Wonder Wads

[PaulF70]

Apologies if this has been discussed to death.

I just bought my first cap & ball revolver, a gorgeous Uberti '58 Rem in .36.

I've got powder, balls, and lots of lube.

I had always read to lube the tops of chambers for the chain-fire thing. It never made a lot of sense to me because, since balls are oversized, I can't see how a spark can possibly get past the ball and ignite the powder in another chamber.

Anyway, I just heard about these Wonder Wads which are supposed to do the same thing. I have the following questions:

- Do they work as well as a glob of lube in preventing chain-fires?
- Should they go over powder or over ball for best results? I've read both!

 

[ord sgt]

Based on my limited experience with my Pietta .44 calibre Colt
revolver, I load 15 grains FFFg, one lubed wonder wad and firmly seat the .451 round ball in each chamber of the cylinder. At 10 yards, I get excellent groups.
A friend tell me that he thinks a .454 round ball will give me better results. He doesn't use wads. Powder, cornmeal filler, roundball and grease on top of the ball. He gets one hole groups. But he had the cylinder tuned for competition.

 

[sawyer04]

I place the wad under the ball, or bullet.

 

[PaulF70]

Ok, now I need some Wonder Wads and they're out of stock.

(Why are muzzie guns/supplies so often in short supply?? It's weird.)

 

[B P Arn]

I tried the wads, but went back to a small amount of lube over the ball.

 

[M. De Land]

It's a " wonder" I didn't start using felt lubed wads instead of grease over ball years ago !

 

[PaulF70]

No chainfires though?

The lube is just so damn messy.

Then again I love the low shot cost. Around 20c/round is awesome compared to centerfire ammo! Adding more fancies is just going to bring that up.

 

[FishDFly]

"Anyway, I just heard about these Wonder Wads which are supposed to do the same thing. I have the following questions:

- Do they work as well as a glob of lube in preventing chain-fires?
- Should they go over powder or over ball for best results? I've read both!"

You do not need Wonder Wads. If you were to get a chain fire, the fire would come thru the nipple. Also putting a was on top of the powder would get you nothing in stopping a chain fire.

Wonder Wads do the most good for realtors.

 

[PaulF70]

Ok, if chainfires are really caused from the other end (I've read that too), then lubing the chamber is also not necessary.

This is one of those topics that has no resolution, it seems. I guess no one feels like experimenting with chain fires. I sure don't. (Got to be unnerving at the very least.)

 

[B P Arn]

OK, then, what is the best lube and cleaning procedures to use for black powder firearms?

 

[Treestalker]

Apologies if this has been discussed to death.

I just bought my first cap & ball revolver, a gorgeous Uberti '58 Rem in .36.

I've got powder, balls, and lots of lube.

I had always read to lube the tops of chambers for the chain-fire thing. It never made a lot of sense to me because, since balls are oversized, I can't see how a spark can possibly get past the ball and ignite the powder in another chamber.

Anyway, I just heard about these Wonder Wads which are supposed to do the same thing. I have the following questions:

- Do they work as well as a glob of lube in preventing chain-fires?
- Should they go over powder or over ball for best results? I've read both!

You have one of the best no revolvers in my book. The Remington .36 has a deep chamber, allowing max loads for that cal. With the WW over the powder and under the ball, you should have no trouble with chain fires. Just use a ball size that shaves off a ring of lead on loading. Also make sure your caps fit well. But do use a wad under or grease over the ball. Only chainfires I've had have been when I used neither, and was using the same caps as when using grease or wad, in a brass .44 Colt Navy type revolver.

 

[PaulF70]

I haven't shot it yet but I am very impressed with the mechanics of the gun.

My Hornady balls are .375" which I am nearly sure (hey, I bought 1,000 already so I hope so) are just the right size.

I also bought 2500 RWS #11 caps. They seem to fit on the nipples quite well. I will definitely buy #10 if necessary (and use the 11s for shotguns).

 

[Henry Miles]

Slow motion videos prove how much fire is generated at the back of the cylinder. I would have never believed this until I watched a couple videos. Add a pinched fit cap with a gap and it's a real good chance of a chain fire. The barrel end of the cylinder produces much less fire than the nipple end of the cylinder. The cap blows apart and the hammer is kicked back slightly allowing backfire to happen. The backfire is deflected by the frame and hammer towards the nipples. An uncapped loaded chamber could easily ignite as well as a cap with a gap from pinched fit. Only use caps that fit the nipples and never leave an unfired chamber uncapped while firing.

 

[PaulF70]

^ That makes a lot of sense.

I should ask this directly: Are 10 or 11 caps better for this particular model?

 

[Henry Miles]

Probably #11 but it depends on the nipples. My Uberti's work with #11 caps. I tried #10 caps and they were too tight. Nipples are sensitive!
It doesn't hurt to grease the cylinders after loading but the proper size ball that cuts a small sliver of lead will prevent chain fires from the barrel end. The grease is messy. Wiping the end of the cylinder between loadings with a rag dampened with Ballistol and water 50/50 after loading works great for me.

 

[Henry Miles]

OK, then, what is the best lube and cleaning procedures to use for black powder firearms?

HOT water with a couple drops of Dawn for cleaning. Gun oil sparingly after cleaning on moving parts. No oil in cylinders/nipples or barrel. If you remove the nipples, use Rig or high temp grease on the threads sparingly. Don't over tighten the nipples. I use a heat gun after cleaning to dry everything out really good.

 

[Zonie]

A few years ago, I bought a used Uberti 1851 Colt at a gun show and the guy threw in a package of Wonder Wads.
I never used them before so I was wondering what they would do for accuracy my next trip to the range.

The first thing I noticed was, I had to reduce my powder load about 5 grains in order to make room for the wad in the chamber.
Beyond that, they didn't seem to have any real effect on accuracy or shooting the gun. I did like the idea that I didn't need to grease the loaded chamber mouths though so, after shooting all of them I checked out the price at the local gun store.

That's when I figured out why they were called "Wonder Wads" because I came away with the thought, "I wonder why they cost so much?"

That was back in the days when a package of 100 cost about $5. Now that the price has gone up to $10 per package, that makes them cost 10 cents each so my question still exists.

Would I pay that much for the benifits of Wonder Wads? No. For less than the cost of one wad, I can grease all of the chambers on my pistol.

 

[Art Caputo]

I have used Wonderwads(lubed) in my 1851 Colts. I load powder, ball, then place the wad on top. Accuracy is unaffected. Just using grease packed on top of the ball is messy, melting after firing a couple of shots.

 

[Old Hawkeye]

The Wonder Wads are worth every penny. The mess created by greasing is a big PIA. If you can't afford the wads, you can't afford everything else it takes to shoot these things. Nipple fit is more critical in preventing chain fires & I have found the #10's to fit the revolver nipples on my revolver better than the #11.

 

[jdesro]

I like the wads. Yeah, they are more expensive than using grease but far more convenient and seem to keep the fouling at bay just as well or better than grease.

I prefer the Cabelas brand over the Wonder Wads - they are a tad thicker and seem to be more saturated with lube than the WW's Cabela's Lubed Wads

Edit to add: Art Caputo above makes a good point about lube: watching video of myself shooting a revolver with lubed chambers shows that most of the lube you put on just gets blown off from firing the previous chamber anyway, leaving just a scant amount on the ball.