Problems with Downrange Wads? junk? Hang up and then are loose sometimes.

Am I the only person? They seem to hang up. It doesn't matter what type I used. I am guessing they are out of round or unusual size. jmho. I have moved on to other wads.

 

I won't use Downrange 12S3 wads. The over powder cup is grossly undersized.

 

I let the hippie in me make a bad decision and bought a box of OXO-XL1’s. The plastic feels much more brittle and I’ve been battling short stack height issues. Haven’t patterned them yet or shot enough to see if they foul the chokes.

 

Two shooters at my club had problems with these.

 

if they are undersize you need to mike a factory wad, they are identical, I use D/R 12 S3's all the time and never had one problem but I am using them in G/M hulls granted the C/B's are larger at the base than the D/R's but I have never had a wad cocked you might check your wad guide fingers

Mac

 

As long as I am using a wad built for the hull and stack height I am after I have found if there is a problem with almost anything I caused it...... I mostly use claybusters but the downrange I have used have performed very well.......... Larry

 

I started using WIN AA12 wads, then went to Claybuster on several friends recommendation. I have used the Claybuster wads in AA & STD hulls with no problem. I miked factory AA12 wads and CB wads, could not find an difference. Guess I'm just lucky.

 

I used to use AAs but had problems with cocked fingers. I switched to Downrange wads and have had no problems for the last 4 years. Great product as long as you use the right wad for your hull.

Ed Yanchok

 

amen,

Mac

 

Anything else for me. Just not DR.

 

DR in my opinion are way over rated. Have been more than satisfied with the ClayBuster for years and years. Can't say that I ever experienced the "excessive plastic build up" many claim. I've been hooked for a long time on the Remington RXP 20 for sporting. Love everything about them but the price.

 

The softer wads that leave residue in your barrel will seal gases better. jmho

 

I am with Spanky as far as the over rated and over priced. I have seen more people have problems with Down Range than ClayBusters. I have used ClayBusters for a long time no problems JMO

 

I have used both and the DR wads seem to have less problems with the cocked fingers for me

 

+1

 

Used Downrange DDRRT 12 wads for years 1oz Tgt 12 replacement . work perfectly in STS and Gun club hulls and
they don't foul the barrel. Claybusters are too long and leave plastic residue in gun barrels they are junk.

 

pstar48
The residue you see in the barrel shows the wads are soft enough to get a better seal. My downrange experience has ended. The oblong wads stay oblong. The harder plastic in the downrange is problematic.

 

In my shooting, I have loaded over 100,000 rounds with down range wads with no problems. I loaded STS, AA, Fed. papers with no problems from the wads. I used a Mec hydraulic, any problems were my fault.
I used the same wad in all three of the hulls listed. never had to adjust the machine when going from one hull to the other. good patterns from all three. Roger C.

 

Unless ordered in, Claybuster is the only locally available wad. I do order and use FIO FS21 and do use Downrange Blue Dusters. As far as barrel residue I find it more a function of the powder I put under the wad. At times I use Clays, Red and Green Dot, Titegroup and Vectan AS. Loading to the same velocity (by Chronograph) I find that any of the powders other than the Vectan, with either brand of wad, leave a residue that is eliminated by running 1 or 2 rounds of the Vectan AS down the barrel. There are 4 or 5 of us finding basically the same results. Yes a thorough cleaning after shooting Vectan will bring out some residue but mostly powder..... there will be some plastic in the choke, but not much....... Larry

 

Good for you. The DR wads are too hard and brittle. That is why you see less plastic. Harder wads like DR hang up. Shoot the Claybusters and be happy.

 

Should have mentioned the Blue Dusters (gone now) were what I had left from the original manufacturer. They were a much different plastic than the current offering......... Larry

 

I am from the mid-west and when Duster wads ( green&blue) were around I heard people having issues with them in the winter if they were not kept warm.

 

Was the issue during the reloading process or when shot? My loading area is a fairly constant 65°F so no issues there and very often during the winter temperatures here are below zero and I never really noticed any difference other than I could not perform as well........ I read many posts that refer to cold weather issues relating to everything from primers to hulls. Here we only have a few cold weather issues and that has normally been FTF or bloopers from reloads that are at the low end of the pressure/velocity range....... there have been more issues related to some of the promo shells than the reloads......Larry

 

If wads are hard like the DR they will give you more problems when it is cold. They wont seal well.

 

I found the original Dusters to be extremely pliable and visual quality was evident...... never any issues. The only wads I ever remember having an issue with were some Winchester that were given to me........ extremely hard in comparison to the Claybuster brand or the Windjammer I have used..... A friend is using the current production of Blue Dusters and is having good results.......... Larry

 

I use the Downrange DRHF8 with AA hulls and have had no issues at all. I like them better than the Claybusters I was using previously. It's really easy for me to get both locally.

 

It if very fortunate that some are in area's with abundant supplies to pick and choose from....... Here its not quite that way. One thing I notice that has been changing is some of the fee's charged for ordering on line are changing in a way good for us. Haz mat, flat rate shipping and so on are helping to open the supply line up for us a bit..... It is also fortunate that even some of the items that are less desirable to some still work quite well for others........ I have been using a Claybuster WAA12 with my AA but my combination of "stuff" or some of my adjustments challenge the "perfect" crimp..... they shoot fine, they are just not quite so pretty...... Larry

 

Yes, I am fortunate as there is a reloading supple house very close to me. They carry just about any variety of what is available to the reloader. That includes powders, wads and primers. I actually tested different loads to see what the actual velocity was out of my gun for different recipes using the components I prefer to use.