Anyone use Circle Fly Wads?

[50flinter]

I tried them and didn't see any difference with the loads I use. I used the Circle Fly Wads. 510" Dia, 1/8" nitro cards. I tried them in my 1:48 and 1:66 barrels and there wasn't any difference. I read some posts here where others found a improvement in accuracy but each gun or barrel is different and likes different loads, but it was something to try.
I have hundreds left over if any one wants them.

 

[BillinOregon]

Flinter: I'm sorry they didn't help you any. I use their wads for the BP shotties and they work very nicely. Great thing is you get them in odd gauges for a good snug fit. Someone who shoots a .50-70 might be able to use them.

 

[hanshi]

I've used their cards and cushion wads in two different gauges. I can't say if they improve accuracy over anything else but have been quite satisfied using them.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You don't mention firing shots with and without the wads over a chronograph.

What I found is that my MV improved by about 100 fps, using the wads in my .50 cal. rifle. The SDV dropped significantly using the wads. I didn't see a huge gain in small groups at 50 yards, but I know from past experience that the lower SDV will produce smaller groups for me from this rifle at 100 yds.

I don't know what you were expecting to see when you used the wads between the powder and your PRB. You also don't tell us your powder charge, kind/brand of powder, and what granule size used, nor the diameter of the lead ball used, and the patch and lube used.

I found when shooting my .50 using 60 grains of FFg Goex, a .490" lead ball, with a .015 ticking patch lubed with Young Country 101, that I experienced a much more complete burning of the powder, and had much less residue in the bore after each shot. It reminded me of when I was shooting FFFg Goex powder in that same gun.

I also found it was very easy to load the next PRB down the barrel after seating the OP wad, as the wad pushed off any remaining crud sticking in the grooves of the rifling. With the OP wad, my groups were striking between 1/2 and 1" higher than the POI I was getting shooting the same load without the OP wad. I want to bench the gun on repeated days, with different weather conditions to determine whether I want to stick with using the OP wad, or consider changing the ball diameter, or patch thickness instead. :idunno: :hmm:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I use Circle Fly wads all the time . . . in my shotgun/smoothbores.

Rifles I use a patched round ball. If I remember in hunting season I put a small bit of waxed paper between powder and patch to keep the lube off the powder.

Back when I used conicals I used a vegetable fiber wad to protect the bullet base.

 

[ebiggs1]

I have used them several times to see what folks are bragging about by using them and like you see no difference. Actually, none of that "extra" stuff they put in the bore for that matter!
I do use them when hunting, when the rifle won't be shot for longer periods of time. I am thinking they will help keep the lube off the powder. I don't even know for sure if that is true since I have never had a problem with the rifles firing. Maybe the wad maybe not. It's pretty easy to draw false conclusions and it's rampant here.
I have chronographed with and with out. They make no difference. No more than the obvious difference between black powder shots have inherently. This leads me to believe they are band aids for folks that have other problems that the wad improves upon, like lube getting into the powder for instance. :grin:

This pertains to rifles (right?) not shotguns where they are mandatory. :hmm:

 

[Rifleman1776]

I had to double check the forum I was in. Wads in a rifle? I know it is done but only rarely by a few. I don't see the point.
Someone might take your offer for their smoothbore.
BTW, Circle Fly wads are a good product. CF has been around a long time.

 

[reddog]

PM sent

 

[Roy]

We made up wads and lubed them in the rifled wall gun that has a 1" bore.. We were using thick denim loading fairly tight, but with 350-450 grains of 1f the patching would burn up. The wads stopped that and helped accuracy.
I think that the circle fly wads would do well in a rifle that you were having the same problems that we were. That is if you could not increase your patching thickness..

 

[50flinter]

I did not check the fps, but through a lot of 100 yd shooting, there just wasn't any difference in accuracy. The point of using a wad for hunting to keep the lube off of the powder is a good idea. I normally use CO2 to clear the load every night and start with a clean barrel every morning. I did however, find my 100 yd groups were smaller with my 1:48 compared to my 1:66 barrel. Go figure. All my tests were with 80gr Goex FF, Hornady .495 ball, ox yoke .15 patch, and TC natural lube 1000. That load resulted in the tightest patterns of all loads tested. And I tested a bunch of loads over 6 months. I had some extremely tight groups, but it never hurts to play with ideas.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You have to chronograph those barrels, to find out why one barrel is shooting small groups than the other. Its the only way.

AND, I suspect that the 1:66 ROT barrel may need a slightly thicker patch- say .018" to get similar accuracy, and velocity.

My barrel is a Green Mountain 1:48 ROT .50 cal. I started using .495 balls, but dropped it back to the .490 to make it easier to load while hunting. Shots are 50 yds. and under, so a little loss in group size doesn't mean much.

 

[Blackpowdersmoke]

I have used them several times to see what folks are bragging about by using them and like you see no difference. Actually, none of that "extra" stuff they put in the bore for that matter!
I do use them when hunting, when the rifle won't be shot for longer periods of time. I am thinking they will help keep the lube off the powder. I don't even know for sure if that is true since I have never had a problem with the rifles firing. Maybe the wad maybe not. It's pretty easy to draw false conclusions and it's rampant here.
I have chronographed with and with out. They make no difference. No more than the obvious difference between black powder shots have inherently. This leads me to believe they are band aids for folks that have other problems that the wad improves upon, like lube getting into the powder for instance. :grin:

This pertains to rifles (right?) not shotguns where they are mandatory. :hmm:

I'm going to assume that you mean that you don't use them between a prb and the powder because you didn't mention otherwise. I use them in all my Ml rifles that I shoot solid lead conicals through. I bought a used T/C Scout years ago and I didn't get a manual with it so I called T/C and requested one. The service rep. I had on the phone happened to own and use several of them (Scouts) and he suggested I try a "bore button" between the powder and bullet and it would probably improve my accuracy (not that I complained about it). He sent me a free pack of their bore buttons to try along with the manual. I have since tried (and now use) felt wads in all the ML's I shoot a lead conical with. I've tried each gun both with and without wads and I definitely see better groups with. So if they're a "band-aid" then it's a band-aid I'll continue to use...BPS