Corn meal - At our last muzzle loading trap shoot one said he was using corn meal instead of cushion wads. It seemed to work.

[hanshi]

As a native Georgia Cracker I'd bet each shot smells great.

 

[nkbj]

Getting ready to experiment with sighting in another large bore smoothie with round ball...
Shouldn't pass up trying corn meal.

 

[leadhoarder]

As a native Georgia Cracker I'd bet each shot smells great.

Lube up with some lard or bacon grease and it will smell like your sitting on the front porch waiting on breakfast.

 

[fillwa]

How much cornmeal do you recommend?

For my 54cal rifle I use a 9mm pistol brass casing as my measure. I fasten a handle onto the casing.

 

[looney]

I've used cream of wheat and grits (mostly grits) when loading my .54 longrifle (left handed, of course). I dump the powder charge that has given the best accuracy, then one of those thin wads (w/light lube) designed for BP pistols, and then the grits. The volume of grits is approx. (this is black powder, no need to use calipers or a scale) 1/2 the volume of BP. I've gotten better accuracy (probably not statisticly so...) by using the grits. I believe that the grits seal the bore better than just the cloth patch on the ball. My patches come out looking much better, too. Yes, I do like that cooked grits smell when I fire, especially if there's something brown on the ground after the smoke clears.

 

[new2bp]

For my 54cal rifle I use a 9mm pistol brass casing as my measure. I fasten a handle onto the casing.

So about a 13gr-equiv on a powder measure for those wondering...

 

[Bnewberry]

I've used cream of wheat and grits (mostly grits) when loading my .54 longrifle (left handed, of course). I dump the powder charge that has given the best accuracy, then one of those thin wads (w/light lube) designed for BP pistols, and then the grits. The volume of grits is approx. (this is black powder, no need to use calipers or a scale) 1/2 the volume of BP. I've gotten better accuracy (probably not statisticly so...) by using the grits. I believe that the grits seal the bore better than just the cloth patch on the ball. My patches come out looking much better, too. Yes, I do like that cooked grits smell when I fire, especially if there's something brown on the ground after the smoke clears.

I have used grits in black powder cartridges and prefer them over corn meal.

 

[Britsmoothy]

We use to call this kind of thing a fire wall.

In a rifle we a stopping high pressure flame getting past the patch. Some patches and lube combo's cope ok on their own and some benefit from a firewall of talk powder or a type of flour.

In the shotgun though we are trying to negate the effects of high pressure, hi volume flaming jets kicking a solid wad in the a$$ of the delicate shot column just realeased on their short lived perilous flight.

 

[Feltwad]

Just stick to a volume load with 2 number 1/8 card wads over powder and one number 1/16 card over shot and you cannot go wrong
Feltwad

 

[Coinneach]

How much cornmeal do you recommend?

I suppose it depends on your tastes .....

 

[Coinneach]

Being of Highland Scots heritage I use Oatmeal (commercially available as pre-cooked porridge) and it works a treat.
Mind you wasting such precious Oatmeal surely invites a haunting from ones Scots ancestors.....

 

[Grenadier1758]

Steel cut oats of course should be used, not the rolled or instant.

Oh, to lament the wasting the loss of food.

Our artificers never added oats to our wrapped cartridges.

 

[Britsmoothy]

That yellow ground stuff. That's vile stuff, use that.
There must be other hideous ground food substance that could be used.

 

[BigAl52]

Since you guys are makin cornbread how bout doin something up for breakfast and use some Cream of Wheat

 

[Old Hawkeye]

Wouldn't you want something between the shot & the cornmeal/powder column for a gas seal? Something like a thin over shot card on top of the powder/cornmeal? Just asking, as it seems the powder, cornmeal & shot will just comingle when going down the barrel. Or am I missing something??

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

Since you guys are makin cornbread how bout doin something up for breakfast and use some Cream of Wheat

WoW! such a variety of substances to choose...Hmmmm, the Missus has ceased using the baby powder which she formerly appied after shower (the cancer scare y'know). Wonder if those lurking cannisters from johns suns could be sent downrange for our purposes?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Wouldn't you want something between the shot & the cornmeal/powder column for a gas seal? Something like a thin over shot card on top of the powder/cornmeal? Just asking, as it seems the powder, cornmeal & shot will just comingle when going down the barrel. Or am I missing something??

Watch the video.

I find that when my Mrs boot and my rear collide there ain't much time to comingle nothing!

 

[flntlokr]

How will that cornmeal work walking for a couple hours shifting your gun around before firing a shot? Seems to me the corn meal will filter into the powder resulting in poor ignition.

If everything is packed down in order, nothing will move around. If you are worried, put a paper disc down to separate the powder and cornmeal. One thing I found is that you must use the lightest card you can get away with over the shot; a heavy card will create a 'donut' pattern, as the shot goes around the card when the card slows down due to wind resistance. I use cards made from milk cartons; nice and light yet stiff enough to stay in place.

 

[3Setters]

Ive never had donut holes in my patterns using a thick felt wad. And shooting at clay and live birds never saw a donut hole problem. Corn meal intrigues me as it would make easier loading after shooting multiple shots and the barrels starting to get gunked up.

 

[Grenadier1758]

That yellow ground stuff. That's vile stuff, use that.
There must be other hideous ground food substance that could be used.

North of the Ohio River here we call that hideous ground food substance, "Grits".