Wacky Shooting

[George]

It’s a historically correct method.

Everybody says that, but I've been searching and asking for years for a shred of evidence that it is true. Can you point me to some?

Spence

 

[user 49399]

The only evidence for wasper nest I have is the word of reenactors and historians who have studied 18th century arms. I haven’t studied it that extensively. I always took their word for it and never bothered to find written evidence. What is well documented is the use of paper cartridges which I also use. Paper and wasp nest is very similar but wasp nest won’t burn like paper when fired. The wasp nest method I use is also similar to using felt wads, tow, leather, and more. It’s just a material to seal the bore and prevent the ball or shot from rolling out the barrel.

I should also point out that I mostly use this method in smooth bores. For rifles I use patched round balls and this method which I call “wacky shooting”.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Never heard of using the paper wasp nests until Sam Fadala raved on about the use of wasp's nests in his black powder manuals in the 1970's. The wasp nest does work, but so does cardboard or brown paper bag paper folded to fit the bore.

 

[user 49399]

That’s where I first heard of it. For plinking and small game out to about 30 yards, there’s lots of odd methods that work. For long range accuracy, almost all serious muzzleloader shooters will tell you that a tight patch and ball combination is needed and I agree.

 

[Britsmoothy]

My take on this is the wonderful versatility of a muzzleloader.
Our forefathers would never of guessed how we would dispense breakfast cereals and open cans of brown fizzy liquid with them today!

 

[jambuster]

Now that is just GROOVY !

 

[George]

I always took their word for it and never bothered to find written evidence.

Yeah, that's the very commonly accepted way to pass along the "facts" in the hobby. As a result, an amazingly high percentage of what is considered true is just stuff somebody figured out over a beer.

Spence

 

[user 49399]

I gotcha. Very good point indeed. I will no longer refer to this as an historically correct method unless I find actual documented evidence. I do not want to lead someone astray. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

[Mad L]

Reading about rifle bags (shot pouches, hunting bags, possibles bag, haversacks...tickle your fancy) I have read documents of bags found (mostly Civil War for those are mostly the ones still semi intact) that had found in the bottom: wad of wasp nesting, tobacco leaves, tow, corn husks among some. In most cases it was 'assumed' (there's that word again) that it was used as 'wodding' for the owner's rifle.
But as the owner is no longer alive to tell it can also be 'assumed' that some wasps had nested after the bag was discarded, the owner may have been a smoker, the tow may only have been used for cleaning and/or fire making, and the corn husks may have been to whip up a batch or tamales while on hunt or in battle.

Bottom line, there is documentation of "wasp nest material" found inside historic found shooting bags.
Source? Sorry, I found it, you can too.

 

[George]

Source? Sorry, I found it, you can too.

Thanks for that, I love it, the perfect attitude for today's world. That's going to save me a lot of time and effort.

Spence

 

[user 49399]

Here’s part of an article “A Turkey Hunt” by David Dodge in the Outing Magazine published in 1895. He mentions his neighbor Matt using an old “flint and steel” converted into a percussion. Although the gun is loaded with shot, the loading process is described as follows and uses hornet’s nest for wadding:

”Matt had his own notions about loading a gun and believed that his method was the only sure one for turkey. The charges had to be measured with extreme nicety, a certain sized shot unmixed with any others and hornet’s nest wadding had to be used. The last wad had always to be rammed till the ramrod had bounced out of the barrel seven times.”

 

[Mad L]

Thanks for that, I love it, the perfect attitude for today's world. That's going to save me a lot of time and effort.

Spence

Making them find it is all part of learning.
If we just brought the shooting range into their parent's basement so they don't have to go anywhere, then just look at how much they will miss out on and never learn or see.

 

[Mad L]

"The last wad had always to be rammed till the ramrod had bounced out of the barrel seven times.”

Another example of why one can't believe everything just because someone documented it.

Just what kind of 'wodding' will make a ramrod 'bounce out the barrel' no matter how hard you ram it down?

 

[user 49399]

‘Wedding’?

 

[Mad L]

‘Wedding’?

I tried to edit it TWICE!
See, because of Spell Checkers and Fact Checkers, we cant have ant nice things anymore!

....let's see if the third time really is the charm
IT WORKED!!