Converting Wonderwads from .12ga to .20ga ??

[roundball]

I have 7 bags .12ga Oxyoke Wonderwads (700) left over from caplock days when I had a .12ga SxS double...sold it some time back when I went full time into Flintlocks.

Since I use a fair amount of Wonderwads in my .62cal/.20ga, was wondering about a cost effective way of repunching them to the smaller size of .20ga...I've seen punches on some websites but they were $80 for what was listed and I didn't even see a .20ga size.
(I don't have a drill press)

Any ideas how to convert them easily?

 

[Trapper]

I went down to the local Big Orange box and found a hole saw that was the same inside diameter as my 16 guage over powderwads. Ground off the teeth and sharpened a bevel towards the inside. Where the drill bit goes in the middle of the hole saw I put in a bolt with the head cut off. Mount in a drill press and placed some thick wool pieces under it and cut out some of my own wonder wads. Use a piece of wood under the wads, when the hole saw becomes dull just turn on the drill press and use a sharpening stone to touch up the edge. I also use this same idea to cut out my patches for the 45 cal using pillow ticking(1 1/8inch hole saw)

 

[roundball]

I went down to the local Big Orange box and found a hole saw that was the same inside diameter as my 16 guage over powderwads. Ground off the teeth and sharpened a bevel towards the inside. Where the drill bit goes in the middle of the hole saw I put in a bolt with the head cut off. Mount in a drill press and placed some thick wool pieces under it and cut out some of my own wonder wads. Use a piece of wood under the wads, when the hole saw becomes dull just turn on the drill press and use a sharpening stone to touch up the edge. I also use this same idea to cut out my patches for the 45 cal using pillow ticking(1 1/8inch hole saw)

Thanks...don't have a drill press...and remember these are already wads...a relatively small item to begin with...no extra material to hold onto even if I had a drill press.

 

[Trapper]

I was going to buy some wonder wads in 12 ga. cause I need some for the 16 ga. This was what I was going to try. I wonder if they could be held by hand or plyers. I normally put at least 4 layers of wool down 1 inch x 1 inch drop the hole saw down onto the wool pushing down tight and then turn on the drill press and push down harder.They don't seem to need any holding, the hole saw seems to just cut right through. Maybe you could carefully and I mean carefully grind them down on a bench grinder!!! OUCH! Or send them up here I'll figger out something. LOL

 

I have 7 bags .12ga Oxyoke Wonderwads (700) left over from caplock days when I had a .12ga SxS double...sold it some time back when I went full time into Flintlocks.

Since I use a fair amount of Wonderwads in my .62cal/.20ga, was wondering about a cost effective way of repunching them to the smaller size of .20ga...I've seen punches on some websites but they were $80 for what was listed and I didn't even see a .20ga size.
(I don't have a drill press)

Any ideas how to convert them easily?

What about makeing a punch?
I would try useing a piece of 3/4" black pipe ground on the end to a sharp edge all the way around the pipe on one end. make the pipe about 6 inches or so long. Then lay the wads on a board ,place the home made punch on the wads, and with a mallet as a hammer so as not to beat the unsharpened edge of the pipe all up punch out the new sized wads. If they get stuck inside the punch , push them out with a short piece of dowel like a ramrod. Would be worth a try instead of spending $80
Copper pipe may work too but sharpen it with a file and not a grinder as you would use to sharpen black steel pipe. Copper as brass should not be ground on a grinding wheel as it will plug the surface of the grinding wheel and can cause it to blow apart.
Also you could look at the local hardwear store for a gromet punch that would work.
Good luck

 

[Hamourkiller]

Buy a 12ga FL rifle?? :grin:

Seriously a hole punch should work, here in the Houston area they seem available in the pawn shops.

Hank

PS: Happy Easter

 

[No Powder]

Have you tried making a trade at your local gun shop?

 

[roundball]

Have you tried making a trade at your local gun shop?

No local shops that carry any...but I did put out a couple Email feelers this weekend to suppliers that I use a lot.

 

[wtilenw]

I wonder if you could find a piece of conduit or thin walled pipe and make your own punch?

 

[54mountain]

Just go to your local hardware store and pick up a 5/8 saddle punch, thats what I use to make all of my 20g cards and wads

 

[tg]

You should be able to find hollow gasket punches at Harbor Freight or a similar auto tool dealer for a lot less than 80 bucks, I bought a set several years ago for about ten bucks and there were 4 or 5 in the set I think they went up to 1/2 or 5/8 inch.I'll look around the shop and see if I have one the right size laying around.

 

[roundball]

TG, I went back up to the Possibles Shop listings and see where I made my mistake...I was looking at some punches that were "patch cutters", not wad cutters...and the big .62cal patch cutter is $80
:redface:

Thanks for all the good ideas...someone is generously mailing his .20ga wad cutter to borrow so I can convert the .12ga wads.

Thanks again all...

 

[tg]

Glad you got it worked out Roundball, good luck with the Turkeys hopefully you will find American ones not the British subspecies....

 

[Joel/Calgary]

Another source for DIY punch materials is your gunsmith's bits-and-pieces bin. A cut-off chunk of full-choke 12ga barrel was ground and honed into a very nice .690 punch for my 16ga.

Joel

 

[Mad Professor]

There are some 5/8 (0.625) punches on ebay for ca. $10 + shipping. Might be worth a try?
[url] http://cgi.ebay.com/1-O-BRIEN...574QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

 

[roundball]

Thanks...I bought a 5/8" Arch punch last week for $15...punched out a couple hundred .62cals in a few minutes
:thumbsup:

 

[Mad Professor]

RB,
Best of luck fabricating, I found the correct size punch for my 12 ga on Ebay and am waiting for it to arrive. Lucked out I think, was only $3 + shipping.

MP

 

[roundball]

RB,
"...Best of luck fabricating..."

Actually, I have several bags of Oxyoke .12ga wonderwads left over from .12ga caplock days and I'm just punching the .12's down to the smaller .20ga size so they don't go to waste.