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< 16ga. Ammunition & Reloading ~ Cheerio, Top Or Bottom - That Is The Question |
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Posted:
Fri Jun 05, 2015 5:04 pm
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Member
Joined: 27 Dec 2005
Posts: 582
Location: Great Lakes
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Well said Mike. Many of "us folks" have come by lots of older high capacity wads, but enjoy shooting lighter loads that can be easily assembled using the old wads and fillers. Good enough for practice or to win a club event from time to time. |
_________________ A Springer Spaniel, a 6# double and a fair day to hunt. |
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Posted:
Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:24 am
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Member
Joined: 15 Mar 2007
Posts: 601
Location: Virginia
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Thin overshot cards work better for me. No messing with Cheerios or putting nitro cards in the bottom of wads. Just drop a 28-gauge .030" card on top of the shot at the precrimp station and carry on.
Dan |
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Posted:
Thu Jul 16, 2015 3:59 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Rather than a cheerio, try just dropping a spent primer in the bottom of the cup. They weigh about 15 grains and are basically free as a byproduct of reloading. Call it recycling with a purpose.
I have read that shot charges should be within a tolerance of plus or minus 25 grains when loading steel shot which is far more sensitive to pressure changes caused by load variations than lead (Tom Roster). 15 grains falls well within this range. With lead target loads, not much of a concern. Due to lack of density and form factor, the spent primer does not carry down range beyond the shot either.
I have used this method for about 20 years mainly with my blue grouse ammo since I often need a filler after removing the wad petals to allow bore contact to help deform chilled shot and open patterns at very short ranges. I was surprised at how much capacity the wad petals take up.
As a side note, I did one time clean a bird that actually had been struck by the spent primer! Penetration was less than that of the shot pellets. The bird was taken at no more than 20 yards. Fairly amusing. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:11 pm
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Member
Joined: 09 Jan 2013
Posts: 2171
Location: Florida
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You don't worry about the spent primer scoring your barrel ? I would |
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Posted:
Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:24 pm
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Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 759
Location: Somewhere in the Socialist State of Minnesota
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Posted:
Fri Jul 17, 2015 9:20 am
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Primers are pretty soft, even mild steel will scratch them. In the bottom of a shot cup, surrounded by shot it should be fairly well contained. In my use with a petal-less wad I have never seen it even in some cheap doubles that were soft enough that steel shot peened the forcing cones.
My concern with the Cheerio is that it will crush when crimped then the fibers will just leak in between the shot therefore allowing the crimps to cave in later while the shells rattle around in my pockets.
The ideal solution, but more time consuming is to use a foam or cork disc. I have though of making a hole punch and cutting discs from the thin packing foam that many electronics are wrapped in when shipped-another basically free material. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Fri Jul 17, 2015 10:46 am
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Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1975
Location: Maine
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Ahh, but when the Cheerio is crushed - either by crimping or when the shell is fired - it will become as fine a honey-nut flavored shot buffer as could ever have been imagined and, if you happen to hit the bird you're shooting at, it will make it even more flavorful. Like one of those marinade injectors they pitch late at night (or early in the morning) once the channel has gone over to infomercials.
I dunno whether it will help the taste of clay birds - don't eat 'em myself - but game birds, for sure it will. |
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Posted:
Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:00 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Well that does bring up a perplexing issue. I do love Cheerios and have noticed that they are available in many versions, so it does beg the question: should one match the Cheerio to the situation?
I mean, surely, winter hunts would theoretically require Frosted Cheerios. Hunting Ruffed Grouse in a an old orchard would logically indicate that Apple Cinnamon Cheerios are best. Multiigrain should be a nice all around filler for hunting stubble fields of the midwest. Perhaps Ancient Grains Cheerios are intended for those of us with older double guns (or older shooters). Fruity Cheerios may be intended for...well we won't go there! |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:18 pm
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Member
Joined: 02 Sep 2010
Posts: 829
Location: SW Ohio
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Anyone ever used plastic pellets as a filler. I found some 3 1/2 inch Remington Wingmaster on sale as a local store for very cheap. I bought them and reloaded them into 12 ga 1 1/8 oz loads. When I cut the 3 1/2 inch shells apart the top had about 1/4 inch or more of white plastic pellets. Almost to the point where I thought it could be a 3 inch shells. Got me thinking about using those pellets to fill a light load to get a better crimp. |
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Posted:
Mon Jul 20, 2015 4:06 pm
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Joined: 28 Mar 2006
Posts: 434
Location: New Brunswick,Canada
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I like mine to go "snap - crackle & pop" I use rice crispies |
_________________ A pointing dog and a 16GA -- It doesn't get better than this |
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Posted:
Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:25 pm
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Joined: 16 Jul 2015
Posts: 2126
Location: Hudson,Wy
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Styrofoam beads would be great if they weren't so darn messy. The static charge that makes them messy is no small concern either. |
_________________ Only catch snowflakes on your tongue AFTER the birds fly south for the winter... |
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Posted:
Sat Jul 25, 2015 11:43 am
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Joined: 19 Feb 2012
Posts: 27
Location: SW WI
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I don't post on here to often. I tend to eat my breakfast cereal. When I am using a filler which is quite often. I prefer to use FOAM BACKER ROD 5/8" It can be purchased at most hardware stores. Costs about $5 for 20 feet. I cut it with a scissors. |
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