My patterns when wadding with tow stink!

[MountainSmoke]

Hello friends, I am having a real hard time getting a decent pattern with my cylinder bored 12 gauge when I am using tow or similar natural wadding such as green leaves or shredded cedar bark. Just to be clear I am loading powder charge,wad of tow followed by shot followed by another wad of tow. I know that I can use various cards and such and probably get a decent pattern but I really like the idea and ease of loading of these natural materials. I have tried various shot to powder ratios from 70 grains of 2f and an ounce of shot all the way up to 100 grains of powder and one and a half ounces of shot and while the heavier shot loads are a bit better they still are pretty lame in my opinion. I am using # 5 shot by the way. Any tips? All I am after is a consistently good pattern that will smoke a squirrel at 20 yards. They don't seem to be a donut pattern they are just way too spread out. Smaller shot size maybe? I have read and heard of many historical accounts of these types of wadding being used so they must have worked. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Ditch the tow. Especially up front.
If your going to put something that expands rapidly on leaving the muzzle its gonna reap havoc on the shot.

 

[Griz44Mag]

Just because that's the way they used to do it "back in the day" does not mean that's the best way to get the best results.
So you need to decide between total originality and decent accuracy.
They both have their pros and cons.
With my medieval hakenbusche I go totally medieval and use tow, It's just way too kool to go all original with a 1350's weapon.
With my Bess I use a patched roundball - because I like to be accurate (as accurate as a Bess can actually be.)
With TOW, you will have to make that choice.

 

[MountainSmoke]

Ditch the tow. Especially up front.
If your going to put something that expands rapidly on leaving the muzzle its gonna reap havoc on the shot.

That makes a lot of sense. Thank you sir.

 

[George]

Here are some of my results using only tow OP and OS. They have worked well for squirrels. I used 70 gr. 2F and equal volume of #6 shot in my 20 gauge flintlock cylinder bore.

I thought the loads were low velocity and power so I started adding a folded brown paper, as used in the day, as an overpowder wad. That improved the velocity/power and retained the pattern out to 25 yards.

Penetration is good.

Spence

 

[Britsmoothy]

Here are some of my results using only tow OP and OS. They have worked well for squirrels. I used 70 gr. 2F and equal volume of #6 shot in my 20 gauge flintlock cylinder bore.

View attachment 46076

View attachment 46077
View attachment 46078

I thought the loads were low velocity and power so I started adding a folded brown paper, as used in the day, as an overpowder wad. That improved the velocity/power and retained the pattern out to 25 yards.
View attachment 46083

Penetration is good.
View attachment 46087

Spence

Can't argue with that!

B.

 

[Skychief]

Your post reminds me that I have some super cantaloupe wedges in the fridge to tackle.

Thanks Spence.

 

[MountainSmoke]

Thanks Spence for pictures and I am definitely going to give the cut paper over powder a try.

 

[Eterry]

Blue Bell for $3.99 and pork and beans 2 for a dollar??? I need to come shopping.


That's some nice patterns, btw

 

[George]

Thanks Spence for pictures and I am definitely going to give the cut paper over powder a try.

From Thomas Page, 1767, "The Art of Shooting Flying":
"But I cannot yet find any thing better, or so ready as thin brown paper rubbed soft, and cut into pieces about one inch broad and two inches long; so that when it is once doubled, it is an inch square. I punch a small hole at the corner of each piece, put a sufficient quantity upon a key-ring, hang them into my button hole, and tear off one as I want it. This being doubled, put it into to the muzzle, and close the corners up about the rammer (the end of which ought to continue of the same bigness for at least half an inch, or rather somewhat smaller just at the end) and thrust the paper thus put into the barrel gently down upon the powder. Your rammer will come back without danger of drawing the paper back, and will leave it closed against the sides of the barrel like a half cartridge. Put in another in the same manner after the shot. When your gun is quite clean, it is necessary to put in a second wad after the shot, to prevent its getting loose."

I cary them on a clip I made so I can just pull them off as needed. Page was using a 20-gauge, as I am, so I make mine 1" x 2" as he recommended.

Spence

 

[MountainSmoke]

Thank you so much for that post Spence. I just love to read historical references like that, so interesting. Really appreciate your step by step pictures. I can't wait to try this.

 

[George]

MountainSmoke, you mentioned cedar bark wadding, and I've had a fair amount of experience with that. I've killed all the normal game I hunt, squirrel, rabbit, dove, turkey and deer, using it. These days I also use paper wad over powder when using cedar wadding, but here are two patterns before I started doing that, just cedar bark over both powder and shot, for my turkey load for that gun. It was 85 grains 2F and 1 3/8 ounces of #6 shot. First pattern was at 25 yards.

Second pattern, my favorite, was at 18 yards.

Spence

 

[MountainSmoke]

That's a nice looking bird! Great to hear about your experience using cedar bark. To me there is just something very satisfying about using these natural types of wadding. I can tell that you feel the same way. Thanks for your help

 

[Crow-Feather]

Question, did felt wadding not exist in the days of black powder shotguns? I bought one hundred wads and cut them in half and they work well.

 

[George]

Question, did felt wadding not exist in the days of black powder shotguns? I bought one hundred wads and cut them in half and they work well.

Yes, they did, but probably not in the form we have. They talk about wads punched from "hat", and in that period it would be a thin, dense, fairly hard felt, I imagine. Hat was high up on their list of favorite wads.

Spence

 

[NorthFork]

I am very fond of the patterns I get from tow and folded paper wad loads. Powder+ folded paper wad + lubed tow + shot + lubed tow. Between that load and the famed SkyChief load I'm all set.

 

[toot]

Here are some of my results using only tow OP and OS. They have worked well for squirrels. I used 70 gr. 2F and equal volume of #6 shot in my 20 gauge flintlock cylinder bore.

View attachment 46076

View attachment 46077
View attachment 46078

I thought the loads were low velocity and power so I started adding a folded brown paper, as used in the day, as an overpowder wad. That improved the velocity/power and retained the pattern out to 25 yards.
View attachment 46083

Penetration is good.
View attachment 46087

Spence

you Shure shot up a lot of vegetables & some ,meat. we eat tonight!

 

[NorthFork]

@MountainSmoke

Search this site for the SkyChief load if you need tighter patterns for longer distance squirrels. It really does work well.

edit- if you try the folded paper, you will need a slightly larger piece for 12 guage, The 1x2" worked well for 20's. I use 1 1/8"x 2 1/4" or 1 1/4"x 2 1/2"" for 12 guage.

 

[rich pierce]

Without getting into the weeds too much, for those using over powder tow, is it a good wad twisted up or a modest wad simply rammed in? I’m wondering if packing and amount make a difference.

 

[NorthFork]

@rich pierce

I form a ball roughly the size of a walnut (19 gauge trade gun), swipe it across a tin of TOTW mink oil, and ram home. In my 12 gauge english fowler, I use enough tow to form about 1 1/2 walnut sized balls, otherwise same process.