"Ask the Rabbi" by R. Mermelstein
Cardboard wads to separate powder and shot in shotshells, including an over-the-shot wad, were once cut from heavy gauge fiber board. The term "wadcutter" denotes a blunt lead pistol bullet that due to its 90 degree (cylindrical) configuration cuts a perfectly round hole through a paper target. That displaced paper disk resembles a shotshell wad. Such bullets were designed for Bullseye target shooting to eliminate any doubt whether a fired round broke the line of the next higher scoring ring. Round nose or other types of bullets without this sharp meplat tear the paper target to various degrees, depending on the grade of paper used, and could cause a scoring dispute. Because of their blunt nosed design, wad cutter bullets slow quickly in flight and are only used for short range precision target shooting.
Sincerely,
R. Mermelstein
