Should the premade over powder wads be dry or greased? They sell them either way.
PD
PD
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Over Powder Wad Question
- Thread starter Dixieshedhunter
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Buy both and see , I make my own from Dura felt and use both for different applications . No way I would use store bought cause for lubed using different lubes , I make my own . Again different applications !/Ed
Brokennock
Cannon
He could also be talking about felt wads, or even nitro "cards"
Brokennock
Cannon
What are you loading them in?
I prefer to not have a lubed wad or patch sitting against my powder.
When I still had a rifle and shot patched round ball, I used a very thin fiber wad/card unlubed (I think they were meant for revolvers, seemed like gasket material).
With my smoothbores I usually use a thin "overshot" card on top of the powder, then some type of lubed wad, usually either felt or tow. One gun seems to shoot roundball better with an unlubed felt was on the powder, then the lubed wadding, it doesn't seem to like any type of stiff/hard card or wad between powder and projectile.
Felt wad, commercial, over a 80 grain 3F charge in a .54 rifle. Speculative at this point. I am wondering if this might shrink a few flyers.
PD
PD
I don't know for sure that a lubricated felt wad over the powder and under your patched round ball would improve accuracy. Walter Cline seemed to think it would, but if it really helped, you would think it would be a more common practice. You'll just have to try it and see.
I don't shoot well enough to notice a difference in accuracy, but I have started using a lubricated felt wad under the patched round ball in one of my rifles, and I'll probably try it in the others. I was getting burnt patches in that particular rifle, despite experimenting with ball size and patch thickness. The wad took care of the problem.
Also, the additional lube in a felt wad really makes a difference in keeping the fouling soft and making loading easy.
I prefer to buy the wool felt wads dry and lubricate them myself. If you buy them pre-lubed, your choice of lubricant is determined by the people who made the wads. I don't especially like the Wonderful Lubes and Bore Butters that are out there, and without having any scientific evidence to back up the opinion, I think these lubricants go bad in time. If you do a lot of shooting this may not matter because you'll shoot them up before they go bad and lose their effectiveness, but I don't shoot as much as I would like, and for me it works best to lube a batch of wads before going to the range.
We don't really need to start another lube thread, but just for the record, I use Old Zip Patch Grease (80% mutton tallow and 20% beeswax) from Dixie, or straight buffalo tallow I rendered myself. Dixie has sadly discontinued "Old Zip," but an extraordinarily generous forum brother spontaneously gifted me several un-used tins of it, and I'm fixed for the foreseeable future. Anyway, you put your tin of lube in a double boiler and when it melts, drop in the dry felt wads one or two at a time. They fill up with lube instantly. Lift them out with forceps and lay them on a pie plate or foil to cool. You can scrape the excess tallow back into your container after the wads have cooled and been picked up. I treat my patches the same way.
The wads and patches lubricated in this way are mighty greasy. I bought a great big tin cup that leaks from Dixie (#CW0207 Tin Drinking Cup) and put the wads and patches in that. The cup can stand on the bench at the range, or you can thread your belt through the handle and thus carry it on your person so it's handy. Either way, it helps keep the grease off the rest of your plunder.
My thoughts on the topic, for what they are worth.
Notchy Bob
I don't shoot well enough to notice a difference in accuracy, but I have started using a lubricated felt wad under the patched round ball in one of my rifles, and I'll probably try it in the others. I was getting burnt patches in that particular rifle, despite experimenting with ball size and patch thickness. The wad took care of the problem.
Also, the additional lube in a felt wad really makes a difference in keeping the fouling soft and making loading easy.
I prefer to buy the wool felt wads dry and lubricate them myself. If you buy them pre-lubed, your choice of lubricant is determined by the people who made the wads. I don't especially like the Wonderful Lubes and Bore Butters that are out there, and without having any scientific evidence to back up the opinion, I think these lubricants go bad in time. If you do a lot of shooting this may not matter because you'll shoot them up before they go bad and lose their effectiveness, but I don't shoot as much as I would like, and for me it works best to lube a batch of wads before going to the range.
We don't really need to start another lube thread, but just for the record, I use Old Zip Patch Grease (80% mutton tallow and 20% beeswax) from Dixie, or straight buffalo tallow I rendered myself. Dixie has sadly discontinued "Old Zip," but an extraordinarily generous forum brother spontaneously gifted me several un-used tins of it, and I'm fixed for the foreseeable future. Anyway, you put your tin of lube in a double boiler and when it melts, drop in the dry felt wads one or two at a time. They fill up with lube instantly. Lift them out with forceps and lay them on a pie plate or foil to cool. You can scrape the excess tallow back into your container after the wads have cooled and been picked up. I treat my patches the same way.
The wads and patches lubricated in this way are mighty greasy. I bought a great big tin cup that leaks from Dixie (#CW0207 Tin Drinking Cup) and put the wads and patches in that. The cup can stand on the bench at the range, or you can thread your belt through the handle and thus carry it on your person so it's handy. Either way, it helps keep the grease off the rest of your plunder.
My thoughts on the topic, for what they are worth.
Notchy Bob
Last edited:
Many thanks!
PD
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What are you using for patch lube.
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i use durafelt wads lubed over powder, under conical. have found it improves my accuracy, and when you are as bad a shooter as i am you need all the help you can muster!
tried the same under PRB and found it a waste of felt and time.
i conjure up my own lube from bear fat and wax. all i use anymore.
tried the same under PRB and found it a waste of felt and time.
i conjure up my own lube from bear fat and wax. all i use anymore.
I use bore butter until I run out. I have tons of bear fat and bees wax here, I am sure I could make my own stuff. I worry about a lubed wad dampening the powder charge over extended loaded periods.
PD
PD
Brokennock
Cannon
If you're seating a lubed patched ball on top of it, I would forgo lubing the wad.
I wasn't using that thin gasket wad under my prb to get X cutting target scores. Just separating lubed patch from dry powder. But, I found I could go to an easier to start (thumb start instead of that dumb "short starter) and seat patch/ball combo with the wad and get the same accuracy as the tight load that needed extra bs to load.
I'm thinking perhaps a thicker patch might be more productive speculation for your desired goal, if you're shooting round ball. The only thing a wad will do for you is reduce fouling, but not improve accuracy (in my limited experience, anyway, wrt been there tried that).
Many use dry over the powder card wads when loading lubricated patched round balls for hunting, especially when my rifle or pistol may remain unfired for a few days or weeks to prevent powder from being contaminated.
When loading my cap & ball revolvers I place a thin card wad over the powder followed by a lubed felt wad & ball/bullet.s
When shooting lubed slugs or minis', placing a dry card over the powder helps prevent powder contamination & deforming base of the projectile when fired.
Hope this info helps, has worked well for me.
Relic shooter
Nitro wads / cards are stiff, hard and dry.
They provide a flat stable surface for the expanding gasses to push against under the cushion wad. The cushion wad is plyable and under presser it expands to fill the bore and seal the gasses below the shot. Often folks place a second nitro card over the cushion wad to further promote even pressure at the base of the shot. This helps prevent the shot from "wedging". Wedging disturbs the shot from exiting evenly, the effect is simular to having a bullet exit the barrel with an crooked base. Gas jetting at exit will push the shot string unpredictably away from its center altering the pattern.
