Felt Wads

[pondoro]

I got tired of the high price of felt wads for my cap and ball revolver. I ordered some 1/8" thick 100% wool felt. Now I need a punch in 44 caliber. Has anyone successfully made a punch? I think the case from a steel 45 Auto cartridge or a steel 7.62 Russian cartridge might work.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Check Dixie GWs catalogue for punches. There are other sources for them, if you google punches on the net.

 

[bob308]

go to the hardware store and get a 7/16 arch punch that will make wads .437 which is close enough. that is what i use for my .45-70 loads.

 

[twotoescharlie]

or you can go to Harbor freight and get a full set of punches for less than $10.00

TTC

 

[Ohio Rusty]

I bought a set of punches, foreign made, for $1.99 I think at Big Lots. I modified and sharpened the ends of several of the punches and they work well for .32, .36 and .44 guns. My wads come from a couple of 100% wool felt hats I got at the thrift store for 99 cents each. I have enough wool felt material to make thousands of pistol wads for virtually nothing.
Another fellow I know made his wad punches from the tapered shafts of a couple of golf clubs.

Ohio Rusty >

 

[Gemoke]

what size punches for 54&62 smooth bores

 

[bob308]

.54 would be 9/16 {.562} .62 would be 5/8 {.625}

 

[Blizzard of '93]

a 45-70 with the primer hole drilled larger and sharpened will do fine if spun in a drill press. cut a load and knock 'em out.

 

[buttonbuck]

I had bought a set of punches from e bay under the name of wad punches or gasget punches 1/8-3/4 inch very solid and well by valley industries of paramount California. These came from England so freight was as much as the tools but you may be able to buy from an American company or valley industries. I tried them out on some material and they are great. but not as good as a homemade punch

 

[Idaho Ron]

I use a 1/2" black iron pipe nipple sharpened up for my 50's. It is a little bit big but they seal the gas well. For my 45 I use a 3/8's pipe nipple if I remember right. They only cost a buck or two new. I get mine as junk for nothing. Ron

 

[buttonbuck]

do you screw the cap on the end of the black pipe, Now that I think about it you could even get one in stainless, darn my impulse buys, but I wanted punches for my 32,54, and 62 cal guns.

 

[Idaho Ron]

I cut the threads off both ends since the threads are thin and don't sharpen well, and the cap needs to be off to get the wads out. I strike it with a 5 dollar rubber hammer that is heavy. The wads are a bit bigger than a store bought one. But I like them because they make a perfect seal. I use Hornady Great plains lube. Ron

 

[paulvallandigham]

I found that with the hardware store wad punches, they seem to work the best, and keep their edges longer if they are chucked into a drill press, and then turned at the very lowest speed you can get on the press, while you " drill " the punch through a stack of felt, or cardboard, or fabric. If you use a hammer to hit the punches, the edges eventually curl on you, and you have to stop to grind or file them sharp again. If the punch is spinning in the drill press, you can easily touch up the edge of the punch with a stone or file so that it remains square to the shaft.