So I wonder how often it is that when we miss those close shots, and are left to say "WTF?," it is actually because the wad failed to open, as evidenced by these stories of eviscerated birds? Maybe it is a small number, but likely more than we might otherwise expect. I am sure the ammo makers won't share any information they have on the percentage of plastic wads that fail to open. I guess that is one advantage of fiber wads.
So now I have a new story for when I miss the close ones - "Damn wad didn't open up!"
