Loading shot without wads

[B P Maniac Shooter]

Cut them from a cereal box. That's what I use.....

 

[vintovka]

I have always wondered if the plastic stuff seals off more gas than cardboard wads or loose materials. Made some amazing long shots over the years with them.

 

[Widows Son]

I have a 12g and use 3/4“(19mm) precut felt pads that are made for putting under chair legs. I don’t peel the paper backing off. Lubricate them with your preferred goo. Use for over-powder and over-shot. They can be bought in bulk for pennies each from flea bay. Also any hardware store will have them.
They are oversized just that little bit and produce an excellent seal.

 

[tenngun]

In what way does that pertain to "scrunching up some news paper or old T shirt"? I've tested scrunched up garbage as wadding. I'm sure if you stuff enough in there, eventually you will get a seal. for example a recent test I did. With card, the same stuff he is planning to use for overshot anyway, I was getting about 1100 fps. Using the exact same load, but replacing the cards with a ton of balled up toilet paper, I got just over 700 fps, and a shower of burning confetti.

Do not stuff newspaper in the bore and expect good things to happen. Tow and other fibers are a whole other ball game,

Have used balls of paper used in packing, similar to news paper, and crumpled blanket scraps, killed with it. I never shot through a chronograph
Last cards I used was 1976, found sage brush leaves made as many dead rabbits

 

[Feltwad]

All you need is a set of punch's that can cut card wads from 4bore to 32bore. These can be obtained from car boot fairs etc if you turn down the shank so it fits in a pedestal drill saves a lot of work put a cardboard scree around the drill because the cut wads fly all around your workshop like confetti . For the card of different thickness visit you local industrial estate and look in the factory skips you will surly find plenty of card that was used for packaging .
Feltwad

Punch's from 4to 32 bore

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

Cut them from a cereal box. That's what I use.....

I've been meaning to ask you, when you broke the ramrod on your trade gun, were you really giving it a hard push or is it just flimsy as all get out? Speaking with pwdersoli they recommended a .614 ball with a .010 patch which I feel will be a tight fit.

 

[jlatz]

I do not use plastic wads in a muzzle loading shotgun. They can leave hard to remove plastic scrapes in the bore.

 

[Mark Herman]

I don't use cushion wads in my 12 ga for trap or hunting, they typically blow holes in the pattern 2 over powder cards and 2 over shot cards. Tightened up and gives consistent patterns.

 

[Colterkid]

How would something like " Natural Roving Wool" work? Something like that you can get at Hobby Lobby.
Would like to know from experienced shooters.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

I've been meaning to ask you, when you broke the ramrod on your trade gun, were you really giving it a hard push or is it just flimsy as all get out? Speaking with pwdersoli they recommended a .614 ball with a .010 patch which I feel will be a tight fit.

A little of both. I was pushing too hard on the rod.
Pedersoli factory rods aren't all that great to use. I've broken several over the years...all due to excessive force & not using enough short strokes. They must use some very weak flimsy wood building their rods.

 

[Nobade]

Cardboard here. I made a cutter for the drill press, and use old shipping boxes. Two over the powder and one over the shot, and they pattern great. And as V.M. Starr wrote, spit on the shot after it's poured down and that keeps the fouling soft so I can shoot all day.

 

[Brokennock]

I've been meaning to ask you, when you broke the ramrod on your trade gun, were you really giving it a hard push or is it just flimsy as all get out? Speaking with pwdersoli they recommended a .614 ball with a .010 patch which I feel will be a tight fit.

I apologize for my spent brain. I can't remember, what gauge gun are we working with here?

Most of my loads using wads push down very, very, easily. My better shooting patched ball loads too.
Using 2f seems to make follow up loadings a little crusty, but still no danger of breaking my Fusil des Chase's skinny 5/16" ramrod.
The thicker nitro card and no lube until the last component of the Skychief load seems to be the one and only loading issue I ever encounter.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I've been meaning to ask you, when you broke the ramrod on your trade gun, were you really giving it a hard push or is it just flimsy as all get out? Speaking with pwdersoli they recommended a .614 ball with a .010 patch which I feel will be a tight fit.

