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Skychief Smoothbore Load Recipe........

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Shot cup! What shot cup?

Thank you both.

I hope to hit the patterning board tomorrow and try the soaked and waxed wads over a paper shot cup.
I might try and soak a few in coconut oil instead of olive oil as it solidifies when cooked. Looking for less mess than the drippy olive oil wads. Otherwise I may see about making a bamboo/cane, or birchbark tube, container for them. I have been trying to reduce the amount of stuff I carry overall, and the number of hard bodied separate containers specifically.

That one
 
Testing was inconclusive. My club's patterning board is trashed, and I forgot my big roll of plain paper in use as a backer. Not sure I could have hung it anyway, not enough of the board left.
So. I couldn't tell if the lack of shot at point of aim was due to pattern or to missing. One test shot had a good pattern on part of the small target, but to the left of the point of aim.

I have tested the load without the cup and saw improved patterns with my lighter squirrel and small game load.
I don't really want to get rid of the paper cartridge/shot cup as it is a far easier way to carry reloads afield. But. We shall see what further testing develops.
 
I'm subscribed Brokkennock. Don't forget the patterning paper and some way to mount it next time. Good luck. Looking forward to your results.

Good luck, Skychief
 
In the next few days I'll be out at the board. Going to test 80 grain 2f, 2 over powder cards, 1 & 1/4 oz 5 shot, lubed fiber wad. The second is the same but shot is in a paper shotcup. Third is the same as both but will vary powder down to 70 grain. Hoping for some good results.
 
Skychief soaked his wads in olive oil to a weight of 38 grains. I use Circle Fly 20 gauge cushion wads which weigh about 20 grains dry, I soaked some of them, the heaviest I could get were 35 grains.

Spence
How long did you soak them Spence?
 
Skychief soaked his wads in olive oil to a weight of 38 grains. I use Circle Fly 20 gauge cushion wads which weigh about 20 grains dry, I soaked some of them, the heaviest I could get were 35 grains.

Spence
I'm using 12 gauge, so I need to add around 45% more weight? But, I have the prelubed OxYoke wads. I know they are already lubed but I decided to soak them in olive oil anyways. I am getting so confused. I will be better off to order some dry wads and start from scratch I believe.
 
How long did you soak them Spence?
I'm not Spence, but what I've done is put them in a small plastic dish and put olive oil in that covers up just over half the height of the wads that I stand in the bottom of the dish. I turn them over the next day. On the third day I put them in a tin that doesn't leak and put a little olive oil in the tin to ensure they stay full.
Others may have a different way.
 
I'm using 12 gauge, so I need to add around 45% more weight? But, I have the prelubed OxYoke wads. I know they are already lubed but I decided to soak them in olive oil anyways. I am getting so confused. I will be better off to order some dry wads and start from scratch I believe.
Which prelubed wads are you using? A prelubed felt wad? I don't recall seeing lubed fiber cushion wads for sale, but, I don't buy lubed wads or patches so may have missed them.

The reason I ask is that the heavily lube soaked wad the load is topped off with is a fiber cushion wad, not a felt wad. We are looking for a lot of mass/weight once lube soaked.
 
Which prelubed wads are you using? A prelubed felt wad? I don't recall seeing lubed fiber cushion wads for sale, but, I don't buy lubed wads or patches so may have missed them.

The reason I ask is that the heavily lube soaked wad the load is topped off with is a fiber cushion wad, not a felt wad. We are looking for a lot of mass/weight once lube soaked.
They are OxYoke lubed fiber cushion wads, my bad. I'm gonna re soak them in the olive oil because I didn't leave them very long in the oil. I will let them soak a entire 24 hours, turn them over, and soak them another 24 hours.
After, I weigh them first. I will weigh one out the original bag and weigh one I added the oil to.
I guess I am trying to double the original weight?
 
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Brokennock has made a post showing pictures of loading Skychief's shot load. I am posting it below:


May 21, 2020

I promised quite some time ago that I would post pictures of the details of loading the Skychief load next time I went to the patterning board. Well, then Covid hit, I got sick, when I returned to work it was with an uncooperative schedule and the weather went bizarre (snow in May?).
I just got to load my gun to, hopefully, go turkey hunting tomorrow. I took pics as I went along.

But 1st a quote from Skychief himself taken from his "sticky" post in the hunting section,
Skychief said:
Having been asked about the load and its makeup enough times, I will list the recipe here for reference sake.

Powder charge
Nitro (hard) card
Shotload
Thin overshot card
Full fiber cushion wad*

*The cushion wad needs to be SATURATED (the wetter and heavier, the better) with oil. I like to use olive oil.
Click to expand...
Here are our components,
20200521_192923.jpg 20200521_192815.jpg
Powder, I'm using 70 grains of 3f (your load may vary), nitro (or "over powder") card, shot load (in my case I am using one of my paper shot cartridges containing 1 1/8 oz of #5 shot), one thin "overshot" card (we are only using one but I picture 2 so people can see how thin they are), then the key "Skychief" component, a "cushion wad," that is completely saturated in lube. The cushion wad dry is about 10.5 grains, soaked in lube for a long time it is about 35 grains, and the ones I dip in melted beeswax (a very thin coating) after soaking are about 40 grains.

Let's put it together,
Powder is poured, then,
20200521_193556.jpg 20200521_193512.jpg
our over powder "nitro" card is introduced and pushed in enough to introduce my cartridge,
20200521_193828.jpg
If you are using loose shot, and put a tiny cut in the edge of your over shot cards so air can escape, seat the over powder card fully and pour in your shot.
I now push the shot cartridge in until the top of the load is even with the muzzle and,
20200521_193813.jpg
trim to open the cup. Then push it in just enough to place,
20200521_193744.jpg
my thin overshot card. Push this in just enough to start the last component,,,,
20200521_193706.jpg
our lube soaked cushion wad. Then,
time to make a little mess, have rag or paper towel handy,,,,,
20200521_193640.jpg
I used one of my wax coated wads so the mess is more visible. Even without the wax there will be a mess, if your wad fits your bore correctly a good bit of lube will squeeze out as you start it into the bore.
Now seat the whole deal and find something to shoot.
 
I don't know if there is any scientific basis for it, but it makes sense in my head that having a wad (especially a heavier oil soaked wad) in front of the charge would serve to keep the shot more compressed (or at least in a shorter string) in the bore and result in more even, somewhat tighter patterns.
 
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