Cards only?

[shortbow]

Hey Gents, I asked this question (sort of) at the tail end of another thread, but I think it kind of got lost.

I'm wanting to try card wads only in my 13 gauge double to start with, then my fowler when it arrives.

I read once about an old shotgun guru who only used two card over powder wads and one card over shot.

I'm wondering if any of you use this method and can give me any tips you might have learned. In particular I'm wondering about lube. Seems I read that the old guy used to spit down the tubes at some point in the loading procedure, but I'm not wild about sticking my face in front of a loaded gun, capped or not.

Seems doing a bunch of shooting without lube would get you a badly fouled bore pretty quick?

Thanks.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

I believe you're referring to V.M Star's loading method and it does give about as good patterns as one can get. But as you say it will foul up pretty quickly. Spitting down the bore does work quite well but I understand your hesitancy. :haha:
You can also just add a dab of soft lube like Crisco or bore butter, one's as good as the other. Add a bit of lube just inside the muzzle and let the second card carry it down bore or even lube after dropping the shot and let the overshot card carry it down the bore.
Some like to run a greased patch down bore after the full load but then what do you do with the nasty filthy patch?
Or you could just lightly swab out the bore after a few shots or when it gets hard to load. Lots of ways around that thorn bush.

 

[Moose_Owner]

As long as you are using a pretty light load, you should have no problem using two overshot cards between the powder and shot. I have run out of nitro cards during a round of skeet and used just overshot cards to finish up.

As far as lube goes, it was VM Starr who would spit down his gun for lube when he was hunting. Rather than spitting down the bore, a lot of guys will spray a little liquid down the bore after pouring in the shot, but prior to the ramming the overshot card home. A window cleaner spray bottle works fine.

I have used just water as the lube in the past. Plain water will work fine as a lube. However, you have to be careful not to get too much water down the bore. Otherwise, the over powder cards can get wet and reduce the effectiveness of the gas seal.

The best spray lube which I have used is a 50/50 mix of Murphy's oil soap and water. That mix is thick enough that it does not run down the bore too quickly if you spray a little too much in.

You do not need very much lube. Just a little spray after each shot will keep the bore clean while you are shooting.

____________________________
www.muzzleloadingshotguns.com

 

[Grandpa Ron]

At the NMLRA national skeet competition, most shooters use a card/cushion wad combinaion with the cushion wad soaked in water/solvent or some other lube.

A few will use only a card wad with a small amount of solvent poured into shot before seating the over shot wad.

They claim a tighter pattern and the fouling is still kept soft.

The gun is usually fired within a few minutes of loading so the water seeping past the card wad into the powder is not supposed to be a problem.

I have not tried this, my load is the standard card/cushion combination.

Like all muzzle loading, what work for one may not work for all, so you just have to try it and see.

Good luck and let us know your results.

 

[luieb45]

I load both my black powder shotguns I use 4 overshot cards over the powder with just one card over the shot. After I load I run a lubed patch so the shot doesn't have too much friction on the barrel and to keep some of the fouling out.

 

[Britsmoothy]

All I use bro, a few thin os cards. If things get crusty I put a blob of home made lube between them. That sorts the next few shots.

Brits.

 

[Golfswithwolves]

I wonder if it is possible that the 3 thick tight cards of a Starr-type load (with a bit of spit or lube) act as a squeegee to remove fouling and leading as you shoot :hmm: . That's what Starr maintained was happening.

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Powder fouling for sure but lead hangs pretty tough.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I usually use multiple O/S cards under a lubed half or third of a 1/2" cushion wad, but I have sometimes used the schpritz-down-the-bore instead of the cushion. My 16's bores are somewhat rough and I NEED the lube, plus I need to use 5/64"-3/32" of cards over the powder to seal reliably - burn streaks on recovered paper or card shot-protectors are very distinctive. This comes to 3-4 regular O/S cards (store-bought or home made) or 4-5 if they are punched out of something thinner like milk carton. One can find small pump spray bottles intended as cosmetics sprays, plant misters, etc. that are a handy size for a shooting bag, and that have a smaller spray volume also better suited to this application than most trigger spray bottles. I've used various mixes with success, but nowadays usually use a dilute Ballistol-water mix for this, or as an occasional supplement if the fouling starts to build up with my lubed cushions. I prefer to not clean until I'm done shooting for the day.

Regards,
Joel

 

[shortbow]

:hatsoff: Well apparently this is an "Ask and ye shall receive" kinda place, as all your replies are real informative and helpful. And it was Starr that I was thinking of. Very much appreciated, I shall sally forth next time with a sack full card wads. Sure seems like a lot less hassle than messing about with the lubed cushion wads.

One last thing: Do you think a feller needs to punch a little hole in the cards to help keep them down on the charge?

 

[DanChamberlain]

You can. Sometimes when I'm feeling in the mood, I will snip the sides a little to allow for air flow. Other times, I just hold it down until the air leaks out. It will.

Dan

 

[Tony Logan]

2 spit soaked nitro cards over powder and then 2 thin over shot cards. That's working now, I am sure I will keep tinkering and find something I like better or just as well.

 

[hanshi]

I've learned from hard experience to always include at least one 1/8" well lubed felt wad. I remember how horrendous that fouling got.

 

[BrownBear]

One thing that votes against cards only for me. They're a boogger to handle with cold hands or worse with gloves on. I'm hunting rather than shooting on a range, but I think the same issue would apply in both places.

 

[shortbow]

Ok guys, thanks a lot. I've made up some 3/16 lubed felt wads so it's time for me to get some patterning paper and find out what works best for me. I'm hoping that all things being equal the cards only thing works out as well as a more involved shot column because it seems to me that handling the lubed felts would be a pia. I guess I'm not really understanding what you're saying Brown Bear, because between carrying lubed felts, getting them in hand and loading them it seems like a lot more hassle than just grabbing a few cards outa a little leather bag and thumbing them in there. I'll just have ta see what shakes out.