Filler In Reduced Loads
- Thread starter Walkabout
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I've not found any improvement with any of the fillers including shot shell buffer as long as the ball is seated on the powder consistently. YMMV
If you’re using a very light powder charge then a filler is needed so the rammer can compress the load.
Does the filler improve accuracy or is it the reduced charge that requires the filler that does? I don’t know.
Does the filler improve accuracy or is it the reduced charge that requires the filler that does? I don’t know.
I have used some bees wax wads and graphite wax wads under the balls as a filler. They did seem to improve accuracy and kept the fouling soft.
I punch my own wads out of 1/8” thick hard felt (Duro-Felt Products), and simply add a wad or two to fill up the chamber if it seems necessary for powder puff loads. Cheap, easy and no mess.
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I've competed with reduced loads and cream of wheat filler and they were plenty accurate but full throttle loads were just as accurate as far as I could tell from scores fired. Cream of wheat is a good filler because it is dry and does not "sponge compress" or have oil in it like corn meal does. Never tried Grex or wad stacks for filler.
FredS
32 Cal
I think every gun is different and you have to find out what works best in your firearm. I have found in my ROA that a reduced load with a cream of wheat filler gives the most accuracy. I like using lubed wads or grease cookies to keep the fouling soft. It may not be historically accurate, but the older I get, the more I want things that make it easier.
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Most N-SSA competition shooters use some kind of filler to bring the ball up to flush with the cylinder face. The logic is that if you seat the ball deeply then the ball has the opportunity to build up velocity before hitting the rifling, and may strip on the rifling.
I one time did a ladder load workup with and without filler, and the groups with filler were better than the groups without. But this was just one single ladder test of 6 shots per charge group and may not have been statistically significant.
I one time did a ladder load workup with and without filler, and the groups with filler were better than the groups without. But this was just one single ladder test of 6 shots per charge group and may not have been statistically significant.
I've never understood the logic of using an inert filler without an interposing wad. There is no controlling the uneven intermixing of powder and filler except hoping that powder stays put under handling and recoil.
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In a revolver, at least in competition where the gun is going to be shot immediately after loading, when you drive the ball down onto the filler it compresses everything and there is not going to be any appreciable mixing.
For fun I put a cardboard disk in between the powder and filler and could not tell any difference.
In my Sharps, per the instructions of Charlie Hahn (who makes the cardboard tubes for the Sharps) I would put in the powder and then glue a cardboard disk over the powder, leaving an air gap between the charge and the bullet. The Sharps receiver is massive and has no problem with this. But I switched to using an unlubricated fiber wad of the correct diameter and thickness as it is much faster than gluing in a bulkhead into each tube. Just dump in the powder and poke in the wad. Then glue in the bullet.
FredS
32 Cal
I tend to load and shoot so I don't put anything between the powder and filler. I prefer to put the wad on top of the filler. I use a cylinder press and I press the wad down on the filler and the powder. I may or may not load a 'grease cookie' on top of the wad and than seat the ball. Have not seen a difference in impact that would suggest the filler is mixing with the powder. I use only black powder, no substitutes.
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I use cream of wheat or just plain cornmeal for reduced powder charges. I keep it in a separate powder flask with the corresponding measure attached.
FredS
32 Cal
I do the same thing! I use a CVA brass flask for my cream of wheat.
Powder wad ball.
I can hit the pie plate at 50 yards
I can hit the pie plate at 50 yards
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I think the rule is that Northerners use Cream of Wheat and Southerners use Grits. 
Lube cookies are made from your favorite bullet lube. They can be made from felt or paper towels soaked in lube and cut into little circles and loaded under the ball.
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They are used quite a bit in black powder cartridge shooting of large volume cases. They are usually solid lube disks not lubed wads.
FredS
32 Cal
I use a 'cookie' that is approximately 1/8" thick that I cut out of a lamb tallow beeswax mixture. I will load powder, filler, unlubed felt wad, grease cookie and than the round ball. I am going to try this with paper cartridges as the cookie shouldn't mix with the powder as the wad will act as a barrier.
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