Felt wads???

[Regulis7]

Finally found a 1/2" hole punch to make my own felt wads with and would like to know whats the best thickness to use or does it matter? Some people told me to check with AutoZone or Advance Auto and get some of the felt gasket material. Anyway just want to know if thickness is extremely important when shooting the felt wad under a patched round ball.

Thanks

Regulis7

 

[roundball]

FWIW, Oxyoke's wonderwads are 1/8" thick (.0125").
Might need to be careful about the "felt" that you buy...just not sure how much 100% real felt there is laying around for sale...but for sure there's an awful lot of synthetic "felt" out there that will probably melt from the fire, leave buildup, etc

 

[jrdavis]

try an old hat from the second hand store/goodwill

 

[Regulis7]

Well, looks like I will be ordering more OxYoke wads if and when I need to make a large order from one of the mail order outfits. Checked with all the automotive shops, second hand shops, fabric outlets and several upholstry shops and the only felt I can locate is the synthetic junk.

Perhaps I can locate an online/mail order outfit that sells the stuff in bulk, otherwise I have a 1/2" hole punch that I may not be using for a while...LOL

Regulis7

 

[roundball]

Something I've discovered you might think about:

If you can use something like a thick, strong .018" pillow ticking patch to begin with, target loads don't need a wonderwad...so only using them to sight in & hunt with hunting loads cuts way down on the use / cost;

Also, prelubed shooting patches are less expensive than wonderwads and one of them down over the powder instead of a wad works about the same

 

[Flintleather]

ox-yoke are expensive but they sure work good.I use 2 between powder and shot with a thin over shot card in my 20g and get great patterns. :m2c:

 

[BambiSlayer]

I found 100% wool felt on line but havent ordered any yet. Look at the sewing and material/cloth sites(Joanne Fabrics Online) is where I found wool felt.Ive thaught about making wonderwads for myself but my accuracy is the same with wad asit is without in my rifle with RB. Now what wonderwads do get me about 100fps more speed with my hunting loads.(90grns-3f Goex) :results:

 

[JeffinNZ]

Hi
An engineering outlet may have felt as it is/was used to hold oil on bushes.
Just don't walk in asking to get felt......... :crackup: :haha:

 

[Regulis7]

I found that range loads or plinking loads at 50 yards and under do fine with nothing but the pillow ticking patch, Wonderlube 1000 and .490 round ball.

For the 50-100 yard lines using hunting charges my accuracy is terrible unless I use the felt wad. Like shooting two different rifles if I forget to put the wad down the bore with a hunting charge.

Anyway, will check out some of the online fabric outlets, none of the local shops seem to carry anything without synthetics now days.

Regulis7

 

[jrdavis]

have you tried cork...

 

[Hawkeye]

Try this outfit http://www.durofelt.com/index.html
I got some felt to make wads for my '51 Navies.

 

[RussB]

Finally found a 1/2" hole punch to make my own felt wads with and would like to know whats the best thickness to use or does it matter? Some people told me to check with AutoZone or Advance Auto and get some of the felt gasket material. Anyway just want to know if thickness is extremely important when shooting the felt wad under a patched round ball.

Thanks

Regulis7

Regulis7, It seems that a thickness of about 1/8" is prefered by most shooters who use them. Like many others, I have tried them, but I was never smart enough to see any diference in my rifled muzzleloaders. In my smooth bore they do make a difference, and it's for the better.
Also, when shooting BPCR they are a necessity and anyone can see that difference, as their use is to protect the base of conical bullets to prevent gas cutting.

Take a look here. It would seem that "cutting" them your self doesn't save you much money because these guys are buying the material in bulk. http://www.sagebrushproducts.com/ShootingProducts.htm

There is an on going debate as to their effectivness in rifled frontloaders but I know a few who swear by them. I also know just as many who swear at them. When shooting roundball it is just an additional step....to me, in my guns. But then, of course, your mileage may vary.

Russ

 

[roundball]

I'm one who swears by them for hunting loads...I like Goex FFFg for hunting loads and the patches get mauled pretty good, particularly in a .45 flinter I have...but if I put down an oxyoke wad, I could reuse the patches, groups tighten up, etc.

And since I use those TC 4-N-1 Quick Shots, I already have the wad loaded under the patched ball and just seat the whole thing at the same time.

However, I don't use them for lighter target loads at the range....018" pillow ticking patches are fine for that

 

[Gatofeo]

The right felt is 100 percent wool and quite stiff. Hobby shops may have wool felt, but all I've ever found is the thin, limp stuff. You need a felt that is stiff, and 1/8" thick.
I've found the right type of felt in two forms: cowboy hats at the local thrift store (check the label to determine if it's real wool) and as stripping for sealing around windows.
Frost King, with offices in New Jersey and Nevada, makes a 100 percent wool sealing strip. It's about 18 feet long, 1/8" thick and about 3-1/2 inches wide. One roll will give you hundreds of wads. Cheap too, at about $3 a roll.
Now, the down side: It's not easily found. The only hardware stores I've found that carry it are Tru-Value. Even then, they don't always stock it. You have to read some Frost King labels to ensure you have the right stuff.
The wool stripping I've found is gray and sold in a plastic bag. It's been a couple of years since I bought any (right now, I'm flush with the right wool) so the packaging may have changed.
Finding the right kind of wool felt is crucial to success.
Polyester felt will melt and leave melted plastic deposits in your bore if you shoot a lot of them. That's why pure wool felt is mandated.
Stiff, hard wool felt is needed because it helps to scrape fouling from the grooves of the rifling.
I've recovered hard felt wads after shooting. Most of them exhibit a negative impression of the rifling, indicating that it reached down into the grooves and scraped out fouling.
Part of my success with wool felt wads may, I believe, be attributed to the lubricant I use. It was once the factory recipe for heeled bullets, loaded in .22 rimfire and .32, .38 and .41 Colt cartridges.
The recipe is:
1 part mutton tallow
1 part canning paraffin
1/2 part beeswax
All measurements are by weight. I use a kitchen scale to measure 200/200/100 grams of ingredients. These are put in a quart, widemouth Mason jar. The jar is placed in 4 or 5 inches of boiling water in a pot. When all ingredients are melted, stir well with a clean stick or disposable chopstick. Allow to cool at room temperature. Hastening cooling by placing in the refrigerator may cause the ingredients to separate.
This creates a very versatile lubricant. I use it for lead bullets in my .44-40 and .45-70 rifles, and soak felt wads in it for my cap and ball revolvers and muzzleloading rifle.
I suspect it would be great for felt shotguns wads and black powder loads.
Find the right type of wool and make your own wads, or buy Wonder Wads. Then soak them thoroughly in the above lubricant. You wont' be disappointed.

 

[CVA Enthusiast]

1/8 inch white/black wool provided it is 100% wool 9/16s punch for my .50 cal LEE R.E.A.L 7/16s for .44 and 3/8s for the .36 YES can be done I cut a chunk off lube in pan hang til dry, Punch til out and Harbor Freight punches Except for the 9/16s it was an ebay special

 

[Idaho Ron]

For well over a decade, I've been using over sized wads.
In my 45's I use .500 wads.
In my 50's I use .620 wads.
The difference in group sizes between a normal wad and an oversized one are night and day.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I go to Buffalo Arms web site they have everything for the dyi patch and wad makings.
I use them for the 1860 revolver thru BPC.

 

[hanshi]

I bought felt from the folks at Durofelt, not expensive and I punch my own. Old cowboy hats make good felt wads as well as leather from, well, wherever.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Ballistic Products, wads of all makes.
Buffer
Shot any and all kinds