New degradable wad for steel

[David BASC]

Dear all, at the British Shooting show Eley announced their new degradable wad for steel. It genuinely breaks down within days. It will be on the market around Easter, there will be a game load and a clay load

[oowee]

Just seen it at show very clever. 

[old'un]

43 minutes ago, David BASC said:

Dear all, at the British Shooting show Eley announced their new degradable wad for steel. It genuinely breaks down within days. It will be on the market around Easter, there will be a game load and a clay load

Is this the one you refer to?....https://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/topic/384560-the-first-disolvable-and-biodegradeable-wad/

[David BASC]

Yes, apologies I did not see the other thread

David

[panoma1]

I remember a cartridge containing a similar bio-degradable wad was available some years ago, but soon disappeared? I also remember being advised it was withdrawn, something to do with the wad dissolving in the loaded cartridge, over time after being exposed to damp conditions?......Or am I repeating an urban myth?

[Graeme1]

I spoke to them at the show and found it ironic that two type of cartridges they are making, clay and game, can still be lead. Why haven’t they made a hp steel version for us wildfowlers that can’t use steel!! I was told it’s all about money and not the environment, more people clay and game shooting.

[Big Al]

 

On 16/02/2019 at 16:37, panoma1 said:

I remember a cartridge containing a similar bio-degradable wad was available some years ago, but soon disappeared? I also remember being advised it was withdrawn, something to do with the wad dissolving in the loaded cartridge, over time after being exposed to damp conditions?......Or am I repeating an urban myth?

You took the words out of my mouth.

What happens if the cartridge gets wet the week before it is fired? Heavy rain. A dunking while wading. Are the cartridges watertight? Any number of possibilities while wildfowling. 

The thought of steel rubbing against my barrel walls makes my toes curl.

Don't get me wrong- This is a great step in the right direction. I just think the question needs answered if the wad breaks down in 24 hours as claimed. 

I asked the same question on the Sporting Gun Facebook page when the videos from IWA were posted. I am still waiting for a reply.

If it's only for game / clay loads (especially in lead) it could result in discharging a cartridge without part of / all of a wad missing. Safety implications?

 

Or maybe this question answers Graeme1s question as to why there is no HP steel cartridge with it.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Big Al

[motty]

On ‎10‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 20:05, Graeme1 said:

I spoke to them at the show and found it ironic that two type of cartridges they are making, clay and game, can still be lead. Why haven’t they made a hp steel version for us wildfowlers that can’t use steel!! I was told it’s all about money and not the environment, more people clay and game shooting.

Did you mean the wildfowlers that can't use lead?

[Graeme1]

On 10/03/2019 at 20:05, Graeme1 said:

I spoke to them at the show and found it ironic that two type of cartridges they are making, clay and game, can still be lead. Why haven’t they made a hp steel version for us wildfowlers that can’t use steel!! I was told it’s all about money and not the environment, more people clay and game shooting.

Sorry that should be wildfowlers that can’t use lead obviously 

[grahamch]

Am very surprised at the number of replies here. Compared to the uae of single plastics  (milk containers,water bottles etc.) most of us use the volume of plastic cases and wads is tiny. Will use plastic cases all of the time with fibre game loads and plastic with pkastic for fowling loads 

Edited March 16, 2019 by grahamch

[Teal]

On 16/03/2019 at 22:44, grahamch said:

Am very surprised at the number of replies here. Compared to the uae of single plastics  (milk containers,water bottles etc.) most of us use the volume of plastic cases and wads is tiny. Will use plastic cases all of the time with fibre game loads and plastic with pkastic for fowling loads 

I read that a plastic 500ml bottle is equivalent to 3-4 plastic wads. I wouldn't throw plastic bottles about the countryside or foreshore, without a care where they end up. So I think it is a positive step for shooting. You can always compare things and say why bother doing this when X is a bigger problem, but that is not the argument. You can do something about plastic wads by changing behaviour and provided the carts work as intended, don't prematurely degrade, and aren't price prohibitive I'll be using them. If enough make the step they'll improve and price will come down. And of course the range and choice should improve, as I appreciate that the carts presently available don't cover all circumstances.

I do think in 20 years we'll look back with a bit of shame and bewilderment that plastic wads were used for so long in shooting.

[Salopian]

What really amazes me is , why haven't the cardboard wads with a shot cup produced by Gamebore years ago , never caught on ? Cost cannot be all that prohibitive ?

The Eley wads and others like them are possibly likely to become a very serious problem if the cartridges are stored in damp environments or used in widfowling conditions , potentially they will become a slug if the wad biodegrades ?

[grahamch]

55 minutes ago, Teal said:

I read that a plastic 500ml bottle is equivalent to 3-4 plastic wads. I wouldn't throw plastic bottles about the countryside or foreshore, without a care where they end up. So I think it is a positive step for shooting. You can always compare things and say why bother doing this when X is a bigger problem, but that is not the argument. You can do something about plastic wads by changing behaviour and provided the carts work as intended, don't prematurely degrade, and aren't price prohibitive I'll be using them. If enough make the step they'll improve and price will come down. And of course the range and choice should improve, as I appreciate that the carts presently available don't cover all circumstances.

I do think in 20 years we'll look back with a bit of shame and bewilderment that plastic wads were used for so long in shooting.

Sadly with Packham and his ****y ilk I don't think there will be any shooting in 20 years time

[bostonmick]

A good thing if it works. Just have to ask how much will prices rise due to this as cartridge makers are not slow at using any excuse to raise price. Last thing I read about a new degradable wad it would double the cost of cartridges. 

