4mm steel goose loads in 3" - Advice sought.

[Sausagefingers]

Update: I've been loading 36grams of steel #1 (4.06mm) on top of 35grains of Alliant Steel and shooting through modified choke.
This seems to be a very effective load and has patterned well on the birds I have killed with it.
I would however like to use non plastic wads and hopefully a source of these will become available sooner rather than later.

[mag44uk]

Plenty of fibre wads around

[Sausagefingers]

Plenty of fibre wads around

Please point me to them! I'm shooting high velocity steel #1's with a 36gram load.
I cannot find anyghing in fibre that will keep the steel shot enclosed and away from the barrel wall as it travels down the bore.

[aris]

Please point me to them! I'm shooting high velocity steel #1's with a 36gram load.
I cannot find anyghing in fibre that will keep the steel shot enclosed and away from the barrel wall as it travels down the bore.

You don't need a fibre wad for that - you need a fibre shot cup.

https://www.claygame.co.uk/12ga-fibr...-and-55mm-pd82

[Sausagefingers]

You don't need a fibre wad for that - you need a fibre shot cup.

https://www.claygame.co.uk/12ga-fibr...-and-55mm-pd82

Unfortunately it says these only take up to 3.25mm steel. I'm shooting #1 and they are just over 4.00mm.
They only have the 55mm version in stock, which seems like it's for 3.5" shells...and the final straw is that they cost 21 pence each.
As the industry changes over I'm hoping some decent biowad options will appear.
Can't be that magical to start running off decent boidegradable wads with the splits already in them can it?
Or are we supposed to just buy everything already boxed up as presented by the cartridge manufacturers?
I'm of the view that steel carts should be a damn sight cheaper than lead as you're stripping out the most expensive component.
As ever, it seems that some warm words about the environment will be an excuse to jack up the price of what is essentially a steel and cardboard load.

[Sausagefingers]

Sod it...I"m on a rant now. I did email the NGO as a member, asking what they were doing to lobby for biowads. I've had no response.
What was that survey from a few years ago where it was found that something like 70% of the wildfowl that found its way to market hsd lead shot in it, when it should all have been non toxic?
Do we wonder why? Bet that figure hasn't changed much has it?
I'll stick to the steel and plaswad option but I can see the little bits of plastic being next on the hit list and we only have ourselves to blame if we start getting criticised for that, which we will.
A bit of joined-up thinking regarding the other components of a cartridge wouldn't have gone amiss when our sporting organisations signed us up for a voluntary lead ban.

[enfield2band]

Sod it...I"m on a rant now. I did email the NGO as a member, asking what they were doing to lobby for biowads. I've had no response.
What was that survey from a few years ago where it was found that something like 70% of the wildfowl that found its way to market hsd lead shot in it, when it should all have been non toxic?
Do we wonder why? Bet that figure hasn't changed much has it?
I'll stick to the steel and plaswad option but I can see the little bits of plastic being next on the hit list and we only have ourselves to blame if we start getting criticised for that, which we will.
A bit of joined-up thinking regarding the other components of a cartridge wouldn't have gone amiss when our sporting organisations signed us up for a voluntary lead ban.

Eley have brought out cartridges with bio-degradable wads. How long it will be before the wads can be bought from them, if ever, is anyones guess.
I think it would make sense to market the wads. It is good for the environment and good advertising for Eley.

https://www.eleyhawkltd.com/media-ev...gradeable-wad-

[neil82]

Unfortunately it says these only take up to 3.25mm steel. I'm shooting #1 and they are just over 4.00mm.
They only have the 55mm version in stock, which seems like it's for 3.5" shells...and the final straw is that they cost 21 pence each.
As the industry changes over I'm hoping some decent biowad options will appear.
Can't be that magical to start running off decent boidegradable wads with the splits already in them can it?
Or are we supposed to just buy everything already boxed up as presented by the cartridge manufacturers?
I'm of the view that steel carts should be a damn sight cheaper than lead as you're stripping out the most expensive component.
As ever, it seems that some warm words about the environment will be an excuse to jack up the price of what is essentially a steel and cardboard load.

hell of a lot harder to make uniform steel shot than lead and the market is limited, that`s why they are more expensive