Hornets Nest

[Gote Rider]

I read in a book years ago that people use to make their patches out of hornets nest.It said that two layers was good and did not burn thru. Has anybody tried this? If so how did it work? I have seen several in the trees behind my house some are as big as a 5gal. bucket. That should make alot of patches. But I dont have the nerve to cut them down. I might try to cut them down next winter.

 

[Headhunter]

As a patch, never used it.

As an overpowder wad, they work great.

hornets nests are best if you cut them down in August. Don't forget the flyswater.

HH

 

You are in for a treat as you should be expecting about 10,000 responses to your question. I will not engage in this because I gave up using the stuff years ago because it has a tendency to smolder in the bore and can cause a flash over if you are not careful. Also - hornets nest can cause fires in the woods - again because of the smoldering aspect. None the less - use it but be careful. Some folks have very good results with it. Anyhow, the deal with harvesting the nests is to cut them down in the winter and immediately bag them in a plastic trash bag that has some sort of insectiside in it to kill the larva. Leave them in the bag for a good long time to make sure the bugs are cooked.

 

[boar]

I have used them in my smooth pistol as wadding. Works good. I have one in my front tree that we are going to get. We shot the limb that holds it off. Then Bag it up. I got one in the woods, gave it to the grandson to use in his double. Birds had got the eggs. Dilly

 

[roundball]

I read in a book years ago that people use to make their patches out of hornets nest.It said that two layers was good and did not burn thru. Has anybody tried this? If so how did it work? I have seen several in the trees behind my house some are as big as a 5gal. bucket. That should make alot of patches. But I dont have the nerve to cut them down. I might try to cut them down next winter.

Not as patches...but I brought back 3 large hornet's nests from my Sister's last fall and experimented in a range session with the material as an OP wad.

I found that the stuff compresses significantly and I ended up tearing off and stuffing a couple inches of the material into the muzzle, then it would seat/compress down on the powder to a wad about the size of an Oxyoke wonderwad.
I'd then find them on ground along with the patches showing no sign of burning, satisifying myself that hornet's nest material as OP wads worked as advertised.

Since then I've toyed with the idea of using it as a wad while turkey hunting with my Flintlock this spring...I already don't use any shot cups so using hornet's nest material as an OP wad would be another step further back down that trail...but I need time to pattern test it.

Those folks back then were pretty resourceful...

 

[smo]

I have used wasp nest as a wad between PRB & powder. It worked well for me,as Roundball said I found several patches that still had the wad stuck to them they did not appear burnt in any way. I used approx. 1 inch in the bore of my 50 cal. which compressed almost flat after seating the ball. I found all the nest in the fall after all the critters had died off.It's alot safer that way. :thumbsup:

 

[Timothy Gregory]

Was wondering if you had tried to form any kind of a shot cup using this matierial? Would it be of sufficient strength to prevent shot deformaty?

 

[paulvallandigham]

I am sure that Roundball will weigh in on this, but I can tell you that the material from a hornet's nest is too thin to provide a cushion for shot between the barrel and the shot load. It is like thin silk, and tears fairly easily. It does not seem to burn well, however, and that gives it an edge when you are worried about starting fires.

 

[Keppy]

I use wasp nest for overpowder wads and they work great. I have not found any burning as of yet.

 

[roundball]

Was wondering if you had tried to form any kind of a shot cup using this matierial? Would it be of sufficient strength to prevent shot deformaty?

I havn't...the stuff is so fragile I believe it would be almost impossible to form any kind of shot cup that would survive loading, then there would be the separation / pattern performance uncertainties...not anything I'd personally waste my time with.
Paper shot cups are pretty easy to make and to a fairly high degree they work, not perfect but reasonable...plus, paper was available back in the day...ie: paper cartridge/reloads were used in wars, etc.

 

[Dphar]

I would just order some wads from Circle Fly.
This was first invented by Sam Fadala when he found that PRBs allow blowby. Some rifles don't shoot all that great with a wad or patch over the powder.
Your mileage my vary.

Dan

 

[xxgrampa]

greetings mr rider.

the stuff works great as a filler. howsomever, the mud in the fiber makes it more abrasive than the more conventional fillers.

it is fun to play with, but over the looong haul in an accurate rifle?? don't think i would..

..ttfn..grampa..

 

[tg]

I have used it for wadding under and over a ball in a smoothbore and it works ok, it did smoke quite a bit at times so I would be cautious in dry weather, an over powder card or fiber wad may have reduced this but I didn't get that far in my tinkering.

 

[roundball]

"...I have used it for wadding under and over a ball in a smoothbore and it works ok, it did smoke quite a bit at times so I would be cautious in dry weather..."

Mine didn't smoke or burn...you're hornet's nest must not have been PC...probably synthetic
:grin:

 

[tg]

"Mine didn't smoke or burn...you're hornet's nest must not have been PC...probably synthetic'

could have been...my guess is that a lot of fire went around the .535 ball in the .58 tube and it still hit the plate, maybe local variations in nesting materials and their flamability as well? just nice to know something so simple will work.

 

[roundball]

"Mine didn't smoke or burn...you're hornet's nest must not have been PC...probably synthetic'

could have been...my guess is that a lot of fire went around the .535 ball in the .58 tube and it still hit the plate, maybe local variations in nesting materials and their flamability as well? just nice to know something so simple will work.

Wind and rain have got us shut in here today so I can't get to the range...another weekend missed (have no place to shoot on Sundays) and I only have 4 Saturdays left until Turkey opens April 12th.
If I can get a good Saturday range session to pattern test my Turkey load with hornet's nest and if it does well, I'll use it for Turkey season...but I don't want to risk arbitrarily substituting it without checking the pattern first...I think it would be another neat step to take a Turkey with a flintlock, no shot cup, and hornet's nest for an OP wad...just some Goex, H/N wad, shot, and OS card.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if for some strange reason it actually 'improved' a pattern...I don't expect it to even be as good but I might be surprised

 

[tg]

"Wouldn't it be a hoot if for some strange reason it actually 'improved' a pattern...I don't expect it to even be as good but I might be surprised "

Stranger things have happened, good luck on your gobbleduck hunt with whatever combo you find works well.

 

[xxgrampa]

...ARRRUUUGGHHH... :rotf:

tt.g