Prelubed cushion wads arrived...

[roundball]

Hot Dog !! My .54 & .62cal Circle Fly prelubed wads arrived today... :thumbsup:

Hoped they'd get here before the weekend so I can pattern test them Saturday...and also see if they'll truly let me shoot without wiping between shots.

Dove season opener is just three weeks...

 

[Leonredbeard]

Roundball,
I use non lubed fiber wads. With a plastic squeeze bottle with a little spout, I dribbled alcohol/oil soap on the edge all the way around the wad. With this I have a CLEAN barrel all the way down to the over powder card, EVERY loading.
Just a thought. Have fun, hope it works well.
volatpluvia

 

[roundball]

Roundball,
I use non lubed fiber wads. With a plastic squeeze bottle with a little spout, I dribbled alcohol/oil soap on the edge all the way around the wad. With this I have a CLEAN barrel all the way down to the over powder card, EVERY loading.
Just a thought. Have fun, hope it works well.
volatpluvia

Yes, that's the goal...that's what these prelubed wads are supposed to do

 

[shootemup]

Please post your results Roundball, I'd like to know how it goes with the pre-lubed wads...
Mark

 

[MikeC]

Roundball,
I use non lubed fiber wads. With a plastic squeeze bottle with a little spout, I dribbled alcohol/oil soap on the edge all the way around the wad. With this I have a CLEAN barrel all the way down to the over powder card, EVERY loading.
Just a thought. Have fun, hope it works well.
volatpluvia

What ratio of alcohol to oil soap are you using?

 

[roundball]

Please post your results Roundball, I'd like to know how it goes with the pre-lubed wads...
Mark

Simply FANTASTIC !! I patterned tested the GM .54cal Flint smoothbore barrel using the Circle Fly pre-lubed cushion wads...just kept shooting, experimenting with full wads, 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3 thicknesses...and loading was always easy and consistent shot after shot.

After a while I decided to clean the bore and see what it was like...counted up I had fired 16 shots of 70grns Goex 3F...ran both sides of a TC #13 wet patch down & up, then a dry patch...bore was clean...impressive.

Don't know what kind of lube they use on those fiber cushion wads but it sure keeps things soft so there's never more fouling in the bore at each reload time than the last shot's worth of fouling.

A full size wad opened up the pattern too much to suit me for Doves at 30yds.

A wad sliced to 2/3rds gave a tighter pattern but it was too inconsistent, still leaning a little towards opening the pattern too much...plus it was somewhat difficult to precisely separate off a third of the fiber wad.

A 1/2 wad gave the best pattern by far, and did so consistently.

1/3rd closed the pattern up extremely tight at 30yds, to tight for flying doves but would be outstanding for turkey head shots, squirrels, rabbits, etc, out to the 30yds I was testing at, and possibly to 40yds.

So, the .54cal Dove load I've settled on that will let me shoot repeatedly without wiping between shots is:

70grns Goex 3F
1/2 Circle Fly lubed cushion wad
80grns hard #7.5s
Circle Fly OS card

And after paper testing, I hung heavy metal tuna cans on a coat hanger at 30yds and the #7.5 shot penetrated through the first one and dented the second one...should be a good dove load.

 

[Runner]

Next time out try larger shot sizes. At the size you tested, the lubed cushion wads work great. With the larger shot sizes, they blow holes in the pattern

 

[roundball]

Next time out try larger shot sizes. At the size you tested, the lubed cushion wads work great. With the larger shot sizes, they blow holes in the pattern

Guess I'm missing the logic to that statement...people use cushion wads with all sorts of different sizes of shot...ie: I've use #6s for crows and turkeys very successfully...will be finalizing a .62cal #6 dove load next weekend.

Pattern control is manipulated by the amount of wadding being used...translated, that means manipulating the amount of 'weight' of the wadding so it doesn't drive forward and disrupt the shot column.

 

[Runner]

I am not using any kind of logic. I am reporting results. The heavier the shot, the more problems with cushion wads messing the pattern up. That is what the pattern board says. I don't use any lube at all and no cushion at all unless I am shooting 7.5's or smaller. Any heavier than that and the downside is much larger than the up side. I am using regular short choke tubes, and maybe you will see a different result since your barrel uses a different type of choke. If you want to spread the pattern to a specific density, powder charge provides a fine control on that, and it is consistant from shot to shot. The smaller shot responds to about 1/3 of a cushion wad with an over shot card on top of the cushion very very well. It does not carry thru in the larger shot sizes in my experience. You will see what I mean.

 

[roundball]

Well, basically you're saying that cushion wads which companies make for use in ML smoothbores only work with shot sizes 7.5, 8, and[url] 9...in[/url] all my time spent surfing I'm surprised I've never seen any articles like that.

And for example, I already know from first hand experience that I can alter my .62cal smoothbore patterns of #6's by using 1, 2, or 3 of the 1/8" prelubed wool wads.

I'm just planning to substitute Circle Fly lubed cushion wads as they are much cheaper than the Oxyoke prelubed wool wads...and will be going through the 1/3, 2/3, full wad experiments to see which works best...which in physical comparison, basically parallels the 1, 2, or 3 Oxyoke wool wad configuration experiments I've already run.

So if varying my wool wad configurations do in fact vary my pattern of heavier #6's...and they do...is your point then that the Circle Fly fiber cushion wads specifically are no good with #6s, and not cushion wads in general?

 

[Runner]

If you read my posts, what I said is very plain. You have to reduce your powder load to achieve the same patterns using them that you can get without them. You can leave the lubed cushion wads out, and controll the density of your pattern with your powder load. You can achieve the same patterns but almost 200 fps faster without the lubed cushion wads in the larger shot sizes, and without any holes in the pattern. Cheaper, faster, more consistant.

