Overshot card versus over powder card

[Larry (Omaha)]

When shooting a 20 guage smoothbore long gun, I see all kinds of loading methods and ask: Really what difference does it make if you use a overpowder card for over shot? I have witnessed the reverse, but a thin overshot card to me is not going to seal the gases as well when placed over powder. My smoothie build should be ready come Spring. Any good thoughts on wad usage in a smoothie would be appreciated.
I know....... try what works and I will do that, just want to hear from those who have been there
Thanks
Larry

 

[andy52]

I've tried just about all the combos and honestly just the plain old nitro card, fiber wad, and overshot card work just about as good as any.

 

[tenngun]

When shooting a 20 guage smoothbore long gun, I see all kinds of loading methods and ask: Really what difference does it make if you use a overpowder card for over shot? I have witnessed the reverse, but a thin overshot card to me is not going to seal the gases as well when placed over powder. My smoothie build should be ready come Spring. Any good thoughts on wad usage in a smoothie would be appreciated.
I know....... try what works and I will do that, just want to hear from those who have been there
Thanks
Larry

It’s seems easier to get the thin card down, some use two, a nick on one edge to let the air escape when raming home.
2x1 inch brown paper folded in half is good and easy
Some ways for some shooters work better then other, but you have a close range gun, so experiment and see what’s best for you

 

[Brokennock]

I usually find it better to just use a thin "overshot" card for over powder too, sometimes using a few. The only time I use a nitro card or a so called "cushion wad" is for the Skychief load. Otherwise it is usually: powder, thin card/s lubed wad/wadding, projectile, thin card/s.
Try both and see what works for you. Decide for yourself what is an acceptable difference in results to worry about. For me, if the pattern for small game and pheasant is comparable between a thin card over powder and a nitro card, I'll use the thin card/s because it is less different stuff to carry and keep organized,,, and they seat easier than nitro cards on subsequent shots.

 

[TCMonts]

I think most would say to use two or three thin cards over powder. I have also used a thin card under a 1/8" felt wad because I felt it sealed better than a felt wad alone. Some have good luck with loose corn meal or something similar that you wouldn't think would seal very well at all, really depends on what the gun likes.

 

[IanH]

Corn meal turns into a solid plug and seals very well when it is smashed between an ounce + of shot and 12K PSI of gas pressure.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Don't over think it, why are my words in bold...?
Nitro card usually involves a separate ramming if it's the tight seal you desire. Why add to the work involved loading the gun?
use the wrong nitro card and break your rammer!
most nitro cards are sized to fit cartridge dimensions and not the bore of a shotgun.

Performance does not depend on a perceived seal.
often , the powder aids the sealing itself.
and of course, use 3f or finer powder.
what is wrong with my phone!! Stupid bloody thing...

 

[TreeMan]

I just use two thin cards over powder and two over shot. When out hunting I don’t feel like fumbling for a bunch of different components trying to reload. It kills what I aim at. I have a whole drawer full of wads, TOW and nitro cards that never get used.

 

[Kev308]

I have a .625 punch and made over shot cards from primer tray covers. After trying all manner of set ups I have found that powder/cornmeal/shot and one card to cover it all works best in my gun.
One thing seems certain about shot loads and smoothbores and that is that every gun is different

 

[DanL]

Start out by using the simplest and cheapest method of wads, cards, and load column. If your pattern is not satisfactory, change/add something like a 1/8" nitro card, 1/2" fiber wad or something else. Remember to only change one thing/variable at the time and keep notes. Don't obsess over what our G-Grandpappy did. Find something that works for you. Next is to find a way to carry all of your load items. Maybe a possibles bag or haversack. Keep the list of load items as simple and as few items as possible but make allowances to carry the items that make your gun work in the most optimum way possible.

Some folks like the process to be simple by using only powder, over-powder card, shot, over-shot card. If it works for you then use it. Others may need to add or change the load column like using the "SkyChief" load. I made up a Blackpowder Vest with plenty of pockets to carry all items needed for shooting shot or roundball. After a couple of outings, you will know which item is in which pocket. It sounds complicated but it is not. All I have to do is grab my vest and smoothbore and go to the woods. Everything I need is in that vest and kept up-to-date considering items that I may need on any given hunt or outing.

