over powder wads in a flint lock?

[bowjock]

How many of you use an over the powder wad in a flinter. I know the inlines do improve with them, but open to suggestions on a flinter with patch and ball? :hmm:

 

[roundball]

How many of you use an over the powder wad in a flinter. I know the inlines do improve with them, but open to suggestions on a flinter with patch and ball? :hmm:

I use OxYoke wonderwads in all my hunting loads...first inlines, then sidelock percussions, now flintlocks...the ignition type is really of no consequence to the purpose of the wad.

Better seal behind the projectile gives more velocity, improves shot-to-shot consistency, extra lube in the bore to minimize fouling and eliminate need to wipe between shots for patched balls, etc.

I don't use them with light target loads, but with all full power hunting loads

 

[Ohio Joe]

I don't use over powder wads, but in a sense I do for my hunting loads... By this I mean that I use not quite half of a cotton ball to seperate the charge from my patched roundball.

Cotton compresses good and it absorbs any patch lube that may foul a small portion of the load, though that would be very minimal. I have hunted all day without using cotton as a lube buffer and have never had any trouble with a fouled load during hunting season. Just thought I'd pass this along.

I know some folks use a dry patch as a buffer between the powder and lubed patch, but I like the cotton. :thumbsup:

 

[BambiSlayer]

Bowjock; I use wonder wads over powder in my hunting PRB loads. its like roundball said wonder wads help clean fouling,cushion recoil,and help seal the bore providing slightly higher velocitys. I have chronographed my 54cal using the same componets with/without a wonderwad.(results) 90grns-fff,WW,.530-PRB = 1698fps +/-20fps/ 90grns-fff,.530-PRB = 1558fps +/-30fps. :results::thumbsup: Now as for accuracy I havent found much difference unless you are constantly shooting 150yds+ or just like using those heavy loads. For shooting target I hang with 50-70grns-fff the wonderwads dont give me much help on target charges. :m2c:

 

[Rat]

In Bloody Bess, some heavy loads of fg will burn the patch pretty bad...but use a wonder wad and the same load produces a patch that could be used again. So I'm pretty sold on them. Definately protects your ball and patch from the burning powder.

I use a tight patch/ball combo in Bess, and with Swiss powder and a WW I can get up to six shots without wiping. Normally shot #3 would be getting really hard to ram home.

I know it sounds backwards, but in Bess sometimes fg will smoke the patch, where ffg and fffg won't...!!?!?!? But again with the wonder wad NOTHING smokes the patch.

Rat

 

[2172]

Bowjack, I hadn't thought of this, so a couple of questions: 1. I assume you do patch the ball as well, correct?
2. what size(s) of wad for what caliber..I mean, do I use the .45 wads for my Ruger Old Army in my .45 rifle? what do you put in a .50?
Hank

 

I use a buffer between the patched ball and the powder charge in any muzzleloading gun. The reason is to prevent the patch lubricant from fouling the powder.
: In my rifles and smoothbores, there is no increase in velocity with using a wad (card, fibre or cloth) between the powder and patched ball as there is no blow-by on my tight fitting ball/patch combinations. Some othe rcombinations may show the increase. If that is the situation, perhaps a reasessment of the combination is in order.
: When confronted with this lack of vel. increase with a wad by an NAPR member at a shoot, Fadala chrono'd the fellow's tight fitting load and found that putting a wad between the ball and powder didn't increase his velocity as it did in Fadala's own rifle. When I repeated the test for myself, back in the 80's, I found the same thing - no change in velocity with or without the light Ox-yoke wad. The wad does, however, allow the charge to remain non-effected for a period of time, as in the entire season if need be. Personally, I'd discharge, clean and re-load at least every month. The longest I have gone is 2 months, then targeting the shot, obtained a centre hit. I was satisfied with the results. A card, as in tablet backing, or thicker as in cut from a monopoly board at .1" is very good. OxYoke wads increse the cost of shooting, and aren't necessary, as a card wad works just fine.

 

[bowjock]

what I use right now is the Remmington .50 cal wads in me Encore.....and they work great...but have not tried them with patch and ball yet in either of my percussion or flint...but going to

 

I should have qualified that statement- I use a wad of sme sort- ONLY when hunting. When shooting on the range or in competition ther is NO WAD on the powder. It's only use for me is to separate the lubricant that's on the patch, from the powder, to prevent migration of the lube that will contaminate the charge and give sub-standard results.