Loading shot without wads

[smoothshooter]

I've had my fowler for 2 weekends now and because of postal delays still have no wads to use for shot. What is a household alternative I could use just to run a few shots downrange as I'm champing at the bit to get out for a shot with my new toy.

I was thinking of scrunching up some newspaper, or bit of old shirt over powder then cutting some cereal box cardboard for over shot. Will that work? I just feel the former options won't really seal the gasses well at all.

I could also go to the local gun shop and buy some 20G plastic wads if they have them in stock. Would that seal off the powder ok?

Try some waxed paper. I used to use it in a .410 ML percussion shotgun when I was a kid with good results. I carried a sort of twisted up piece about a foot long in my shooting bag. Would tear off enough to make a wad about an inch thick when tamped down over the shot, and a much smaller piece to tamp down on top of the shot.
Roll each piece up in a ball before ramming down the barrel.
One of the advantages of wax paper is that there was never any fire hazard.
I also think the wax on the paper helps make a better gas seal.

 

[SOLANCO]

Brown paper (McDonalds bag works good), wasp nest, unraveled jute string (tow), pieces of old flannel shirt, leaves, pieces of cardboard, purt near anything will work. Some things work better than others though. My favorites are wasp nest or jute string.

People always say wasp. This big old hornet nest is down and bagged and I expect to give it a try.

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

While we have digressed a bit from my original question, is my understanding that using say 60 grains of 2F and the a volumetric 80 grains of shot is a good place to start?

 

[tenngun]

While we have digressed q bjt from my original question, is my understanding that using say 60 grains of 2F and the a volumetric 80 grains of shot is a good place to start?

Yes, great place. 70/70 to or 65/ 100, it’s a game to dial in what works best for you. Generally smaller powder charges give smaller patterns

 

[Brokennock]

While we have digressed a bit from my original question, is my understanding that using say 60 grains of 2F and the a volumetric 80 grains of shot is a good place to start?

Yup. Excellent place to start.

 

[beardedhorse]

I teach students how to get flint and steel fires as quick as 3 seconds using jute tinder so shooting it out of smoothbore will be a fire hazard. I heard of bad plastic fouling using any plastic wad cups in muzzle loaders, too. I quick using fiber wads and just cardboard over powder and shot wads. Get better patterns. Wasps nests fairly fire resistant. I collect a lot of them. Unless you pour black powder into the honeycombs, it is very hard to ignite with spark from flint and fire steel.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I could also go to the local gun shop and buy some 20G plastic wads if they have them in stock. Would that seal off the powder ok?

BEWARE not all "shot cups" are the same. I tried inexpensive AA cups with BP and also with Pyrodex..., made a huge melted mess in the barrel of a shotgun.

As for the hornet or wasp nest... the photo is great but I'm sure he waited until rather cold weather before he knocked that nest down.

Yes, you can use 60/80 powder to lead, or even 80/80. You may want to do the steel can test when you check your patterns.

LD

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

I teach students how to get flint and steel fires as quick as 3 seconds using jute tinder so shooting it out of smoothbore will be a fire hazard. I heard of bad plastic fouling using any plastic wad cups in muzzle loaders, too. I quick using fiber wads and just cardboard over powder and shot wads. Get better patterns. Wasps nests fairly fire resistant. I collect a lot of them. Unless you pour black powder into the honeycombs, it is very hard to ignite with spark from flint and fire steel.

We don't have hornets in this part of the world do that doesn't matter too much to me.

I do like making flint fires though, when I do backpack hunts I always have my flint and some cotton wool.

 

[user 48702]

If you have any saddle or harness shops in your area, check with them and see if they have any harness leather scraps. Harness leather makes excellent over powder wads since the harness leather is already stuffed with oils and waxes at the tannery, and no need for lube. Most harness leather will average between 1/4" and 3/8" thick and punches easily with an arch punch and rawhide hammer. For the Pedersoli 20 ga., watch ebay or other auction sites for a #16 arch punch, which is a shotgun wadding punch and cuts a 21/32" diameter wad or card. I found that 5/8" was too small and an 11/16" punch was too large. Here is a photo of the #16, along with an 11ga and 10ga punch.

 

[vintovka]

Yes on 2f to start but the true test is pattern and penetration.

 

[megasupermagnum]

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.

In my testing, plastic wads shoot slower than cardboard wads. It wasn't a gigantic difference, but more than I expected. Does that mean one seals better than the other, I don't know. I just know that a card wad will shoot faster than a lead shot wad. Maybe a steel shot wad is a different story, I've not tried them over a chronograph.

