Barrier "wad" to prevent patch moisture from getting into powder.

[Ron_T.]

I've been lurking here for the past year and a half... and have learned some valuable information from your posts. I hope you can help me solve a small problem concerning my hunting loads.

I recently picked up a small (39-inches overall length), older, very light (6½ lbs), .50 caliber CVA percussion cap rifle in like-new condition which I intend to use as my whitetail rifle. Stamped on the the rifle's 26-inch barrel, which I assume has a 1:48 twist, is "HUNTER-HAWKEN Carbine .50 caliber".

I intend to shoot a .490" Hornady round, patched lead ball in the rifle for hunting purposes, but I'd like to develop a load using some sort of "barrier" between the FFFg Swiss Powder and the patch... and this is my question to the forum.

Short of buying a .50 caliber punch and punching out my own "wads" from possibly card stock or whatever, what could I use to insure the patch's dampness doesn't cause the black powder to become damp or wet and fail to fire? I intend to leave the rifle loaded for possibly several days at a time.

I was considering the use of a small, folded piece of waxed paper placed between the patched ball and the FFFg powder charge as the "barrier". My thinking is that the waxed paper would easily burn up in the barrel while leaving no residue when the rifle was fired and would not cause any problems, yet it would shield the patch's lubrication from causing the powder to absorb moisture from the patch.

Please give me your opinions on this combination and/or suggest a different approach to solving this problem wherein the lubricated, patched ball lays against the rifle's powder charge for what could be several days in a row before being fired.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and/or suggestions.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[rafterob]

About 15 grains of a filler such as cornmeal, cream of wheat or grits over the powder will do the trick. Are you using a lube with water or spit? If using an oil (fat) based lube you will not get any "dampness" but may get some seepage of the lube into the powder.

 

[bwhoffman]

felt over powder wad 1/8th inch thick!

 

[Rogue River]

You can use a regular over-powder cardboard wad or a dry patch if you like! I just fired mine after being loaded for 3 weeks w/o any over-powder wad just a grease patch with no problem!

 

[shovelhead]

Wonder Wad or similar type wads that are already pre-lubed are sold for this purpose. In a lot of cases a wad over the powder and under the PRB improves accuracy. I think the wad may also push a lot of fouling down the bore and thereby make seating the PRB a little easier as well.
Some folks use wasp's nest- make their own, etc. I realize these wads have to be purchased but their uniformity, etc seems worth the price- think of the price of a wad in respect to the overall cost of your trip- the gas, time and trouble to get into the deer woods and the cost of a wad is zippo.

 

[Bill Hall]

Some people here say you don't need a wad to prevent the lube from soaking into the powder, and they may be right. I still like to put a small wad of toilet paper over the powder, just for a little phsycological peace of mind :surrender: . The paper turns into confetti when shot out, so it won't catch fire or smolder in the leaves, grass, and pine needles. I've shot with it, and without it, while sighting in, and it doesn't seem to affect accuracy, as long as you already have a good ball/patch combination. You can shoot all year long without using the toilet paper, and then add it to your hunting load without fear of it affecting your accracy.

That's been my experience. Bill

 

[ohio ramrod]

The old timers used corn meal as a barrier when the gun would be loaded for a long period of time. I used to use just a simple cleaning patch folded over a few times. Now I use leather wads I punch out of scraps with punches I make. I could probably make you some or a punch when I work on your gun next year. Assuming this is the same Ron T. :hmm: :hmm:

 

[bramble]

I recycle my burned patches from the range and use them.
.
bramble

 

[buford87]

Years ago I was hunting with a friend and at the end of the day his rifle wouldn't fire. After that episode I began to put an extra patch which was unlubed wadded up between the powder and the patched ball . For the past couple of years I've used a dry felt lube between powder and ball..............watch yer top knot...............

 

[Ron_T.]

:hmm: Hmmmmmmmmm... I think you mean the "other" Ron T. 'cause no one has ever worked on my MLs 'cept me.

BTW, I'm the GOOD LOOKING "Ron T"!~!~! Hahahahaha... :rotf:

'Course, ALL of us "Ron Ts" are handsome devils! :grin: :grin: :grin:

However, I'm near Vandalia, Ohio... 10 miles north of Dayton, Ohio. Where are you? Mabbe I might need your "services" one day!?!

I thought about a .50 caliber punch, but think that a small piece of waxed paper, folded over once and stuffed down the bore with my field rod, would do the trick and leave no residue. It is also less "bother" than cornmeal.

Justa thought... whatta you think?


