the correct ball size, patch thickness, lube type, wipe method/or no wipe, fiber wad thickeness, etc,etc, is determened by the group size on the target, tested thru the seasons,,,,, this is limited by the time you want to take to reload..... it is great to get lots of help, and ideas, but they are tools in finding the path to your load for that firearm.... .. now the humidity varys the hardness of the fouling in your barrel.. some humid days you may be able to shove bare balls down all day.. but there will be days like a cold winter day that you will need a sledge hammer to get them down if you dont wipe the fouling somehow after a certain number of shots.. what i like is a patch/lube/ball size combo that wipes the (smooth)bore as its loaded so it stays the same shot to shot wether i shoot 2 or 20 rounds.. .. easier said than done,especially thru the seasons... dave.....