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.56 SB wad ?'s

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silly goose

45 Cal.
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Messages
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Sorry guys, I did try the search, to no avail. I got to play with the 12 ga New Englander this year and it is a great gun. Not much different than my modern single shot it seems, just more fun to load. So now I want to try my .56 SB out and I have a slight dilemna right off the bat. If I learned correctly with the NE, the over powder card is supposed to provide a seal from the hot gases. My problem is that the only two sizes in wad choices I can find are .560 which probably wont provide much if any seal, or .589 which I'm not sure if I could start them without a hammer. The folks at TOW say to use the .560 o/p, and fiber wad, followed by the .589 o/s card for compression. I just want to get more opinions before I buy 1000 of these things, not that they are that expensive, but still and all. They also mentioned the dry wool .58 cal wads as well. Am I overthinking this? Thanks for any and all help.
 
First, MEASURE YOUR BORE DIAMETER. Nominally it should be .550-.555" in diameter, not a true .560". It makes a difference. A 28 gauge smoothbore is nominally .550". .54 caliber RIFLED barrels are .540 across the land( bore diameter) but grooves may be as much as .010" deep. Normally, however, grooves are not that deep in those rifles.

The Vegetable fiber wads that Track and others sell are made by Walter's Fiber Wads, in Oklahoma, and are purposely made .010" larger in diameter than the bore diameter of the barrel. So, that is why TRACK personnel told you that a .560" diameter fiber wad will work in that .550" bore.

If for some reason you have an overbore diameter barrel, then you have to look at wads the next gauge up. Call Circle Fly, as they offer the widest selection of wads, including odd-numbered gauges. For instance, a 27 gauge bore is Nominally .556" in diameter, and a 26 gauge bore is Nominally .563" in diameter. Add .010" to the diameter of either of those gauges and you will find a wad the correct diameter from you barrel.

BUT THIS ALL BEGINS WITH A CORRECT, ACCURATE, MEASUREMENT OF YOUR BORE- NOT SOMEONE'S MARKING ON THE BARREL, OR SOMETHING SOMEONE TOLD YOU!

I have your problem( maybe you do?) with my 20 gauge smoothbore. My barrel actually MEASURES .626-.627" in bore diameter, closer to a 19 gauge smoothbore( nominally .629") than a Nominal .615" diameter for the 20 gauge bore. So, I have some 19 gauge wads I use in that barrel.

Its always ALSO POSSIBLE to have a bore that is UNDERSIZED- say, a 21 gauge( nominally.605")-- instead of a true 20 gauge bore.

We have several members here who have found that their barrels are undersized( .605"), and they have to order lead balls, or molds to cast a ball that is .580-.585" in diameter to fire out of those barrels, instead of the typical .600" diameter ball usually fired out of 20 gauge smoothbores. In my case, I am trying .610" diameter balls in my oversized barrel.

So, If it turns out that you actually have a .560" diameter bore in that gun, don't feel picked on. :( :shocked2: It happens to the best of us. :idunno: :surrender: :wink:

Circle Fly, that has been making wads and cards for many years, seems to have anticipated this problem nicely, and can fix you up with the correct sized wads and cards. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Track doesn't carry everything for everyone. They do a fine job, most of the time, but they don't carry all of the Circle Fly inventory.

The other OPTION is to buy Felt Wads, which are softer, and do Not seal the bore as well. However, if you stack them 2 high, together they do a pretty good job in those 28 gauge barrels, particularly if you order the larger, 24 bore( .58 caliber) felt wads. With a RB, those oversized felt wads will form a cup around the base of your PRB, filling in the air space that would exist if a flat hard wad were used instead.

You do have to learn to center the felt wads on the muzzle, so that you can push them into the bore evenly, and not lop-sided. And, you may have to thin a loading jag down somewhat to make room for those thick felt wads, so that they will not grab onto the jag and pull back out of the barrel. But, others have worked out these minor problems, and I am sure you can handle them, too.
 
I used Oxyoke .58cal prelubed wads in mine when I had a .56cal S/B back in the 90's...
 
I am using 20 ga 1/8" wool felt wads in mine, I guess I can't complain, I killed 4 squirrels with it last week. I am gonna order some 24 ga overshot cards though, BTW 9/16 punch is too small as well. Chris
 
Hey, luie, are they difficult to get started? My bore measures .555". How much work have you done with load development? Thanks to all.
 
They can be a little tricky to get started without a short starter but if you carry your short starter you use on your rifle you'd be fine. I played some with load development and 1/2" fiber wads or any fiber wads didn't work well for me. Neither did 3fffg powder. I bought the barrel from Jethro224 here on the forum and I think he played around with different loads and his load he shot in it was 55 gr. 2ffg, 4 thin cards, 60 grains shot, and an over shot card. I just added a little more shot to mine because it shot even tighter.
 
I forgot to mention my load is 50 gr. 2ffg black powder, 4 thin over shot cards, 65 gr. #6s, and an overshot card.
 
How much shot if I was using #5? does the size shot matter compared to the powder? that is a respectable load compared to the heavier shot loads. I like that you are burning 50 grains not 80+ I bought a 56 sb over winter break for a song. I have a 62 smoothbore and considered getting the 56 rifled to a 62 cal but I think I should play with it a little. I have a 55 cal ball mould it seems a shame to not use that as well.
 
That 55 with a patch is gonna be tight, I shoot a 530 with a .18 patch. Chris

EDIT: I am shooting 60 grs of 2f with 70 grs of #6, good squirrel killer out to about 25 yards.
 
