Making Wads

[Smokey Plainsman]

Today I punched some wads for my .44s:

2:1 lamb’s tallow and beeswax using Durofelt pure wool felt. Saves a ton of money over store bought and they work far better. Keeps the fouling buttery soft even after many rounds. If you don’t make your own wads you should try it, you’ll like it guys.

 

[Justin.44]

A friend of mine on this forum makes wads like this and sent me a bunch, they're packed with lube. They do work better than those expensive Wonder Wads.

 

[rafterob]

2 questions; 1) Where do you procure your lamb fat/tallow? 2) Can you punch them closer together or do they not punch out as well if they are spaced closer? Seems like more could be punched out of that material. I used to be a Chef and was able to get all the lamb fat I wanted. Lamb tallow in my opinion is the best tallow there is. I no longer have a source and all our local stores only sell commercially packaged lamb.

 

[BullRunBear]

Dixie Gun Works has lamb tallow and it's in stock at the moment. I've been punching wads from Durafelt and lubing them with Gato Feo lube for years. (Yes, I punch the holes almost touching.) The wads I use in my 44 caliber cap and ball revolvers also work when I make black powder cartridges in 45 Colt and 45-70. They are cheap to make and very effective.

Jeff

 

[Woody Morgan]

Do you lube before or after punching the wads? I have a couple sheets of Durafelt ready to go.

wm

 

[eggwelder]

Punch mine from old military boot insoles- the winter boots. Then slice them and get 4 wads per. My lube is 50-50 baby bell cheese wax and crisco. Works great on wads as well as on Minnie balls. I`d probably buy them if there was a supplier handy to my location though. My wife works in the supply section on the base and i have a pretty much unlimited supply ot the felt insoles.

 

[Thomas.bill92]

Punch mine from old military boot insoles- the winter boots. Then slice them and get 4 wads per. My lube is 50-50 baby bell cheese wax and crisco. Works great on wads as well as on Minnie balls. I`d probably buy them if there was a supplier handy to my location though. My wife works in the supply section on the base and i have a pretty much unlimited supply ot the felt insoles.

Well looks like I'm gonna be buying a lot more babybel cheese...

 

[eggwelder]

Baby-bell wax has a high melting point untill mixed with the shortening. it does not seem to go rancid. it stays "sticky" used as a minnie ball lube, and won`t crack off in storage. it can also be applied cold with a finger in the field. i use plastic clamshell containers that socks and underwear sometimes come in to store them in.- i don`t have to drive to a range anymore as there is now one in my yard.
on the wads, i drop them into the melted lube till they are soaked, then wring them out with gentle pressure. gets rid of excess lube and you can use it in your next batch. they "harden" within minutes. keep those in a ziplock.

on cleaning, the fouling comes out very easily with hot soapy water

 

[mooman76]

2 questions; 1) Where do you procure your lamb fat/tallow? 2) Can you punch them closer together or do they not punch out as well if they are spaced closer? Seems like more could be punched out of that material. I used to be a Chef and was able to get all the lamb fat I wanted. Lamb tallow in my opinion is the best tallow there is. I no longer have a source and all our local stores only sell commercially packaged lamb.

Looks like he could go back and punch some out between punches.

 

[TheBoat]

I have some punches like that from my Grandfather that must be 100-150 years old. they still work great and keeping them sharp is a challenge. can rub the ouside on a wetstone, but its not perfectly round. any hints? ANd why do you need wads on the revolver at all. I have shot mine a bit without any wads and it works fine. Been using store bought round balls since I let a guy borrow my conical mold ( along with my 50 cal round ball mold and my 12 Ga Slug mold) he promised to make me some cast bulletts and fishing sinkes. he kept my molds and never made me anything. I did not know him personally as it was arranged by a mutual friend,. I was going to take them both Deep Sea fishing and he is somewhere in the White Mountains. Ill never see the mold again. too bad as the conical one was made to pit the pistol and they worked perfect with just some crisco on them. Can you uses cotton balls for wads? Maybe with Lard on them? Sold my lead pot and gave away about 500 pounds of lead when I moved, just cant take it all with ya, so it does not really matter I guess.

 

[sawyer04]

Just a suggestion if the equipment is available. I use a round punch from Harbor Freight set . Set in a cheap drill press and cut the wads out. Takes away from the pounding and the punch stays sharp longer without all the bangs. This will work on a pile of patches also.

 

[sheriff john]

Deer fat melted down and allowed to harden has been my "tallow" for decades. Pour it into a Mason jar, keep the lid sealed and it stays good. Strained it through an old sock.

 

[Rudall]

In the UK I bought mutton tallow that was intended for use by plumbers. Dirt cheap. If it’s the same in the USA it is probably cheaper than buying it as intended for shooters.

 

[TrapperDude]

Is there a risk of contaminating the powder with a wad that's fully saturated with lube? As I've stated in other threads, my practical experience is limited, so I go off of things I've read, and one article talked about the importance of keeping lube away from the powder.

I put cork discs over the powder in my cylinders and use my fingertip to put lube around the chamber mouths before ramming the balls home. So far, eight-cylinder range trips go off without a loss of accuracy, as the lube keeps the fouling soft in the bore.

Am I being too careful, or would I just be better off putting some lube directly on top of the cork discs?

 

[TheBoat]

Very simple to make your own Lard. when your cooking a Pork Butt, I usually cook a few every year, trim off all the skin and fat and put it in a covered bowl in the microwave if you have one or in a Pot with lid on low heat. let it all melt down until you have clear Pork Fat. Its good for cooking many things, and also if you mix it with wax and some soap you have great boolit lube. I just soak some old t shirt cloth in it and use it as wads.

 

[Brokennock]

I usually have at least one thin card (sold as "over shot" cards) between powder and lubed wad on my small game and pheasant loads. Those wads are super heavily lubed and generally are not lubed with a wet drippy lube anyway.
On the Skychief load for turkey hunting there is a thicker "nitro card", then shot, then thin card, between the powder and the heavily lubed wad that sits atop everything.