Raw wool instead of flax tow

[tenngun]

Why would you think that? Three different fibers with different characteristics.

That would be a neat thing to investigate, could Cotten stripped like hemp both loaded as wad, I wonder if it would act different
I shot tow as a wad and dog hair, I had a yourkee that I could brush enough hair from to make good wads, I mixed them with lard and ran a ball down the bore.
I couldn’t tell it in shooting from tow, but it stank, gag a maggot type stank.
Now my go to in .62 is folded paper, and it easier then any other I’ve tried, but I can’t find it shoots ant differnce

 

[Irishmusket]

They used what they had available that worked good enough what was commonly used was a green grass 0r straw rolled into a ball and rammed it down the barrel on top of charge in the 1600s tried it works well keep fouling down a bit musket liked it .I removed a charge from a customer s 1816 Springfield that wads made of card and wood it was a challenge to remove others I have found straw leather wool rags you name it .These loads hand been in them for very long time.Several old farmers double barrel percussion shot guns loaded with card wads the older they are before 1870 it is very unusual to find modern made wads in every day use in wide spread use before 1840 .they were not commonly available in the nether regions and farmers on the frontier 16 and 1700s.Today we circle fly wads that can be had cheaply in many bore sizes to fit most muzzle loading smooth bore guns and musket that work very well indeed.