Those who use the 50 cal sticks. Do you use whole or do you crush them? I was told by my gunstore that you should drop them in then crush with your rod? What do you think? What is the reason for the square vs Round pellets

They are square sticks because Hodgdon's hold the patient on the round pellets. A while back Clean Shot a.k.a. APP came out with pellets of their powder. They were immediately sued out of the market for patient infringement. They came back as the American Pioneer Powder Company and their "pellets" are sticks now. The reason they want the sticks crushed I am guessing is to eliminate air space in the breech under the projectile. You want the projectile seated firm on a powder base with little or no air space in that. With the sticks that can not happen of course. So crush the sticks. Push the projectile down hard enough and you will feel the sticks break, but using the ramrod is a more sure (but time consuming) way of doing it.

That kinda defeats the whole purpose of saving time with those things doesnt it? LOL

I thought so when he told me that. But they only carried the sticks. He said that one of his buddies that really likes to be precise will actually smash it up with a hammer in a zip lock and measure it on a scale. Hmm... Why not buy loose? Don't get me wrong it would be coinvinient to just drop smash and load but it is just silly I think. But I have a can so I guess that is what I will be doing!

Well I would not be smashing them up with a hammer...