[Scully]

Spent last weekend in Carrick Bay, Dumfries and Galloway. Beachcombing turned up quite a few plastic wads and cases with their bases long gone. 

[islandgun]

1 hour ago, Teal said:

I read that a plastic 500ml bottle is equivalent to 3-4 plastic wads. I wouldn't throw plastic bottles about the countryside or foreshore, without a care where they end up. So I think it is a positive step for shooting. You can always compare things and say why bother doing this when X is a bigger problem, but that is not the argument. You can do something about plastic wads by changing behaviour and provided the carts work as intended, don't prematurely degrade, and aren't price prohibitive I'll be using them. If enough make the step they'll improve and price will come down. And of course the range and choice should improve, as I appreciate that the carts presently available don't cover all circumstances.

I do think in 20 years we'll look back with a bit of shame and bewilderment that plastic wads were used for so long in shooting.

This ^ 

Regarding reloading, most loads seem to be researched and peddled by the plastic wad makers, usually with dire warnings about straying from their recipe,, Recently there was a discussion on here about fibre shot cups, when the advice from a leading reloading supplier was to simply change plastic to fibre

[Pheasant Plucker]

On 10/03/2019 at 21:35, Big Al said:

 

You took the words out of my mouth.

What happens if the cartridge gets wet the week before it is fired? Heavy rain. A dunking while wading. Are the cartridges watertight? Any number of possibilities while wildfowling. 

The thought of steel rubbing against my barrel walls makes my toes curl.

Don't get me wrong- This is a great step in the right direction. I just think the question needs answered if the wad breaks down in 24 hours as claimed. 

I asked the same question on the Sporting Gun Facebook page when the videos from IWA were posted. I am still waiting for a reply.

If it's only for game / clay loads (especially in lead) it could result in discharging a cartridge without part of / all of a wad missing. Safety implications?

 

Or maybe this question answers Graeme1s question as to why there is no HP steel cartridge with it.

The terminology "steel shot" is not strictly correct as the proper reference should be "soft iron". If your gun is rated for the correct grade of "steel shot" then there is little risk of damage to the barrels and certainly not from "steel" moving down the barrels on firing even using felt/fibre wads. Plastic wads of course do not touch the barrel walls until coming in contact with the choke constriction. 

[Scully]

5 minutes ago, Pheasant Plucker said:

The terminology "steel shot" is not strictly correct as the proper reference should be "soft iron". If your gun is rated for the correct grade of "steel shot" then there is little risk of damage to the barrels and certainly not from "steel" moving down the barrels on firing even using felt/fibre wads. Plastic wads of course do not touch the barrel walls until coming in contact with the choke constriction. 

Are you sure about that last sentence? Any plastic residue I have to remove from my barrels is usually just forward of the breech. 

[Old farrier]

13 minutes ago, Pheasant Plucker said:

The terminology "steel shot" is not strictly correct as the proper reference should be "soft iron". If your gun is rated for the correct grade of "steel shot" then there is little risk of damage to the barrels and certainly not from "steel" moving down the barrels on firing even using felt/fibre wads. Plastic wads of course do not touch the barrel walls until coming in contact with the choke constriction. 

It’s a 2 year old thread 

things are (allegedly) moving on 

[wymberley]

2 hours ago, Scully said:

Are you sure about that last sentence? Any plastic residue I have to remove from my barrels is usually just forward of the breech. 

Don't think PP can be - although a slip of the pen can make a mockery of what you meant to say. There is no 'correct grade' (provided, of course, the manufacturer hasn't slipped up) - there's steel shot and then there's.........steel shot. Any CIP proofed gun is rated for steel shot. Talking purely shot, the only exception to that is the pellet size. The load and charge stuffed into a case can change that into HP steel as we know.

[owain]

It’s always a topic of conversation between me and my friend when we go clay pigeon shooting, the sheer amount of plastic wads visible on the ground. Surely some kind of wad that is broken down by UV rays would be a viable solution in this day and age?

[Johnny English]

On 09/06/2021 at 21:46, owain said:

It’s always a topic of conversation between me and my friend when we go clay pigeon shooting, the sheer amount of plastic wads visible on the ground. Surely some kind of wad that is broken down by UV rays would be a viable solution in this day and age?

I'm pretty sure that in the mid to late 90's Hull did the high pheasant with a photo degradable plastic wad, not sure what happened to them, obviously had problems or just not a big enough seller. Never seen them since.

[old'un]

On 07/06/2021 at 15:50, Pheasant Plucker said:

The terminology "steel shot" is not strictly correct as the proper reference should be "soft iron". If your gun is rated for the correct grade of "steel shot" then there is little risk of damage to the barrels and certainly not from "steel" moving down the barrels on firing even using felt/fibre wads. Plastic wads of course do not touch the barrel walls until coming in contact with the choke constriction. 

I am sure that plastic wads do make contact with the barrel wall long before it reaches the choke, if not how does the wad make a gas seal? I presume by “even using felt/fibre wads” you mean felt cups?

[steve s×s]

And after all this hp, shot cups, biodegradable karp do you honestly think that they (you no who) is going to let us carry on slaughtering God's creatures, please tell me I am wrong 

[mellors]

10 hours ago, steve s×s said:

And after all this hp, shot cups, biodegradable karp do you honestly think that they (you no who) is going to let us carry on slaughtering God's creatures, please tell me I am wrong 

I'm afraid your right. They are fully aware we are an unsupported minority with lost cause.