Jason holgate
40 Cal
What is everyone's thoughts on using wads with patched round ball
Wad use with prb
- Thread starter Jason holgate
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Sidney Smith
58 Cal.
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No point. The patch is all you need. Now if using a bare ball, then yes a wad would be required.
aussie pete
40 Cal
Hi Jason. From the outset, I have to admit I'm keen to give everything a go when it comes to getting the best out of my muzzleloaders. I enjoy reading widely, taking on suggestions, then if safe, giving them a go to see if there is any truth in an application. I have shot my rifles, both 54 calibre Pedersoli percussion rifles, Tryon and Rocky Mountain Hawken with patched ball, patched ball with over powder patch, and patched ball with lubed wad over the powder. In all three cases, the rifles shoot well. The best groupings, and the best repeated firing over a competition session that requires 39 shots, it's the over powder lubed patch combination that I go with. For me, I see that accuracy is a little tighter and consistent, loading in a string of shots is easier, and clean up at the end of the day is certainly less gunky (that's a word?).
The wads I use are calibre specific, made by Easten Maine Shooting Supplies. The company info tells me they are 100% recycled wool containing their proprietary lube.
Give them a try; it's an inexpensive experiment. If the practice works, stick with it, if not, try the over powder patch, or go just the patch if that works out the best. The fun of this game is giving things a crack!
All the best. Pete
MountainSmoke
40 Cal.
If you are shooting a looser loading patch ball combination a wad could help seal the bore and keep your patch in tact and prevent blow by.
Occasionaly, when shooting heavier than normal loads with a patched round ball, I have added a wadded up patch loaded over my powder before my patched round ball. It has kept the patch from burning or shredding.
Not something I do normally, as the right patch/lube combination should do all you need.
ADK Bigfoot
Not something I do normally, as the right patch/lube combination should do all you need.
ADK Bigfoot
If you are using a thin patch for easy loading, you will be getting gas blow by, and the patch is not sealing the grooves. A wad between the powder and patched ball will help seal the grooves.
You need to be looking at the patches recovered after shooting the patched ball. If the patches are shredded, you may benefit from a wad between powder and patched round ball until you have shot a few hundred rounds to smooth off the sharp edges on the lands.
Best to experiment and see what works best for your particular rifle. I have some rifles that load easy and shoot great with just a patched round ball. I have found that in my .32 cal rifles they load easier and I can shoot 20-30 times without swabbing the bore with no decrease in accuracy, so I use wads in them. I’m talking about target shooting - would not use wads for hunting.
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I used a wad for awhile (to keep patch from shredding), but finally solved the problem by going to a linen patch and increasing ball size from .495 to .498.
What have you found to work better? Which is easier to load AND more accurate for you? Doesn’t really matter what works better for me or others. Those are my thoughts.
I've tried 1/8 durofelt wads lubed with beeswax and olive oil in my .50 cal. Hawkens....terrible fouling. Then I tried dry durofelt wads. That produced larger groupings than just a PRB. So, for me, wads are just for revolvers where they seem to work fine.
TDM
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I've had mixed results with overpowder wads. depends on the gun and what ball, patch, powder load your running to see a difference.
Nazgul58
45 Cal.
I use a wad with olive oil and tallow. It is random cotton batting, insulation from a med that I take, it is shipped cold. I have a life time supply.
I can shoot as long as I wish with no wiping, easy loading. Excellent accuracy. I use a relatively tight patch and the patches are in good shape.
This is in a 54 cal GRRW Hawken, a Kibler Colonial in 58 and a 58 cal custom full stock plains rifle.
Don
I can shoot as long as I wish with no wiping, easy loading. Excellent accuracy. I use a relatively tight patch and the patches are in good shape.
This is in a 54 cal GRRW Hawken, a Kibler Colonial in 58 and a 58 cal custom full stock plains rifle.
Don
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I do just to get the last bit of consistency at the range ,it gives more fps with less powder less likely to have a blown /burnt patch . Takes no more time to add the over powder patch while hunting and gets that little bit more consistency out of your shot as squirrels seem to get smaller as I get older !/Ed
I only have one rifle I use Wads in, it's a .75 Jaeger, and due to the large amounts of powder used it prevents the patch from being burned through.
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I have felt wad disks that I cut my small 50 caliber wads from. I find that pushing a lubed wad down first seems to push most of the barrel fouling down with it, making the patch and ball combo to load with no issues. There is also the possibility all the gasses stay behind the ball because the patch seals the bore well.
Ohio Rusty ><>
Ohio Rusty ><>
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In my experience, a felt wad (1/8” Durofelt) prevents a carbon ring when using a wet patch. I generally lube with either LVL or Dawn and water. I experience good groups at 50 yds and easy clean up.
I've seen lots of variation on "loads". IF you don't have a problem to solve then there's really no point in looking for a solution, right?
I've seen as folks have mentioned, no need for a wad,
I've seen as folks have mentioned, using a wad when a thin patch is used
I've seen folks who inherited a rifle with bad pitting where the ball would sit on the powder when seated, use a wad to hold the seated ball just a tad above that, and solve their accuracy problems.
So you don't know if you don't try it out.
LD
I use a felt wad over the powder in my Great Great Great Grandfathers 35 caliber rifle. The bore in the breech area of this gun is corroded and rough due to a powder charge being left in the gun for over 100 years. When I first tried shooting the gun (after removing the unfired load and ball) the patches were shredding to pieces. The bore was smooth, but a look at the breach area with a bore scope showed the corrosion where the powder was. By using a felt wad over the powder, the patched ball sits above the corroded area and does not shred the patches when firing. Accuracy is pretty good for an almost 200 year old gun, 1.5" at 35 yards. My biggest problem with the gun is trying to see the sights. The front sight blade is barely a 1/16" above the barrel, and the rear sight is very low too. I just can't seem to get my cheek down far enough to see the sights clearly.
Lot of good responses so far. My thought is wadding will probably neither help or hinder good performance. The added projectile weight will change pressure, felt recoil (very slightly), velocity and point of impact. The best answer to your question can only be found at the range experimenting with a variety of (safe) loads.
