shot wad inside a plastic shot cup,(20 guage). It is super soft and cradles and protects the brittle shot from the bottom of the plastic wad. Go to www.ballisticproducts.com/ and order a catalog. They've been improving their website, you may be able to order some loading books for the 10 guage.

Over shot wads are made special for that application. They were used for rolled crimp shells, they had to hold the shot from spilling out and could be marked with the load info. The tyvek wads help get a better crimp with large shot. Tyvek is so light, I doubt it will dissrupt the pattern.

Grizz, I was beginning to believe I was the only shotshell loader that loaded shells for special hunting reqirements.

Thanks for the info.

Tailgunner,
If you can find me a wad AND load data for a 1 5/8 and 1 3/4 oz lead load in the 10ga that DOES NOT require a spacer to bring the shot column up to proper crimp height, please let me know. The only one I know of that comes close is the 'Deci-max' from BP and even then they only have 1.25oz Hevi-shot load info so far.

Everyone else,
I called BP and they said that a 12ga 1/2" fiber wad in a 10ga plastic shot cup will work just fine instead of 4 felt spacers that are 1/8" thick or 2 felt spacers that are 1/4" thick.

My theory is that since they sell felt spacers that are 1/8" & 1/4" for 3.4 cents each and 1/2" fiber spacers for less than 2 cents ea (and the fact that you need up to 6 felt spacers in some loads) they want to make money where they can. I also asked about buffer and they said that it can be left out in any recepie that calls for it but cannot be added to a recepie that does not specify it.

Thanks,
BMG