Shot gun wad too tight - dangerous?

[wakproductions]

I'm new to reloading. Was doing 12ga 1 1/8 oz shot reloads when I had to open a new batch of plastic wads. Discovered that I bought the wrong kind of wads and that the newly opened batch was 1 oz. They were the same height, but slightly smaller cup for the bb's. I tried putting them through my reloader to see if that made a difference but had some problems crimping due to the smaller cup size.

I tried to disassemble the 3 or 4 shells on the assembly line to redo them by pulling out the wads, but discovered that these wads also seemed to be lodged into the hulls tighter than the previous kind I was using. Whereas the previous batch of wads I could pull out using a pair of pliers the newer wad was lodged in so good I had to cut the plastic hull with scissors to get it out.

Question: If for whatever reason I put a wad into the shell too tight - do I have to worry about my shotgun barrel exploding? Obviously catastrophic malfunctions happen (like squibs) but given this is my first experience reloading I just want to know how easy it is for a messed up reloaded shell to become dangerous. I have a little concern that one of these new "tight" wads made it into the batch of reloads I did today. Don't know whether that is dangerous.

 

[4651feeder]

Which manual or online guide ( example Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide ), etc... are you using to determine component compatibility? If you don't have an answer to that question, perhaps it's time to momentarily step back from reloading shotgun and reassess. The next question would be which wad (brand/number) and hull are you currently questioning too tight of fitment? While this may not be the direct answer you seek, the answers to the above questions will contribute to an informed response.

Also not to shortchange this forum, but if you seek the answer(s) over at Shotgunworld.com ? Index page under reloading you'll have at least a dozen informed responses rapidly from guys that probably load more in a year than I will in a lifetime.

 

[wakproductions]

Thanks 4651feeder. I merely got access to an old MEC machine via a friend. Read the manual but it was made in the 90s and not very specific on the wad specs, other than to use 2 3/4" hulls and 1 1/8 oz wads. The manual said that the wad size could be adjusted, and so did the manufacturer's website - which I tried to do - but it was still pouring in too much shot and did not address the wad tightness issue.

 

[PGRChaplain]

Your putting 1 1/8 oz of Shot in a 1 oz Wad Compressing it in the Hull. Thats also Compressing the Powder Charge. Consult a reliable source before proceding. I've seen an 870 Remington Trap Gun that looked like a peeled Banana after a Reload Gone Bad.

 

[4651feeder]

Thanks 4651feeder. I merely got access to an old MEC machine via a friend. Read the manual but it was made in the 90s and not very specific on the wad specs, other than to use 2 3/4" hulls and 1 1/8 oz wads. The manual said that the wad size could be adjusted, and so did the manufacturer's website - which I tried to do - but it was still pouring in too much shot and did not address the wad tightness issue.

There are straight walled hulls and there are tapered hulls and various wads are made with that in mind. Some powder/primer/wad combinations will be safe to shoot in some hulls and not others according to published pressure data. In the Alliant link example posted above, one can enter various component combinations to find a recipe with proven pressure data. Reloading for shotgun is NOT rocket science, however it is more than just buying any 1/18 oz or for that matter 1 oz wad and using any recycled hulls. It doesn't take long to get the hang of it and while reloading for shotgun isn't a real $aver at this time, it can be fun and therapeutic.

 

[sloughfoot]

I reload a LOT of 12 gauge shotgun shells. Both for hunting and clay busting. If there is any doubt that I have screwed up the recipe in the loading manual, the errant shell gets thrown away. After 30 years of reloading shotgun shells, I try not to get married to the screwed up shell. The divorce can be very messy.

FWIW, I have never been able to pull a WAA12 wad out of a WAA shell. Except by popping the primer and whatever powder is in there. And it just is not worth the effort.

You absolutely need a reloading manual that lists the hull, primer, powder and quantity, and wad. Otherwise you are reloading in the darkd.

 

[OHOIAN]

As far as shotgun reloading goes it is potentially dangerous to change hulls or wads or even primers. A reloading manual will list safe combinations. Do not deviate from them.

 

[BGDave]

As far as shotgun reloading goes it is potentially dangerous to change hulls or wads or even primers. A reloading manual will list safe combinations. Do not deviate from them.

I haven't reloaded shotgun shells in years, but this is the correct answer. Load data were absolutely specific about components.

 

[Robert Richardson]

You have already presented a problem with the components you are trying to use. Why go any further? Easy answer, don't use them.

 

[wakproductions]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Good to know that such a mismatch could be dangerous. I went out and got a bag of the proper wads and reloads going just fine and according to the reloading manual's spec. This was a learning experience.

 

[wakproductions]

fwiw, I was using an MEC 9000 reloader. According to the manual there's an adjustment (rammer tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoHD9HdjgGg) for switching shot cup sizes. I had trouble using it to switch to the 1oz wads and still get good crimps. Worked great after I got more 1 1/8oz and returned the rammer tube to the factory setting.

 

[wakproductions]

So I did a test of my first ever batch of reloaded shotgun shells. Worked great! The folks at the Shotgunworld forum made a big fuss about using a claybuster tapered round in a straight-walled shell, but I used them in my Federal shot shells and they worked just fine. Even had nicer looking crimps than the Winchester AA's.