Back to paper cases and fibre wads?

Walk along any beach these days and you will see a lot of plastic waste, including cartridge cases and wads. With the world waking up to this massive problem I think we have to show that we are a responsible group who look after the environment by disposing of our spent cartridges and not dumping them. Maybe it’s time for cartridge manufacturers to abandon plastic and revert to paper cases and fibre wads?

When I started shooting there were no plastic cartridges. Spending a lifetime as a gun dealer I have heard all the arguments on this subject and, in my opinion, paper wins hands down. It is obviously easier and cheaper for manufacturers to use plastic, and plastic cartridges are not affected by damp conditions. The paper case, on the other hand, is best for the environment, and I believe it produces far more even and consistent patterns, with rarely any ejection problems, less recoil, and, as a bonus, the smell they produce is pure nostalgia. There is no need to have heavy loads, plastic wads and 3 or 4 shot to kill a 50yd pheasant, which looks a lot higher than it really is. A 28g or 30g of No 5 or 6 shot is all that is needed. Then we can all get back to using traditional side-by-sides and see people shooting with some style, rather than looking like they are trying to win a world clay-shooting competition.

Tony Kennedy, Kennedy Gunmakers, via email

Ed –

Thanks for your thoughts on this subject, Tony. It is important to mention that if you are using plastic cartridges, be sure to collect the spent ones so you can dispose of them responsibly.