 

[roundball]

Sorry, what you said was not very plain...and you've basically been morphing this thread with different dimensions to the posts you keep adding...if you have an opinion that cushion wads are no good, fine...that's your opinion...I don't share that opinion and your repeated posts telling so are wasted on me...now you're introducing still yet another dimension about huge velocity gains without them, etc, etc.

My thread was simply about using Circle Fly prelubed wads to avoid having to wipe between shots on a dove field...the results have been fantastic.

End of story

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

You can achieve the same patterns but almost 200 fps faster without the lubed cushion wads in the larger shot sizes, and without any holes in the pattern. Cheaper, faster, more consistant.

Awh shucks ,,, I'll be the skeptic. It's not that I don't believe you per se, but I for one would need to see proof of that via a chronograph before I bought into it.

Now not in a smoothbore, but I have observed many cases, verified by a chrony, where a Wonder Wad or other increased velocity of the otherwise same load, due to improving the 'combustion profile' and burning characteristics of the powder charge.

 

[Dave K]

Roundball, you have to admit, what ever the formula is, that works on the cushions that allows you to shoot all day, is a gawd send. I know I no longer worry about fouling when I am shooting, only breaking the next the clay or dove. I may be wrong, but I am sure the orginal owners of these old guns had it figured out as well. They just took all the info with them and now we are left to rediscover it.

 

[bwhoffman]

Please post your results Roundball, I'd like to know how it goes with the pre-lubed wads...
Mark

Simply FANTASTIC !! I patterned tested the GM .54cal Flint smoothbore barrel using the Circle Fly pre-lubed cushion wads...just kept shooting, experimenting with full wads, 2/3, 1/2, and 1/3 thicknesses...and loading was always easy and consistent shot after shot.

After a while I decided to clean the bore and see what it was like...counted up I had fired 16 shots of 70grns Goex 3F...ran both sides of a TC #13 wet patch down & up, then a dry patch...bore was clean...impressive.

Don't know what kind of lube they use on those fiber cushion wads but it sure keeps things soft so there's never more fouling in the bore at each reload time than the last shot's worth of fouling.

A full size wad opened up the pattern too much to suit me for Doves at 30yds.

A wad sliced to 2/3rds gave a tighter pattern but it was too inconsistent, still leaning a little towards opening the pattern too much...plus it was somewhat difficult to precisely separate off a third of the fiber wad.

A 1/2 wad gave the best pattern by far, and did so consistently.

1/3rd closed the pattern up extremely tight at 30yds, to tight for flying doves but would be outstanding for turkey head shots, squirrels, rabbits, etc, out to the 30yds I was testing at, and possibly to 40yds.

So, the .54cal Dove load I've settled on that will let me shoot repeatedly without wiping between shots is:

70grns Goex 3F
1/2 Circle Fly lubed cushion wad
80grns hard #7.5s
Circle Fly OS card

And after paper testing, I hung heavy metal tuna cans on a coat hanger at 30yds and the #7.5 shot penetrated through the first one and dented the second one...should be a good dove load.

Morning Roundball!
glad your components arrived and you moved forwardwith your test. sounds like the results were what you were looking for and thanks for sharing your results, time and effort.
I for one, appreciate it. It gives me ideas and a point at which to start in working up loads.

have not been led astray by any of your info yet!Keep it coming! :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

Brett

 

[roundball]

Roundball, you have to admit, what ever the formula is, that works on the cushions that allows you to shoot all day, is a gawd send. I know I no longer worry about fouling when I am shooting, only breaking the next the clay or dove. I may be wrong, but I am sure the orginal owners of these old guns had it figured out as well. They just took all the info with them and now we are left to rediscover it.

Couldn't agree more and thanks for putting me on to them Dave...plus they seem to be far more effective than Oxyoke wads...I assume because the cushion wads have more (or better?) lube in them...icing on the cake is that by having to slice them in half they're 1/10th the cost of Oxyoke wads too.
:hatsoff:

The last thing in the world I need to do while trying to shoot doves, trap, or skeet is to stop and waste time wiping the bore after every shot, then deal with all the litter, etc...prelubed cushion wads are one of smoothbore muzzleloading's little treasures for sure
:thumbsup:

 

[Runner]

Not trying to morph anything you rude child. I simply tried to share 30 years of pattern info with you. You will find the same when and if you ever test. As far as not having to swab between shots, I don't do that and I don't use lube. I was trying to be helpful, and your attitude leaves much to be desired as far as manners.
For the person that needs chronograph info, then test what I said. I already did, and before Roundball could drink legally! When doves open, I will thumb start one wad over the powder, drop a load of shot out of the snake down the barrel, and split a piece of another wad off for an over powder wad. I may have to swab after 15 shots or so if the humidity is low.
The BS attitude is getting old!

 

[Leonredbeard]

MikeC,
I just now saw your question. I put approx. one sixth oil soap to rubbing alcohol. More soap than that makes it sticky and I hate sticky. I have given up using peroxide a long time ago. I have used rubbing alcohol all by itself and it works just fine. But I keep adding the oil soap. It keeps the good old boys at the rifle frolic from drinking my lube/cleaning fluid and going blind. :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:
volatpluvia

 

[wirehairman]

Roundball,

Are you foregoing the use of an over powder card or placing the cushion wad on top of the over powder card?

 

[roundball]

Nothing but the prelubed cushion wad...

1/2 wad in the .54cal
A full wad in the .62cal

(Powder, wad, shot, card)