Enjoy the process!
DanL

 

[Bill Bryan]

I've got an antique Belgian percussion 20 gauge side by side. I've tried all the thin cards and patches. I've finally decided that a thick lubricated wad over the powder charge and the same wad over the shoot is best for me. It doesn't seem to effect the pattern and is less likely to become dislodged in the second barrel after the first shoot. Bill

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Get your gun jug choked. Best thing for patterns you can do.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

Get your gun jug choked. Best thing for patterns you can do.

Where did you send yours to have that done?

OP- I have used:

Nitro-cushion-overshot combo. Lots of fiddling and digging if you're shooting from the pouch. Nitro card can be hard to load after a few shots. This combo will also produce the most recoil.

Two felt wads over powder and one felt wad over shot. Makes a decent pattern and you only carry one type of wadding. I've nailed quite a few squizzy's with this combo. Pour powder, start one dry wad, start a second wad, soaked in spit, seat both of those, then your shot, then another wad on top. makes for a fast and easy reload. An arch punch to make your own felt wads is worth the purchase.

Two felt wads, a plastic 4 petal cushioned shot cup, shot, then another felt wad as an overshot. For me, this combo has made the best pattern, for obvious reasons. There will be some plastic residue, but when cleaning with boiling water, it scalds it right off the sides and it floats right up to the top. Cleanup is no more of a chore than if you weren't using them. Before going out in the woods, I stick the 3 felt wads inside the plastic shot cup and cover the top with a piece of tape. No fiddling looking for your components when loading, just reach in and grab a shot cup and its all there.

All of these combinations are also compatible with a bare or patched roundball. Muzzleloading is great. Easiest custom load shooting sport on the planet.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I have a guy that lives 15 miles down the road do all of mine. He's in bad shape these days.

 

[Gun Tramp]

what is wrong with my phone!! Stupid bloody thing...

What kind of lube are you using?

 

[Sparkitoff]

I just patterned a SxS 24 gauge this past weekend. What worked best was the hard, but thin "over-powder card" sold by Circle-Fly (in 24-gauge). I put one down dry on the powder and the other wet from keeping it in my mouth. I thumb start them on their side and ram them down together at once. Then the powder and one of the "over-shot" thin, white cards also from Circle-Fly. There seemed to be no interference from the wads in the pattern. I've got 4 other ML shotguns, and each has a preference of with what and how to load it. The few loads that registered on the chronograph showed that these had a more consistent velocity than when I used just the thin white over-powder cards. The high velocity varied by 84 FPS but the SD of the loads with "over-powder" cards (1 dry, 1 wet), poured shot and then 1 "over-shot" card had only 25 FPS standard deviation with the 10-shot trial run, and the best velocity (in this case 1090 FPS). BTW, I used 3F Goex.

OP asked, "what difference does it make" (Hillary Clinton asked that too). Well, in this case it made a difference regarding velocity and consistency (low SD). Specifically, you asked "what difference does it make ... if you use over-powder card for over shot"? With this gun, the difference was a distinct hole in the pattern about the size of my open hand in various spots on the pattern. When I went to the thin over-shot card (over the shot) the holes in the pattern went away.

 

[Britsmoothy]

What kind of lube are you using?

On my phone? None.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Oh for pete's sake Brit, that was an attempt at humor. I thought it was hilarious.

 

[Timmit]

I had my barrel jug choked by Lowell Tennyson. He did a great job of giving my Colrain barrel a full choke for my turkey hunting. He asked me what degree of jug choke I wanted and I told him my intended use for the gun and he sure tightened my patterns up. He does not recommend using round balls out of it after jug choking though. I do not know if he is still doing the work though. The phone number I contacted him at is 563-381-3711.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

I had my barrel jug choked by Lowell Tennyson. He did a great job of giving my Colrain barrel a full choke for my turkey hunting. He asked me what degree of jug choke I wanted and I told him my intended use for the gun and he sure tightened my patterns up. He does not recommend using round balls out of it after jug choking though. I do not know if he is still doing the work though. The phone number I contacted him at is 563-381-3711.

That's my guy. He was not doing well last time I saw him.