You'd probably just use the same 15/16 oz. You just wouldn't have as many pellets. You could shoot more shot and powder probably because they say these are very tough barrels with the thickness of the barrel walls.
 
First, MEASURE YOUR BORE DIAMETER. Nominally it should be .550-.555" in diameter, not a true .560". It makes a difference. A 28 gauge smoothbore is nominally .550". .54 caliber RIFLED barrels are .540 across the land( bore diameter) but grooves may be as much as .010" deep. Normally, however, grooves are not that deep in those rifles.

The Vegetable fiber wads that Track and others sell are made by Walter's Fiber Wads, in Oklahoma, and are purposely made .010" larger in diameter than the bore diameter of the barrel. So, that is why TRACK personnel told you that a .560" diameter fiber wad will work in that .550" bore.

If for some reason you have an overbore diameter barrel, then you have to look at wads the next gauge up. Call Circle Fly, as they offer the widest selection of wads, including odd-numbered gauges. For instance, a 27 gauge bore is Nominally .556" in diameter, and a 26 gauge bore is Nominally .563" in diameter. Add .010" to the diameter of either of those gauges and you will find a wad the correct diameter from you barrel.

BUT THIS ALL BEGINS WITH A CORRECT, ACCURATE, MEASUREMENT OF YOUR BORE- NOT SOMEONE'S MARKING ON THE BARREL, OR SOMETHING SOMEONE TOLD YOU!

I have your problem( maybe you do?) with my 20 gauge smoothbore. My barrel actually MEASURES .626-.627" in bore diameter, closer to a 19 gauge smoothbore( nominally .629") than a Nominal .615" diameter for the 20 gauge bore. So, I have some 19 gauge wads I use in that barrel.

Its always ALSO POSSIBLE to have a bore that is UNDERSIZED- say, a 21 gauge( nominally.605")-- instead of a true 20 gauge bore.

We have several members here who have found that their barrels are undersized( .605"), and they have to order lead balls, or molds to cast a ball that is .580-.585" in diameter to fire out of those barrels, instead of the typical .600" diameter ball usually fired out of 20 gauge smoothbores. In my case, I am trying .610" diameter balls in my oversized barrel.

So, If it turns out that you actually have a .560" diameter bore in that gun, don't feel picked on. :( :shocked2: It happens to the best of us. :idunno: :surrender: 😉

Circle Fly, that has been making wads and cards for many years, seems to have anticipated this problem nicely, and can fix you up with the correct sized wads and cards. 👍 👍

Track doesn't carry everything for everyone. They do a fine job, most of the time, but they don't carry all of the Circle Fly inventory.

The other OPTION is to buy Felt Wads, which are softer, and do Not seal the bore as well. However, if you stack them 2 high, together they do a pretty good job in those 28 gauge barrels, particularly if you order the larger, 24 bore( .58 caliber) felt wads. With a RB, those oversized felt wads will form a cup around the base of your PRB, filling in the air space that would exist if a flat hard wad were used instead.

You do have to learn to center the felt wads on the muzzle, so that you can push them into the bore evenly, and not lop-sided. And, you may have to thin a loading jag down somewhat to make room for those thick felt wads, so that they will not grab onto the jag and pull back out of the barrel. But, others have worked out these minor problems, and I am sure you can handle them, too.
Very informative post. This explains why I can't find a patch thin enough to use with a .550 round ball... and also why the .550 RB seem to fly pretty true without a wad. I've been using the .54 caliber felt wads from TOTW, but this morning tried them with a .015" patch wrapped around them for a tighter fit. I'm a bit paranoid about the projectile(s) moving off the charge. It may well have been unnecessary, but it seemed to work fine.

T/C lists only one load for this gun; 80 grains of 2f topped with a .56 caliber felt wad on top of and underneath a volumetric 60 grain powder measure filled with #6 or #7 1/2 shot... which they say is approximately 7/8 oz. They list this as a maximum charge. I am, of course, living dangerously and using 70 grains of 3f topped with my 70 grain measure filled with shot. At thirty yards it seems to pattern well enough with #6 shot to take out a rabbit. Might invest in a shot bag some day.

Might also see what Circle Fly offers.... after I get the calipers out and see what my bore diameter might actually be.

Tomorrow looks like a good day to spend at the back-yard range to see what does and does not work.
 
Back in the day guns were shot before Circle Fly became a business
Cut rectangle 2x1 inch in brown paper that’s been rubbed soft between your hands. Fold and run down the bore
Or
Go to wal mart and buy hemp cord in the hobby section. Cut in one foot lengths thin teas apart till you have a pile of fiber. A pinch of that works fine.
Or
Go to your local pet groomer and get a baggie full of hair, dump melted lard in to bag and squeeze until it’s a big greasy mess. Pinch off a ball sized hunk and ram home ( not recommended as it really stinks when shot…. I know)
Or
Pillow ticking. Greased with lard cut in 2x1 strips like the paper and rammed home.
Spanish moss, or lichens pealed from rocks and dried
Or
Excelsior packing, treated like the dog hair, smells better.
Cheap used paperback books, take a 1/4 page and crumple it in to ball and ram home.
Wool blanket scraps if you have some left from a project
Cotton flannel is cheaper and works well
Green oak or such good sized leaf( dry brown ones burn too easy.)
Stay away from store bough felt as it’s full of nylon but old hat felt works
A hand full of green grass
Birch or sycamore bark
Old well washed worn out blue jeans or t shirts.
 

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