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

 

[Tumblernotch]

Your patches shouldn't be wet enough to dampen your powder. If they are, only the powder touching the patch would possibly be affected and the fire from the rest of the charge will ignite it. If more is damaged by moisture there is a problem. If you think you need a barrier, I'd go with an over-shot card or WonderWad. Keep it simple. I'd save the cornmeal for use in cartridges as a buffer. Never saw an old timer with a cornmeal horn.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I am in Holmes county near Millersburg. The other Ron T lives west of Mansfield.And is retired . I don't know exactly where he lives but it is between you and I. I'll be working on a smooth bore for him as soon as my hand heals up from my act of stupidity that left me short a finger. :hmm: If you are the good looking one, he must be the smart one. :bow: As for the wax paper it will work. I use a wax paper tube folded oever to hold premeasured powder charges for the shotgun and just open them pour the powder down and then stuff the wax paper down before my wad and it works well. :hmm:

 

[Ron_T.]

Thanx for the information. You answered a couple of question I had just ask of him in my answer to a private message he sent to me.

If the truth be known, HE is probably better looking than me 'cause I'm an "old fart"... "older than dirt", so they say! :haha:

I'm glad to know that waxed paper will work although the "other Ron T" wrote that he uses some kind of insulation sprayed with Pam which turns to "dust" when the rifle is fired.

The waxed paper sounds to me like an easier, less messy solution to my question... glad to find someone that used waxed paper with success!

Naturally, if I decide to use some kind of barrier, I'll "work up" an accurate load using some kind of barrier even tho' it may not be necessary from what some of the other members here have written in their posts.

I'll have to ponder it some more... :hmm:

Perhaps I'm "fixin' " somethin' that ain't broke, eh? :grin:

Thanx for your post...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T. (the "purdy" one) :grin: :grin: :grin:

 

[Black Hand]

You will have more issues with moisture through the touch-hole/nipple than you will from the patch (grease)....

 

[saber]

I always use a over powder patch between powder and patched ball> I use renderd bear fat for patch lube and in hot weather or when I bring the gun in a cabin with a wood stove heat I do not want any lube going to powder and some time a gun will stay loaded for 6 moths hanging from a log beam in the liveing room with a lot of heat up there I just do it so there is no worries about lube to powder

 

[derek.white]

I can honestly say that in all my years of hunting with BP the only time that I had a problem with moister, was not when I was hunting in wet weather, but hunting in really cold weather. The bbl would sweat when I would take the gun in at night. Since then the gun stays outside in the barn unless I unload it before going in and then swabing it out once it warmed up.
I am going to try the 15gr of cornmeal, seems like a easy fix.. :grin:

 

[goody]

Sam Fadala says to use the paper from wasps nests.

 

[tg]

You can find many ways of isolating the powder from the patch if you feel the need, I have shot/hunted for 40 years with no seperation twixt powder and PRB and in very wet, windy weather in NW Oregon and never had an issue with water down the bore, I keep the barrel muzzle pointed down a bit and do not cover it with anything either, often the simplest ways work quite well now as in the past, and very often we tend to want to fix things that are not broke.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I don't worry about outside moisture. I do set a bit of waxed paper between patched ball and powder to keep the patch lube from leeching into the charge when it sits for a day or days during hunting season.

 

[Dphar]

I've been lurking here for the past year and a half... and have learned some valuable information from your posts. I hope you can help me solve a small problem concerning my hunting loads.

I recently picked up a small (39-inches overall length), older, very light (6½ lbs), .50 caliber CVA percussion cap rifle in like-new condition which I intend to use as my whitetail rifle. Stamped on the the rifle's 26-inch barrel, which I assume has a 1:48 twist, is "HUNTER-HAWKEN Carbine .50 caliber".

I intend to shoot a .490" Hornady round, patched lead ball in the rifle for hunting purposes, but I'd like to develop a load using some sort of "barrier" between the FFFg Swiss Powder and the patch... and this is my question to the forum.

Short of buying a .50 caliber punch and punching out my own "wads" from possibly card stock or whatever, what could I use to insure the patch's dampness doesn't cause the black powder to become damp or wet and fail to fire? I intend to leave the rifle loaded for possibly several days at a time.

I was considering the use of a small, folded piece of waxed paper placed between the patched ball and the FFFg powder charge as the "barrier". My thinking is that the waxed paper would easily burn up in the barrel while leaving no residue when the rifle was fired and would not cause any problems, yet it would shield the patch's lubrication from causing the powder to absorb moisture from the patch.

Please give me your opinions on this combination and/or suggest a different approach to solving this problem wherein the lubricated, patched ball lays against the rifle's powder charge for what could be several days in a row before being fired.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and/or suggestions.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I would consider this a waste of time.
If a patches ball with an oiled or greased patch will not stop the water a wad under it likely will either.
Using water wet patches or lubes containing water while hunting is a really bad idea.

Dan