I'd try it without and with the shot cups and get a side by side comparison, you may not even want the shot cup anymore. Just my 1 cent.
Skychief Smoothbore Load Recipe........
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Shot cup! What shot cup?
Thank you both.
I hope to hit the patterning board tomorrow and try the soaked and waxed wads over a paper shot cup.
I might try and soak a few in coconut oil instead of olive oil as it solidifies when cooked. Looking for less mess than the drippy olive oil wads. Otherwise I may see about making a bamboo/cane, or birchbark tube, container for them. I have been trying to reduce the amount of stuff I carry overall, and the number of hard bodied separate containers specifically.
That one
Brokennock
Cannon
Testing was inconclusive. My club's patterning board is trashed, and I forgot my big roll of plain paper in use as a backer. Not sure I could have hung it anyway, not enough of the board left.
So. I couldn't tell if the lack of shot at point of aim was due to pattern or to missing. One test shot had a good pattern on part of the small target, but to the left of the point of aim.
I have tested the load without the cup and saw improved patterns with my lighter squirrel and small game load.
I don't really want to get rid of the paper cartridge/shot cup as it is a far easier way to carry reloads afield. But. We shall see what further testing develops.
So. I couldn't tell if the lack of shot at point of aim was due to pattern or to missing. One test shot had a good pattern on part of the small target, but to the left of the point of aim.
I have tested the load without the cup and saw improved patterns with my lighter squirrel and small game load.
I don't really want to get rid of the paper cartridge/shot cup as it is a far easier way to carry reloads afield. But. We shall see what further testing develops.
Skychief
69 Cal.
I'm subscribed Brokkennock. Don't forget the patterning paper and some way to mount it next time. Good luck. Looking forward to your results.
Good luck, Skychief
Good luck, Skychief
Daryl Crawford
50 Cal.
In the next few days I'll be out at the board. Going to test 80 grain 2f, 2 over powder cards, 1 & 1/4 oz 5 shot, lubed fiber wad. The second is the same but shot is in a paper shotcup. Third is the same as both but will vary powder down to 70 grain. Hoping for some good results.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Good luck Daryl!
Brokennock
Cannon
I got a few shots in at the board the other day. Going to post in smoothbore so as not to sully this thread. Gist of it? Attention to detail...
hanshi
Cannon
I'm getting along pruudy good Nate. It's jost mine ovr mattter. If I tri hard, I can cosuntratee on mosst thins well enuff to get buy. Grammr and spelleng includddedd.
Bess regaard, Sykchief.
Best of luck on your recovery, Skychief.
Skychief
69 Cal.
Thanks Hanshi. 
How long did you soak them Spence?
I'm using 12 gauge, so I need to add around 45% more weight? But, I have the prelubed OxYoke wads. I know they are already lubed but I decided to soak them in olive oil anyways. I am getting so confused. I will be better off to order some dry wads and start from scratch I believe.
Daryl Crawford
50 Cal.
I'm not Spence, but what I've done is put them in a small plastic dish and put olive oil in that covers up just over half the height of the wads that I stand in the bottom of the dish. I turn them over the next day. On the third day I put them in a tin that doesn't leak and put a little olive oil in the tin to ensure they stay full.
Others may have a different way.
Brokennock
Cannon
Which prelubed wads are you using? A prelubed felt wad? I don't recall seeing lubed fiber cushion wads for sale, but, I don't buy lubed wads or patches so may have missed them.
The reason I ask is that the heavily lube soaked wad the load is topped off with is a fiber cushion wad, not a felt wad. We are looking for a lot of mass/weight once lube soaked.
They are OxYoke lubed fiber cushion wads, my bad. I'm gonna re soak them in the olive oil because I didn't leave them very long in the oil. I will let them soak a entire 24 hours, turn them over, and soak them another 24 hours.
After, I weigh them first. I will weigh one out the original bag and weigh one I added the oil to.
I guess I am trying to double the original weight?
Last edited:
Brokennock has made a post showing pictures of loading Skychief's shot load. I am posting it below:
May 21, 2020
I promised quite some time ago that I would post pictures of the details of loading the Skychief load next time I went to the patterning board. Well, then Covid hit, I got sick, when I returned to work it was with an uncooperative schedule and the weather went bizarre (snow in May?).
I just got to load my gun to, hopefully, go turkey hunting tomorrow. I took pics as I went along.
But 1st a quote from Skychief himself taken from his "sticky" post in the hunting section,
Powder, I'm using 70 grains of 3f (your load may vary), nitro (or "over powder") card, shot load (in my case I am using one of my paper shot cartridges containing 1 1/8 oz of #5 shot), one thin "overshot" card (we are only using one but I picture 2 so people can see how thin they are), then the key "Skychief" component, a "cushion wad," that is completely saturated in lube. The cushion wad dry is about 10.5 grains, soaked in lube for a long time it is about 35 grains, and the ones I dip in melted beeswax (a very thin coating) after soaking are about 40 grains.
Let's put it together,
Powder is poured, then,
our over powder "nitro" card is introduced and pushed in enough to introduce my cartridge,
If you are using loose shot, and put a tiny cut in the edge of your over shot cards so air can escape, seat the over powder card fully and pour in your shot.
I now push the shot cartridge in until the top of the load is even with the muzzle and,
trim to open the cup. Then push it in just enough to place,
my thin overshot card. Push this in just enough to start the last component,,,,
our lube soaked cushion wad. Then,
time to make a little mess, have rag or paper towel handy,,,,,
I used one of my wax coated wads so the mess is more visible. Even without the wax there will be a mess, if your wad fits your bore correctly a good bit of lube will squeeze out as you start it into the bore.
Now seat the whole deal and find something to shoot.
May 21, 2020
I promised quite some time ago that I would post pictures of the details of loading the Skychief load next time I went to the patterning board. Well, then Covid hit, I got sick, when I returned to work it was with an uncooperative schedule and the weather went bizarre (snow in May?).
I just got to load my gun to, hopefully, go turkey hunting tomorrow. I took pics as I went along.
But 1st a quote from Skychief himself taken from his "sticky" post in the hunting section,
Here are our components,
Powder, I'm using 70 grains of 3f (your load may vary), nitro (or "over powder") card, shot load (in my case I am using one of my paper shot cartridges containing 1 1/8 oz of #5 shot), one thin "overshot" card (we are only using one but I picture 2 so people can see how thin they are), then the key "Skychief" component, a "cushion wad," that is completely saturated in lube. The cushion wad dry is about 10.5 grains, soaked in lube for a long time it is about 35 grains, and the ones I dip in melted beeswax (a very thin coating) after soaking are about 40 grains.
Let's put it together,
Powder is poured, then,
our over powder "nitro" card is introduced and pushed in enough to introduce my cartridge,
If you are using loose shot, and put a tiny cut in the edge of your over shot cards so air can escape, seat the over powder card fully and pour in your shot.
I now push the shot cartridge in until the top of the load is even with the muzzle and,
trim to open the cup. Then push it in just enough to place,
my thin overshot card. Push this in just enough to start the last component,,,,
our lube soaked cushion wad. Then,
time to make a little mess, have rag or paper towel handy,,,,,
I used one of my wax coated wads so the mess is more visible. Even without the wax there will be a mess, if your wad fits your bore correctly a good bit of lube will squeeze out as you start it into the bore.
Now seat the whole deal and find something to shoot.
I don't know if there is any scientific basis for it, but it makes sense in my head that having a wad (especially a heavier oil soaked wad) in front of the charge would serve to keep the shot more compressed (or at least in a shorter string) in the bore and result in more even, somewhat tighter patterns.
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