Wad Loading Problem

[SciAggie]

Don’t let those sxs think a single can’t drop them as easy afield! lol
Get proper sized wads that load easy (no swabbing necessary) and go have fun.
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wow! Thanks for the pics. Those are beautiful.
Also, it's cool to see those bobwhites. When I was younger it was common to get up 40 coveys a day where we hunted. Now sadly, the wild birds are all gone.

 

[cannonball1]

wow! Thanks for the pics. Those are beautiful.

Amen to that. 52 what some nice looking hardware.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Aggie, Thank you. It has shot six shots thru it with four being patterned at 35 yards. No problem with the pattern. I just need to find a way to get the over powder wad down the barrel easier with the second + shots. I will try the usable suggestions starting with the bees wax and olive oil on the edge of the Nitro Wad.

With respect, I neve not advocated using the hard cards with lubricant.
I advocated not using them!
Or at least match them to your barrel.

I just don't think they are necessary. I prefere just a few over shot cards and nothing else except a blob of lube between them now and then.

That said, in the past I have soaked them in olive oil. It was better but not enough to make me switch from OS cards!

 

[Brokennock]

With respect, I neve not advocated using the hard cards with lubricant.
I advocated not using them!
Or at least match them to your barrel.

I just don't think they are necessary. I prefere just a few over shot cards and nothing else except a blob of lube between them now and then.

That said, in the past I have soaked them in olive oil. It was better but not enough to make me switch from OS cards!

I agree, for most normal loads.
But, for the Skychief load, every little thing matters. I've played with it a bunch slightly changing this or that component,,,,, especially trying to get away with not using the nitro card.
No joy.
Any change to the original load has negative consequences for the resulting pattern.

Unfortunately if one wishes to use the Skychief load, one must deal with nitro cards.

 

[cannonball1]

Another question. With the Skychief's method it seems where as the olive soaked wad is the engine(first) of the load, leading would be fairly non-existent. Is that the case?

 

[SciAggie]

@cannonball1 I have not had any issues. Regular cleaning procedure has worked well to keep my barrel shiny.

 

[arjay]

As long as the hammer is at half cock I have no issues getting the nitro card down the barrel. I put the over shot wad in my mouth while loading. When it's time for that wad it goes down easily.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I put the over shot wad in my mouth while loading. When it's time for that wad it goes down easily.

What does it taste like? Do you digest it OK?

 

[smoothshooter]

Just got thru making an English Sporting 12 Ga Shotgun. I am new to muzzleloading SHOTGUNS and having a hard time loading the gray dense over powder wad. I purchased a gray dense cardboard wad (probably a Nitro Wad). The first shot is ok, but the second one is hard to push down and nearly impossible to get it tight at the breech. No problem with the shot wad and the olive oil wad (Skychief method). All of my MLing experience over the years has been fun, but this is not. I've got a lot of Nitro wads. Is there anything to make them easier to load like lubricating the wad or any other method? I read some of the other blogs where some are several over shot wads over powder. How about other solutions?

I would ditch the thick nitro wad. I have not used them for 20 years and had good results. Use two thin card wads in it’s place, with a lubed, cushion wad on top, then shot, then some kind of overshot wad of choice.

 

[Brokennock]

I'm really curious as to how and when this whole thing about using one of those thick fiber "cushion" wads between powder and shot got started. Time, and time, and time again,,,, we see people complaining about their patterns when using them in this position in the shot column. Over and over we see folks getting better results not using them.
Yet, somehow, not only did the idea take hold,,,, people are still being told somewhere, some way, to use them between powder and shot,,,,,, and they're doing it!!!!
How, why, did this idea take hold to the point that it won't go away?!

 

[smoothshooter]

I'm really curious as to how and when this whole thing about using one of those thick fiber "cushion" wads between powder and shot got started. Time, and time, and time again,,,, we see people complaining about their patterns when using them in this position in the shot column. Over and over we see folks getting better results not using them.
Yet, somehow, not only did the idea take hold,,,, people are still being told somewhere, some way, to use them between powder and shot,,,,,, and they're doing it!!!!
How, why, did this idea take hold to the point that it won't go away?!

Because they were used in paper shotgun shells for 60+ years before plastic shot cups came into use.

 

[Brokennock]

Because they were used in paper shotgun shells for 60+ years before plastic shot cups came into use.

I've read that before.
I guess it's my own mental block. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why would it stick with muzzleloading shotgun shooters given that even paper shells came much later than the practice of shooting shot from a smoothbored muzzleloader?

 

[deerstalkert]

I've read that before.
I guess it's my own mental block. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why would it stick with muzzleloading shotgun shooters given that even paper shells came much later than the practice of shooting shot from a smoothbored muzzleloader?

one thing that really influenced all aspects of shooting, was, the advent of those voices from on high the adulated and god like critters called gun writers. their influence has perpetuated a metric ton of what can only be called pap.
and they are all influenced by the manufacturer with the most $$$ to bestow on the writer that pimps the most.
so many times someone will try to clinch a discussion with "well i read (insert the expert Dejour) and he says right there on page whatever" never mind that expert Dejour has never been further afield then the bar at the swank pheasant farm.

 

[Ballshooter]

I have been using Rits cracker card I punch out of the box seem to seal pretty well and seems to work good.

 

[arjay]

What does it taste like? Do you digest it OK?

Ha ha .......

 

[JeffG]

A 1/16" hole poked in your over shot card won't hurt the pattern any.

 

[smoothshooter]

I've read that before.
I guess it's my own mental block. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why would it stick with muzzleloading shotgun shooters given that even paper shells came much later than the practice of shooting shot from a smoothbored muzzleloader?

Because the old paper shells were loaded with black powder.
I guess some people surmise that with black powder you always have to have the hard and thick wad over the powder.

 

[Britsmoothy]

The reason for a wad in a cartridge is to make the ideal closure height period.

I have said it many times now but I believe the real drive behind choke development was not initially to improve range performance. That I believe became an unintentional gain. The real reason I believe was to overcome the new doughnut pattern phenomenon found in the new shotgun cartridges using black powder and fibre or felt wads. In other words, to marry thick wads and black powder!
Just a theory of mine....

 

[Polecat_Tom]

When I used the hard thick card I started using my patch knife to make a "small" cut into the edge of the card this let enough air escape making it possible to push the card down.

 

[cannonball1]

52 bore, 13 ga. worked perfectly. The nitro wad fit the barrel exactly, however, I made one change by putting an overshot wad first on top of the powder, then the 13 nitro wad, then finished it out with the Skychief method. That nitro wad would barely sit in place at the top of the barrel until pushed by the ramrod, but went easily down. Five loads went down without cleaning with very little difference after the first one.