Shotgun cartridge and wad thereof

A wad for use in a cartridge for a shotgun, said cartridge including a case having an outer wall, said wad being located in said case between gunpowder and a charge of pellets, said wad comprising:

• a solid cylindrical body having an end face adjacent to the gunpowder and a side surface extending away therefrom;
• a plurality of independent, non-axial, symmetrically located blind holes in the end face of said body;
• a plurality of independent and separate restriction passages of number equal to the number of blind holes, each of said restriction passages connecting with a different blind hole, said restriction passages being non-radial and extending to the side surface of said body in directions which cause torques due to explosive gas flowing therethrough to be additive;
• means attached to the side surface near the bottom of said body, for preventing escape of explosive gas along the side surface;
• means for transmitting rotation of said body to said pellets;
• means, for attaching said rotation transmitting means to said body;
• and
• means, spaced from said gas escape preventing means and attached to one of said body and said rotation transmitting means, for contacting the wall of said case so as to stabilize said wad as it is propelled from said case;
• whereby said blind holes are non-axial so as to be sufficiently spaced from the axis of said body to create in combination with said restriction passages a sufficient torque for rotating said body without creating a large, pressure reducing central chamber.