The Pedersoli recommendation will be a very tight fit. It might be okay for a one shot application, but an easier to load combination might prove as effective. Using the same 0.614 ball with a paper or cardboard over powder wad, I would wrap the ball in a nest of tow or strands of jute, manila, sisal or hemp fibers with an over shot card. Cards punched with a 5/8" punch using cereal box cardboard will work. Build the load at the muzzle so the entire stack of over powder wad, nest with ball and over shot card can be pushed down at one time.

 

[Brokennock]

@GoodRabbitPilgrim I think some of us have over-advised here. And some have lost sight of your o.p. in their adamant reply against trying different things,,, or just using something to get to shoot.

I understand you just want to go shoot your new gun. You have "proper components" on the way.
There are many suggestions here, many could result in best patterns, but,,, just go shoot and enjoy the smoke. Grab whatever suggestion here is best for you and your area and make smoke and smiles.

 

[Brokennock]

Build the load at the muzzle so the entire stack of over powder wad, nest with ball and over shot card can be pushed down at one time.

@GoodRabbitPilgrim , this is very good advice.

 

[Feltwad]

Cardboard here. I made a cutter for the drill press, and use old shipping boxes. Two over the powder and one over the shot, and they pattern great. And as V.M. Starr wrote, spit on the shot after it's poured down and that keeps the fouling soft so I can shoot all day.

Well said I have used this type of volume load using what you described in wads using punch's in reply 25 for over 7 decades no need for the fancy loads
Feltwad

 

[vintovka]

I do not use plastic wads in a muzzle loading shotgun. They can leave hard to remove plastic scrapes in the bore.

I can see this happening in older originals (like my Nathaniel Whitmore) but have had no problems in the Pedersoli, When i finally wised up and relegated the Whitmore to the safe i found i could easily make thru 2 matchs with the Pedersoli without a problem. Also faster to load when there was fewer shooters.

 

[theC525]

My smooth bore is a 20ga. I bought myself a 3/8" arch punch and have been making my wads and over shot cards with that for some time now. I use old belteather over the powder and something similar in thickness to cereal box over the shot. Use an ice pick to punch a small hole in your overshot cards, it will help them to go down much easier. The Paper wasp nest is good because it will not smolder in the woods after being shot where as newspaper can and will, just remember that, I'm sure you don't want to burn the woods down. If you are really interested in going period/ historically correct there are many articles that were written back in the 1700's on the subject of loading and shooting "fowlers" that have some interesting ideas, even an "after shooting drink/ punch" that has quite a kick to it! You can still find many of them, I think MB mag. reprinted one in the last few years. Good luck and enjoy yourself! Just remember to be safe.

 

[vintovka]

The plastic shot cups helped in that they do not burn or present a fire danger in summer. The waxed milk carton cardboard overshots seem not to burn either and can be sometimes found intact a few feet away. Do have shot bumps all over them but little or no singeing. I tried using cut off , fired, 12 G hulls to preload charges for field use. Would load charge and push in a shot cup with just enough of the "wings" sticking out to grab. Worked ok but with my fat fingers it was easier just to use the snake and flask. I do like the furniture cushion idea suggested above by widows son. Oh and i do pickup the plastic "power pistons" when i see them in the field or on the range. Some look good enough to reuse
!

 

[Woody Morgan]

My smooth bore is a 20ga. I bought myself a 3/8" arch punch and have been making my wads and over shot cards with that for some time now. I use old belteather over the powder and something similar in thickness to cereal box over the shot. Use an ice pick to punch a small hole in your overshot cards, it will help them to go down much easier. The Paper wasp nest is good because it will not smolder in the woods after being shot where as newspaper can and will, just remember that, I'm sure you don't want to burn the woods down. If you are really interested in going period/ historically correct there are many articles that were written back in the 1700's on the subject of loading and shooting "fowlers" that have some interesting ideas, even an "after shooting drink/ punch" that has quite a kick to it! You can still find many of them, I think MB mag. reprinted one in the last few years. Good luck and enjoy yourself! Just remember to be safe.

I believe you meant 5/8"?

wm