Over-powder or Nitro card?

[Eterry]

I got a sample pack from Flintlocks, Inc...AKA Mike's, and inside were over-powder and Nitro card wads...fiber and overshot also.

The Nitro cards are thicker (.080 iirc) than the overpowder wads (.035).

Who uses the Nitro wads? They seemed to cause better penetration of the sheet metal pattern board i shot at a little more than same load with overpowder cards.

Thoughts, opinion, advice ?

 

[Eterry]

No one uses an overpowder wad or a Nitro Wad? I guess i can call Mike's and ask his advice, thought someone would chime in.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Too difficult to ram in my opinion.
I just use overshot cards.

B.

 

[Historian]

I use 1 gauge larger leather over powder wads I cut myself. 19ga for 20. 9ga for 10ga. etc. They seal better and are more flexible. Simple to make and leather is harder to burn which is a plus if you are fire conscious. Just my opinion.

 

[RP3543]

Overshot cards for Skeet and Trap. Other types of cards/wads don't improve things enough to bother.
Wads of Newsprint when hunting, just be mindful of Fire hazard/conditions.

 

[BrownBear]

I use Type A "nitro" cards from TOW between powder and shot. If I keep my fiber wad well lubed (olive oil) to keep fouling soft, the Type A's are not difficult to seat as they do a terrific job of scraping fouling down the bore onto the top of the powder to be ejected on the next shot. It's not uncommon to go as many as 50 shots in a day of ptarmigan or snowshoe hare hunting, and I've never had to swab. How can I beat that for an extra 8 ounces of effort seating those Type A's?

 

[Eterry]

Overshot cards for Skeet and Trap. Other types of cards/wads don't improve things enough to bother.
Wads of Newsprint when hunting, just be mindful of Fire hazard/conditions.

Are you saying you use over shot wads for shot AND powder?
Just trying to clarify.

 

[Eterry]

BTW, I'm using a blend of Murphy's oil soap and water for lube. I saw guys shoot all day on the trap range with it and no issues.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Thoughts, opinion, advice ?

I use a 1/2" fiber wad lubed with 50/50 beeswax and olive oil on the powder. On top of that I use a newsprint "cartridge" that holds the shot. No need for a nitro wad nor an overshot card.

LD

 

[Feltwad]

I have always used two 1/8 card wads over the powder which I cut from 1/8 card {not nitro wads} then the shot and finish with a 1/16 over shot card wad which I also cut. You will find that nitro wads are too hard and take a lot of ramming down
Feltwad

 

[RP3543]

Are you saying you use over shot wads for shot AND powder?
Just trying to clarify.

Yes, Usually a couple of over-shot cards over the powder and one card over the shot.
Depends on the gun...

 

[RP3543]

BTW, I'm using a blend of Murphy's oil soap and water for lube. I saw guys shoot all day on the trap range with it and no issues.

When Skeet shooting I use 50/40/10 mix of Castor oil/alcohol/Murphy's in a spray bottle. One squirt in each barrel after I dump the shot and before the final card wad.
Murphy's and water works also. Ballistol, Simple Green, etc...They all help with fouling.

When hunting I don't bother with lube.

 

[jrmflintlock]

I guess I was waiting to see what other would say.

I have a bunch of 1/8 thick over powder wads, not sure if they are "Nitro". I put them over the shot not over the powder.

My best load is 70 g FFF, a lubed Dry felt wad, 90 g volume #6 shot, the heavy over powder wad and then a sloppy wet with olive oil 1/2 inch fiber wad.

Mine look like this:

 

[Eterry]

Too difficult to ram in my opinion.
I just use overshot cards.

B.

Britt, i respect your advice, no one can deny your constant use of ML's, and you hunt more with a ML than anyone i know... but when i used the thin over shot cards the load sounded... weak... the guy helping me at the pattern board said it sounded Punky and to use more powder, then saw i was using OS cards only. He gave me some nitro cards, they WERE harder to load, a little, but sounded like much better ignition.
The sample pack came in the next day, I've tried them all... the nitro OP card, shot, then OS card seem to hit harder with better ignition.

 

[Feltwad]

Never use card wads that are less than 1/16 thick in a muzzle loading smoothbore , burst barrels are known because the use of them they are prone to be by passed by the ramrod and left on the bore wall this when the gun is ignited becomes a obstruction and ends in a bulge or worse a burst barrel . If you are shooting many loads in a day you will witness the bore becoming coked with fouling making it difficult to seat the card wads a bit of spittle in the bore is a big help.
Feltwad

Using a thin card wad

.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Britt, i respect your advice, no one can deny your constant use of ML's, and you hunt more with a ML than anyone i know... but when i used the thin over shot cards the load sounded... weak... the guy helping me at the pattern board said it sounded Punky and to use more powder, then saw i was using OS cards only. He gave me some nitro cards, they WERE harder to load, a little, but sounded like much better ignition.
The sample pack came in the next day, I've tried them all... the nitro OP card, shot, then OS card seem to hit harder with better ignition.

Put about four on the powder.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Never use card wads that are less than 1/16 thick in a muzzle loading smoothbore , burst barrels are known because the use of them they are prone to be by passed by the ramrod and left on the bore wall this when the gun is ignited becomes a obstruction and ends in a bulge or worse a burst barrel . If you are shooting many loads in a day you will witness the bore becoming coked with fouling making it difficult to seat the card wads a bit of spittle in the bore is a big help.
Feltwad

Using a thin card wad

.

That burst barrel has nothing to do with thin cards friend but everything to do with a fool doing the loading.

 

[Feltwad]

That burst barrel has nothing to do with thin cards friend but everything to do with a fool doing the loading.

I am afraid you wrong I witnessed this it was loaded by a top muzzle loading shot at both game and clays with many decades of experience.
Feltwad

 

[Britsmoothy]

I am afraid you wrong I witnessed this it was loaded by a top muzzle loading shot at both game and clays with many decades of experience.
Feltwad

Must of been distracted then.

Many many shots have been shot using thin cards for many many decades by many many people and I am aware of no burst barrel attributed to their use without any shadow of doubt of any other possible contributing factor so I may be wrong and them too but I and my opinion remains the same.
Sorry.
B.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Terry.
Muzzleloader smoothbores offer little resistance to the burning powder unlike a cartridge can.
You can however switch to finer powder to up initial pressure or add more shot or add a wet fibre wad on top of the shot.

B.