Here in the UK we shoot game birds with probably 90% felt wads and 10% plastic.

Clays probably 50/50%.

IMO a total plastic ban will be here within 5 years on single use plastics and now Eley have produced a 30 day soluble wad.

https://www.eleyhawkltd.com/me...-biodegradeable-wad-

Do you mean "wads" or "shot cups"? I have not seen plastic wads, mainly plastic shot cups, but I shoot skeet. For shooting game, I am not sure you need shot cups. Are you guys shooting lead shot?
Peter.

Hi, yes we call plastic cups = plastic wads.

The UK and Hungary tend to use felt and rest or Europe is plastic.

Years ago Kent cartridge made a bio cup wad but not seen again.

And yes we use lead for all except wildfowl.
For clays we can use max 28gr but many use 24gr and 21gr.

I’ve been playing around with plastic free wadding for a while here.

If you have to use nontoxic shot (which is more and more common here) the only choice that works for plastic free is bismuth, and that leaves significant streaks of metal fouling on the bore, showing that the shot charge is degrading. I haven’t shot enough game this way to say if it does have a real effect.

With lead, it’s my experience that the way the shotgun barrel was made is a major difference. My newer guns just don’t pattern as well without a plastic shot cup. Many guns are overbored, and forcing cones lengthened, which contributes to blown patterns. Guns made before 1950 shoot shot cup free ammo surprisingly well, but when I’m doing this I’m using very hard or plated shot.

For skeet, soft shot and shot cup free ammo are VERY effective, but for trap and sporting clays, soft shot fails to hold patterns as well at distance, and of course, the barrels have some metal fouling, which I was not used to dealing with in a shotgun...

Excellent points CR! I remember the use of felt wads 50 years ago, but haven't seen such wads in years, especially not reloading!
Peter.

The UK makers ( gamebore, Hull, eley, express) are all developing felt wads to high standards now. Here in the UK single use non recybake plastics are having a hard time quite rightly and many are turning to felt wad only.

We also have a company who recycled used shotgun cartridges now into furniture like park benches,tables, etc

What was wrong with the old cardboard wads?
Peter.

Besides the environmental issue, I have read that plastics wads/shot cups increase pressure and constriction over felt wads/plastic wads.

Biggest issue for use now in UK is environmental damage. The cups take many decades to break down and look unsightly. Gamebore produce some excellent felt loads to almost match plastic cup performances.

I know, plastic is a product of the evil petrochemical empire, therefore plastic=evil, and the governments job is to eradicate evil wherever it occurs.
The wads do not have to be pink or red, they could be made in 'earth' tones.
I have played a bit with fiber wads. In fact when I started reloading paper cases and fiber wads were all that we had. I have chronographed a bunch of fiber and plastic based loads and I can not get the shot-shot uniformity with fiber that I can get with plastic. Maybe if someone could design a better gas sealing over-powder wad? Of course there are all those trees that will have to be turned into cellulose fiber, and all the animal fur for the felt...
Has the EU banned one-use disposable diapers???
C.G.B.

Sadly changing the cup colour wont help the environment.

Felt/fibre wads are not made from animal fur here anymore

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
Besides the environmental issue, I have read that plastics wads/shot cups increase pressure and constriction over felt wads/plastic wads.

The old saw was that you could add 10-20% more powder to a plastic one piece wad recipe and use nitro cards and felt/fiber wadding. Some guys have sent in these loads to be pressure tested, and have had higher pressures with nitro cards and fiber.

There is not a lot of available data out there. The brits claim a bunch, but they want a lot of money to access the data, so I’ve not tried that much.

As to finding the components... it’s not too hard. Ballistic products, precision reloading, and circle fly all sell nitro cards, fiber wads, cork wars, and felt wads in a huge variety of gauges and thicknesses. They are also pretty cheap. Mostly it’s used as spacers for high performance reloading, but it’s the same stuff.

My grandfathers old M12 Winchester duck gun shoots amazing patterns with 1.25 oz fiber wadded rounds. My Bennelli, not so much. I will say the load I used is probably pretty hot though, as it was a “add 10% from a plastic” load and it whacks me a bit.

I’d do more with so called eco loads if I could get better info for recipes, using US available powders. But if you shoot black powder, make up a few 3 dram FFG 1 1/8 oz trap loads (since you should have the stuff) and take them to a SC course... they are a hoot, and everyone will look at you like you grew a third eye...

Are there any "biodegradable" shotgun shells?

Some hunters here including me use shotgun shells with paper hulls. Current paper hulls here are made from paper and copper coated steel, but there is small plastic part inside too. Old ones was without plastic. So are there any steel and paper hulls out there? (paper will rotten, steel will rust).

Jiri

quote:

Originally posted by Jiri:
Are there any "biodegradable" shotgun shells?

Some hunters here including me use shotgun shells with paper hulls. Current paper hulls here are made from paper and copper coated steel, but there is small plastic part inside too. Old ones was without plastic. So are there any steel and paper hulls out there? (paper will rotten, steel will rust).

Jiri

We use lot paper case in UK but like you say still small amounts plastic in it

Paper hulls are good for 1-2 loadings and then they go to the dump. Plastic will last for 5-10 loadings,then they could (possibly) be recycled. No excuse for leaving empty shells in the woods, that is just bad manners.
C.G.B.

I don’t see any plastic in Federal gold medal paper bulls... am I missing something?

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
I don’t see any plastic in Federal gold medal paper bulls... am I missing something?

I don't know if federals are with or without. It is commonly this part:

quote:

Originally posted by cgbach:
Paper hulls are good for 1-2 loadings and then they go to the dump. Plastic will last for 5-10 loadings,then they could (possibly) be recycled. No excuse for leaving empty shells in the woods, that is just bad manners.
C.G.B.

I always try to get all I fired. But sometimes it is not possible or you can't find it. I don't reload shotgun shells, I fire no more than 100 shells a year, so I am looking for factory ammo.

Jiri

The federals in that area are rolled paper.

And I can get 4-5 firings of trap level loads out of them. One for a hunting load.

The original Winchester AA hulls (in 12, 16, 20, and 28 gauge) were one piece plastic hulls with no paper base wad. These can be reloaded 10 or more times using plastic, felt or card wads. I have loaded a lot of my hunting ammunition with card and felt wads, both of which are biodegradable.

Only a slob would leave his empty hulls laying on the ground when hunting.

As boys, we once shot and reloaded a box of 12 gauge 5 times in a day. Eventually the crimp would not crimp on some. I don’t mind seeing an old shot shell laying about. I’ve been hunting all day without any luck and will stumble on an old shell, I’m instantly re energized. I know I’m getting warmer and something good is about to happen. No, I would not want to see them everywhere but that one stray shell never fails to pick me up.