I can't believe how many people willingly use scrunched up trash in their guns. I'm not saying it won't work, but you are leaving a TON of performance on the table. If I ever forget wads, you can bet I'll be using a bunch of leaves to make it work, and very likely getting inconsistent patterns. I'll use leaves way before I ever use newspaper or toilet paper, which are not suitable for shotgun wads at all. If everything you shoot is inside of 20 yards, then have at it. There's a ridiculous amount of things that make really good wads out there that you can get for free, to suggest such a practice to a newbie. The guy is already going to be cutting wads from cereal boxes, why would you suggest someone uses leaves, or newspaper, which will not work as well as using the wads he already will be making.

Any kind of cardstock, cereal box, solid boxes, slip sheets etc. all work phenomenally well. Just be sure to use enough so the total stack is at least 1/8" thick.

Leather wads, they work really, really well. Even a single cow leather wad works really well. 2 even better.

Felt works great, but you need to use enough. 1/2" provides a good seal with a dense felt.

Plastic wads do work, they aren't fantastic, but they do work.

Even corrugated cardboard, if you use enough to make a stack 1/8" thick when they are compressed works well enough.

Tow or rope fibers work, as long as you use a sufficiently large ball


What all of these things have in common is they form a solid wad that seals to the bore. Crumpled newspaper does not have this property. Logic says that if you use enough of it, eventually you should get a good seal, but it's not worth the work. Here is what I would do if SHTF, and I had no wads. I would take a bunch of smaller leaves from a tree, and carefully stack them so that they made a stack at least 1/2", maybe 3/4" when compressed. I would then carefully stuff them into muzzle, trying to keep the layers horizontal to the bore. Then finally ram it down. This way does work, but it's not that much fun.

 

[user 48702]

I tell you what I'd do if SHTF, I sure wouldn't be grabbin my muzzleloader.

 

[megasupermagnum]

Me either. I'd have to be a LONG ways from the truck before I ever considered using leaves instead of walking back for the wads I forgot.

 

[Bergmann]

Newspaper unless you are worried about fire hazard

Toilet paper works, too! It tends to get blasted to small fragments on exiting the muzzle and I suspect those are less subject to starting a fire!

 

[Brokennock]

We don't have hornets in this part of the world do that doesn't matter too much to me.

I do like making flint fires though, when I do backpack hunts I always have my flint and some cotton wool.

I teach students how to get flint and steel fires as quick as 3 seconds using jute tinder so shooting it out of smoothbore will be a fire hazard. I heard of bad plastic fouling using any plastic wad cups in muzzle loaders, too. I quick using fiber wads and just cardboard over powder and shot wads. Get better patterns. Wasps nests fairly fire resistant. I collect a lot of them. Unless you pour black powder into the honeycombs, it is very hard to ignite with spark from flint and fire steel.

This is where lube comes into play.
Also, I'm using sisal rope, though I don't think that is a huge difference.
Here are a few wads I have found downrange after shooting,

 

[tenngun]

I teach students how to get flint and steel fires as quick as 3 seconds using jute tinder so shooting it out of smoothbore will be a fire hazard. I heard of bad plastic fouling using any plastic wad cups in muzzle loaders, too. I quick using fiber wads and just cardboard over powder and shot wads. Get better patterns. Wasps nests fairly fire resistant. I collect a lot of them. Unless you pour black powder into the honeycombs, it is very hard to ignite with spark from flint and fire steel.

Take a pinch of lard, mink oil or such and rub it on your fluff wad, it won’t burn then.

 

[flntlokr]

I've had my fowler for 2 weekends now and because of postal delays still have no wads to use for shot. What is a household alternative I could use just to run a few shots downrange as I'm champing at the bit to get out for a shot with my new toy.

I was thinking of scrunching up some newspaper, or bit of old shirt over powder then cutting some cereal box cardboard for over shot. Will that work? I just feel the former options won't really seal the gasses well at all.

I could also go to the local gun shop and buy some 20G plastic wads if they have them in stock. Would that seal off the powder ok?

a thick(ish) card right on top of the powder, then 2 squares of toilet paper wadded up in a ball, another card, shot, lastly a thin card to hold it all in. I bought a cheap set of arch punches, and punch the card wads out with those. I use matte board scrap for the thick cards, and milk carton for the thin card. several cards of milk carton stacked can replace the matte cards (or anything similar). Plastic wad tends to melt and goo up the barrel.

 

[toot]

WASP'S, HORNETS AND YELLOW JACKETS NEST, IS GREAT, I even put in the LARVE, the little ones lube the barrel! and the use of a worn out piece's of SISAL ROPE, it already has some sort of oil in it. all grate items that can be repoursed!!!

 

[toot]

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. View attachment 101731

WOW! now that rely is a novel idea! I like it! who would ever think!?

 

[toot]

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

View attachment 101732

now we all know where that they have all go? LOL!! a rely great selection of them. the CHINESE ones from HOME DEPOT & TRACTOR SUPPLY are JUNK! jmho.