Condor Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Thought I'd take my gun to the CLA Fair next week and have a go on the clay stands. As these country fairs all say Fibre wads only due to the risks of plastics and wildlife / farm animals ingesting the stuff, I've bought a few boxes of fibre wads, 28g loads, to avoid paying premium prices at the show - what is the difference likely to be between shooting plastic wad carts (21g loads) and the fibre wads? Haven't had a chance to try them out and have never used fibre wads before. I guess they are likely to cycle more reliably in a semi auto due to the greater load, but any other advice would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slated Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 very little, plastic is said to give a slightly better pattern. either work if you put it in the right place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P~MX Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Yeah -- the price it's been said that you should tighten up one choke to shoot fibres as the pattern is slightly weaker -- I don't know if that has ever been proven though, I shoot a lot of fibre wads and I like them OK apart from the confetti f3x3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter De La Mare Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Fibre wads also sound weak, and some produce a nice shower of confetti. I hate them. Fortunately I've never been anywhere that is fibre only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky-shot Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 some clubs prefer fiber but plastic is cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 (edited) I only use fibre, because why litter the countryside with waste plastic? They arnt that much more expensive, eg. gamebore blue diamond 28grm 7.5: £5.10(P)=20.4, £5.25(F)= 21, and that is 6 pence differnce But each to his own Edited July 19, 2009 by EdwardtheloneShooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 You won't notice the difference other than the increased recoil from 21-18g. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted July 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 I'll take the semi auto so recoil hopefully won't be an issue! Thanks for the feedback re fibre - will have a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notsosureshot Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 In my (limited) experience I've found that I shoot better with plastic. I always use Hull CompX 21's for my skeet and I've found that I really do hit more with plastic than fibre. This is over quite a few sessions. I deliberately alternate between the two on skeet rounds. Obviously its a fairly limited test and I guess its down to the shooter, but for me, plastic does the business. That said, for anything outside the clay ground I use fibre, for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throdgrain Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Can't say as I've noticed any difference, except for the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I'm not happy or confident using fibre on long range clays Close up I can't tell any difference. Even the long range doubts could be psychological, hard to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 Research we did showed that fibre pattened as good or better than plastic. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notsosureshot Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I've often wondered, why is pattern testing is a good measure of cartridge performance? Only a portion of the shot will ever contact a moving target, the shot being flighted as a "squished sphere" with an elipitical cross section so I cant see how patterns tested on stationary paper targets are relevant. Sorry if thats a little OT, but could someone explain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I'm not happy or confident using fibre on long range clays I fealt the same until one day I was forced to use them (game fair shoot) and I hit longer birds that day then I had probaly hit before. Once you have seen it you believe it. I buy both as most clay grounds round my way don't care, but I keep fibres for grounds that don't allow plastic. A downsidee of fibres is it takes longer to clean your barrels, if you clean your barrels, and they can punch a bit more if the velocity is high. The Eley VIP's I use are very good though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I fealt the same until one day I was forced to use them (game fair shoot) and I hit longer birds that day then I had probaly hit before.Once you have seen it you believe it. I buy both as most clay grounds round my way don't care, but I keep fibres for grounds that don't allow plastic. A downsidee of fibres is it takes longer to clean your barrels, if you clean your barrels, and they can punch a bit more if the velocity is high. The Eley VIP's I use are very good though Yes, it's quite interesting how you can twist "facts" in your mind. I started using Hull Fitasc Extreme Range Bitchmutha Plastic for long distance clays, and found them noticeably better than what I was using before. Because the Fitasc cartridges were plastic, I've convinced myself they're better at long range. Of course, I haven't tried Hull Fitasc Extreme Range Bitchmutha Fibres, so it's not really conclusive or a fair comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted July 20, 2009 Report Share Posted July 20, 2009 I was trying to think what they hell they were, they were Express HV's nothing special, but after that day I believed they can work (if the barrels are pointed in the right place as always) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmsy Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 i dont have confidence in fibres, my scores are allways lower they cost extra and they kick more too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne916 Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 if shooting clays close, fiber are said to be better, as the shot starts to pattern in the barrel, where as plastic, the shot sits in the plastic cup for at least 8 feet from the end of the barrel before the plastic cup falls away and the shot start to pattern. Fiber: Gases can escape around fiber, cause lower pressure, flames at the end of the barrel ( unburnt powder), in the worst case can cause balling (melts shot together) I shoot both and really cant say my score's improve or get any worst when i use either, you wont go far wrong with elley blue's or first's, i don't like fiocchi, they have to much antimony in the shot which causes sparks at the end of the barrel they also sound almost subsonic! Please note i am no expert and the are only comments i have heard around the clay shoots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun4860 Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I will open a can of worms and say the average club shooter couldnt tell the difference between the two apart from some confetti in some of the cartridges shaun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I will open a can of worms and say the average club shooter couldnt tell the difference between the two apart from some confetti in some of the cartridges shaun I agree, apart from at long range, when I'm not so sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I will open a can of worms and say the average club shooter couldnt tell the difference between the two apart from some confetti in some of the cartridges shaun I would agree and even over longer ranges, IF they were good cartridges, and the shooter didn't know he was using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 if shooting clays close, fiber are said to be better, as the shot starts to pattern in the barrel, where as plastic, the shot sits in the plastic cup for at least 8 feet from the end of the barrel before the plastic cup falls away and the shot start to pattern. Fiber: Gases can escape around fiber, cause lower pressure, flames at the end of the barrel ( unburnt powder), in the worst case can cause balling (melts shot together) I shoot both and really cant say my score's improve or get any worst when i use either, you wont go far wrong with elley blue's or first's, i don't like fiocchi, they have to much antimony in the shot which causes sparks at the end of the barrel they also sound almost subsonic! Please note i am no expert and the are only comments i have heard around the clay shoots. That is the most ill informed drivel I have read in a while. How can the pattern form in the barrel? The barrel is a set diameter and apart from the choke doesn't deviate. If you have ever tried a fibre wad in a barrel you will know that it is quite a tight fit and no more gas escapes around a fibre wad than a plastic one. If you have flames at the end of the barrel I would say that it is the powder still burning as opposed to unburnt powder. How can you have a flame from somethiing that is unburnt? Even at extreme temperatures the shot is not in the barrel long enough to melt. I do not know the exact melting point of lead but it is several hundred degrees. Even if the gas from the propellant is 1000 degrees C then the time it would take to transfer that heat to the shot enough to melt it far outweighs the time the shot takes to get out of the barrel. I don't really have any confidence in fibre wad cartridges but I have been using them more lately for clay shooting and haven't really noticed any real difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David BASC Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 Pattern starts to form only after the shot has left the barrel as MC says – one of the greatest influencers of pattern size at any given distance will be the choke of the gun and pattern density at any given distance will be a function of choke and the size of the pellet of course. Lead melts at around 327 deg C – powder burns much hotter than this, and IF the wadding (be it plastic or fibre) if not good enough hot gas can burst into the shot and will melt it to form ball (s) in the very short time the shot is in the barrel. BUT how often does this happen – I do not know of any cases but if you do let us know. I would suspect that for most of us – in a ‘blind trial’ we would not notice any difference at all between fibre and plastic. More important is how the gun fits as and how the gun patterns at point of aim at say 25-35m. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaseone Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 If you would not notice, why do they all sound so C**P ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 I shoot both and have never noticed any difference in sound, perhaps I should listen more carefully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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