Spreader Loads?

0faustus0

0faustus0

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Off the river, on top of the hill
I am interested in spreader loads for 12ga.

And I am even thinking about loading some myself .....

So, what is out there as far as factory spreader loads (12ga) ???

And if you load your own spreader loads ..... how do you load them?

How do you achieve that the pellets disperse more and evenly ... ?
 
Kent used to make spreader loads and maybe they still do but it's a been a long time since I saw any.

If you reload then I think if you put an overshot card in last before you crimp then you basically have a version of a spreader load. When the load exits the barrel then the wind resistance of the card will spread the load out towards the sides, not saying it will do it evenly though and with my luck it will leave a huge hole in the middle of your pattern....

Having said that, I long ago decided to focus on accuracy rather than rely on specialty cartridges but I get the concept, if it gains you a target once in a while then it may be worth it.
 
An over shot card doesnt disrupt the pattern. I use plastic disc over shot cards and recently 3d printed over shot disc's i got from a member here

I have designed spreader wads from bpi I believe. Theres various methods. Some have a x built into the shot cup others are similar in shape to a tack. The point goes toward the muzzle.
If using hard lead shot you could simply cut the pedals down or off to achieve a wide spread at close range.
Really depends on the choke and the actual bore diameter. Some of my vintage guns are .719 with full chokes. They pattern great. Very dense tight patterns using normal shotcups and also felt wad loads. The various spreader loads can work great for skeet and fast flushing grouse.
Ill try to get a pic of some of the disc's and wads tomorow.
 
iron cat said:
I made my own spreader X's from construction paper and they worked as well as the BPI spreaders.
BPI suggests they give 1/2 to one choke opening depending on the choke
Cat
Click to expand...
The BP wads work well but cat's X paper will have the same results. You need some choke for them to work well. They will open a choke one constriction loaded them for many years in a ic and mod 12 gauge 101 chasing woodcock in heavy cover back in the day. 1 1/8 oz load of #8 or #9 soft shot throws a pattern the size of a barn door .
 
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iron cat said:
I made my own spreader X's from construction paper and they worked as well as the BPI spreaders.
BPI suggests they give 1/2 to one choke opening depending on the choke
Cat
Click to expand...

Cat ... do your spreader Xs look like this? Is this what you are talking about? Yours are just made from paper/cardboard ... ?

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/images/xstre12c.jpg

Do you load those in a wad with a shot cup.... or no shotcup?
 
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0faustus0 said:
Cat ... do your spreader Xs look like this? Is this what you are talking about? Yours are just made from paper/cardboard ... ?

https://www.ballisticproducts.com/images/xstre12c.jpg

Do you load those in a wad with a shot cup.... or no shotcup?
Click to expand...
Yes those are the ones I tried.
The ones that I made were made from heavy construction paper.
I loaded them using standard shot cup style wads.
I never did try them with fiber or non shot cup plastic wads.
I also found that with my usual chokes of IC/MOD that the main variable in killing birds was not my load but in fact the amount of my concentration on the bird, so I quit trying to build specific loads for specific situations , and use only one load for upland game no matter what bird it is.
Cat
 
The Orvis company used to sell their own branded version of 12 G spreader shells, of course at their usual premium prices. If they ever explained the mechanics of how they were supposed to work I didn't see it. The shells were intended for use on woodcock and grouse in the Eastern woodlands, which is my thing, but I never bought any. Those who did told me they worked well out to about 15 or 20 yards and after that, forget it.
 
My .02
We've been using them for a couple of yrs on the SC courses. All BPI products....the Extreme Spreader (which you have shown) and can be added / used in any load according to BPI's High Performance Loads for Clays manual.
Lots of load data available for multiple hulls / powders and wads.

We have also used the Dispersor X wads (built in X-spreader) for both 12 and 20 ga, and more recently (last summer) the Brush Wad and the Light Brush Wads.
Tried the brush wads and the dispersor X wads in my 20 ga at the skeet field for chits and giggles...23 and 22 respectively. Not bad considering I'm usually a 20 kill guy..lol

They seem to work OK..not sure how many more targets they helped me acquire on my score sheet, but I honestly think it's a psychological thing...LOL

I have seen the mt hulls from new Challenger Spreader Loads used in NB last summer. Picked up 5 or 6 of them. They're gold hulls....thought they were Nitro's...lol (( I am STILL a hull whore..LOL ))
Don't know if someone had them stashed and finally used them, or if they were from current production some other province. I've NEVER seen them for sale at The Gun Dealer...EVER, and I'm on his site a couple times a day !!!
 
stubblejumper said:
I use an overshot card in my 28 gauge skeet loads, to get proper crimps with the slightly larger Fiocchi hulls, and it doesn't seem to effect the pattern at all.
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I totaly agree with one exception it was called the polywad it was a plastic overshot with a spike that went into the shotcharge you had to reduce shot weight by 1/8oz to get them in on a load they are no longer produced. I still have a few kicking around . They really opened up a full choke a buddy used them with a trap gun to shoot clays.
 
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Has anyone tried spreader choke tube?
Angle Port makes a Cobra that has rings inside to strip the wad. Briley and Browning make a spreader choke called "Diffuser" that is rifled to impart a spin on the shot column to spread it. I have some trouble imagining that a couple of inches of rifleing would impart any spin on an oz of lead but that's the theory.
Supposedly these all work well, at least according to the literature.
 
The happy faces were made by a cgn member for me
The clear disc is a bp product and is slightly thicker than a quarter yet does not effect shot patterns
Next is the scatter master. Cool Lil wad. It works extremely well at opening up patterns
Lastly is the gas seal. In my short chambered guns with with .719 bores I load these over the powder then drop the shot in and roll crimp. Turns a full choke into a 2' pattern at 12 yards. Perfect for shooting flushing grouse. Northern Ontario sometimes you have to almost kick the damn things to get them to fly but when they do they head straight for the spruce trees so shots are quick and these keep them edible
 

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A fully rifled barrel is useless with shot. I went 0 for 10 on station 8 high house once. I quit before I started to cry. I went home at at 10 yards shot a 45 gallon metal drum and only several pellets hit it
 
brybenn said:
A fully rifled barrel is useless with shot. I went 0 for 10 on station 8 high house once. I quit before I started to cry. I went home at at 10 yards shot a 45 gallon metal drum and only several pellets hit it
Click to expand...
A friend tried shooting birds inside the barn with 22lr shot loads, with similar results. Even at 5 yards, they were useless.
 
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