cedar-flavored squirrel

Fooling around with historical smoothbore loads I've been experimenting with shredded cedar bark as wadding for both shot and ball loads. I've been encouraged, and took my squirrel load to the woods a few days ago to see if it worked there. It did. Loaded with 60 gr. FFg Goex and an equal volume of #5 shot, using bark as both overpowder and overshot wadding, I took this young squirrel cleanly at an honest 25 yards.

Phase one:


Phase two:


Spence

:thumbsup:

George said:

shredded cedar bark

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Excellent!

Question...when compressed, how thick of a wad of shredded cedar bark would you say you ended up with for the OP, then the OS?

It seems that I need at least 1/2" overpowder, I probably average closer to 2/3". For overshot considerably less, 1/4"-1/3" probably. Here are the 2 wads I pulled from a shot load and one overpowder which I was loading for a ball load, before compression.





Spence

Interesting stuff...and it definitely looks like a wad of it would make good wadding...thanks.
I've experimented with wads from hornets nest material and that turned out excellent as well.

Resourceful folks, our ancestors...

Looks very tasty :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

:idunno: Spence,wouldn't you think the powder would catch the op wad on fire?In a dry woods that could be trouble.Just asking if you experienced this.Griz

Pretty Cool!!

ny griz said:

:idunno: Spence,wouldn't you think the powder would catch the op wad on fire?In a dry woods that could be trouble.Just asking if you experienced this.Griz

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I would guess that might be a problem. I have so little experience with it, so far, that I can't really say, but it's something you'd need to be aware of.

I've also experimented a bit with flax tow. I've use both tow and cedar bark as tinder for my flint and steel fire starting, and tow catches pretty easily. I recovered an overpowder wad of tow, and it was singed but not burned, didn't actually flame.



Spence

Ok, I'll say it. Gives new meaning to "barking squirrels ". nicely done BTW. :thumbsup: I need to get me a smoothy to play around with.

Dagum! I just had to have some crackers because of the hunger these pictures brought on.

Spence's photo illustrates my own experience using various substances for wadding, including tow, leaves, and hornet's nest. You get a bit of burning going, but the material tends to be blown apart from itself enough that the embers can't reach new material, and burns out- most often before the material- I hate to call what leaves the barrel a "wad"---- hits the ground.

Since I am in the habit of a long follow-thru, and watch my wads leave the muzzle, I find them easily on both the range, and in the field. On the rare occasion when an ember is still "smoking" on the ground, its even easier to find, and step on to put it out by depriving it of both oxygen, and cooling the material by pushing it against the ground( a great heat sink).

Rub your shoe or boot sole on top of the wad back and forth a few times, to make sure all the embers are out, then remove your foot, and visually check it for any living embers, and for smoke. I like to take my trash out of the field, so I also then pick up what I can and put it in my waste bag. :surrender: :thumbsup:

Goldhunter said:

Ok, I'll say it. Gives new meaning to "barking squirrels ". nicely done BTW. :thumbsup: I need to get me a smoothy to play around with.

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Dadgum, you heartshot that one! :rotf:

It makes perfect sense Spence, and especially out west would probably be lots more accessible than tow. There's a huge swath of country populated by juniper, which the locals call "cedar," and from my work with it, I bet the bark will work just the same. And of course cedar reins supreme in the Pacific Northwest as the raw material of choice for just about anything folks could make with wood. Cedar bark was stranded and woven to make cloth even, so why not wadding?

Gotta try it, and thanks.

BrownBear said:

There's a huge swath of country populated by juniper, which the locals call "cedar," and from my work with it, I bet the bark will work just the same.

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Same stuff, I imagine. Called simply red cedar here in Kentucky, or more formally eastern red cedar, it is a type of juniper, Juniperus virginiana.

I've had some surprising results using the stuff in tests, yet to be proven in the woods. Here's a typical pattern at 25 yards for my turkey load, 85 gr. FFg Goex and 1 3/8 oz. #6. The paper is 15.25" x 22.75".



And this is round ball at 35 yards.



I'm looking forward to the field tests. :grin:

Spence

George said:

I'm looking forward to the field tests. :grin:

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For good reason! I'm impressed with both targets. Was that hardened or plated shot? Hard to beat a pattern like that using storebought wads, and no sign that I can see of gas blowing up through the pattern or either wad disrupting the pattern. I've never been the least bit interested in tow, but you have my attention with this.

BrownBear said:

Was that hardened or plated shot?

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No, plain chilled shot and cedar bark. Couldn't be more simple, and I love simple.

Foraging for wads.... what a concept. :haha:

Spence

Master, please keep the tidbits of knowledge coming. :bow:

Bravo Spence! Always happy to see a thread started by you. :thumbsup:

Spence, are those patterns and group from your J.Brown smoothie?

Man thet makes me hungry, I love biscuits and gravy with fried squirrel. Tell me this did you make the gravy in the pan you fried the squirrel in? Making the gravy in the squirrel pan so it can soak up the flavor from the squirrel makes for a meal so good that if you set the plate on your head your tongue would beat your brains out to get to it.