historical methods of wadding

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A take on the paper wadding then versus the paper now, the paper of the 1700s and even 1800s would of been a linen based or rag paper this would produce a tougher paper than our modern paper now would it not, perhaps making for a better seal and not burning up as fast upon firing the weapon. Any thoughts on this.
 
A take on the paper wadding then versus the paper now, the paper of the 1700s and even 1800s would of been a linen based or rag paper this would produce a tougher paper than our modern paper now would it not, perhaps making for a better seal and not burning up as fast upon firing the weapon. Any thoughts on this.

Regarding paper wadding: I use cooking Sheet parchment which is thin and durable and doesn’t stick to the inside of the bore. Hobby parchment is also very useful, the kind that is used to make replicas of historic documents. Coffee filters also work great For adding. Its probably somewhat similar to the laid linen paper that was used in the 18th century.
 
Recommendation from the past..... sounds like our ideas have been argued over for year or two
45366B55-BE11-4071-828F-15DB1623351F.jpeg
69D14571-D38B-4090-9AA7-576B30412AB9.jpeg
5E79838B-EF22-414C-8288-5BEBCEA483EF.jpeg
 
Always someone ahead of the curve, great thinking and great references as too the options available. Me I am a lubed fiber wad and thin cardboard disc guy, but always open other options.
 
I love that reference. One thing I will say about the dialog is the reference to the near bore sized rammer for cards so they don't turn on you. That's an excellent description of many issues folks have with their .35 or so rammers and their .62 or bigger bores. I've found if you put your card in, finger it down an inch, and center your skinny ramrod on the card and go down with it hand over hand with consistent pressure and speed it will keep the rod centered on the card and there is little chance of turning the card. Slow and steady and she'll go down fine, but you can't run it down like a rifle rammer (push, push, push) or she'll turn quick.
 
A take on the paper wadding then versus the paper now, the paper of the 1700s and even 1800s would of been a linen based or rag paper this would produce a tougher paper than our modern paper now would it not, perhaps making for a better seal and not burning up as fast upon firing the weapon. Any thoughts on this.
Most of us, when we say we are wadding with paper, we mean we crumple a larger piece of paper into a ball and ram it down. That's not the way the old boys did it. They cut paper into a rectangle, folded it double so it was square, then put that over the muzzle and rammed it down. It formed something like a very thin overshot card, just two layers of paper.

I've tried them, they work, but I found patterns inconsistent and penetration less than optimal.

You may be right about their paper not burning up. Wm. Cleator wrote in 1789:
"Next to hat, therefore, experience teaches, that nothing is better for wadding than soft brown paper; it combines suppleness with consistence, and moulds itself to the barrel; and it is further observable, that such wadding never falls to the ground, in less than twelve or fifteen paces from the muzzle of the piece."

Spence
 
Has anyone got any documentation of wasp and hornet nests being used as wadding pre- 20th century?
well I am sure that some one somewere in history has used waddings that we have never heard of? and who cares? as the perfect historical correct people go to shoots & rondeaus in the automobile? if it works just use what you have and are used too, and have fun.
 
well I am sure that some one somewere in history has used waddings that we have never heard of? and who cares? as the perfect historical correct people go to shoots & rondeaus in the automobile? if it works just use what you have and are used too, and have fun.
One of my favorite things about reenacting is being told how to do it correctly by people who have no concept what it's all about.

Spence
 
Seriously? You really think my question was suggesting worldwide compliance of of the historical?
There are some of us, including myself who DO care and have been searching this topic for a number of years.
 
One of the problems in our sport is the idea of how much had to have been done vs what was written down.
I referenced a found gun with coconut fiber. I was corrected pointing out it was palmetto fiber. I don’t know if I was wrong or we were referencing two different guns.
most likely it’s the same gun and I misremember the fiber.
However I don’t know of loading manuals that talked about palmetto fiber.
Was coconut fiber used? How about oakum? As I recall all sorts of fiber was pressed in to service for oakum.
But we also face the fact that just because something seems obvious to us doesn’t mean they thought of it then.
I think about the fact that I use rag tinder as my fire starting. We know it was used in the past, as was punk and fire mushrooms.
I’ve tried a lot, chared bark, punk, chared spanish moss, chared rabbit ear, cat tail fluff, ect, but I fall back to rag tinder.
When someone found x that worked real well in his area did he try others? I don’t know.
If some one started using inner bark out of such and such tree for wadding did he change? Did he try something new because it was proper? Did he not use something at hand because he hadn’t tried it? Did he write it down
Since it’s not written down we can’t prove it, but just because we think it a good idea doesn’t mean he did back then.
 
Last edited:
Historically they used whatever they had!

Even grass and leaves. empty wasp nest seemed to be the old residenters favorite around here. Wool tow , when I had it was my pick, now I am using flax tow, but don't like it as well. The paper wasp nest works great, but I am too lazy to collect some.
 
I have never used leather wads but would think with the old harness leather and once lubed they would be more flexible than using newer leather
 
Back
Top