timothymattson
32 Cal.
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Anyone make thier own "wonder wads" for thier BP pistols, love to hear your ideas and experiences with them.
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Home made wonder wads
- Thread starter timothymattson
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rodwha
58 Cal.
Yes indeed!
Ohio Ramrod (here) will likely make you a punch for a reasonable fee.
Durofelt will sell you a roll of felt for a reasonable fee: http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html
And I have made Gatofeo's #1 lube, which is 1 part mutton tallow, 1 part paraffin wax, and 1/2 part beeswax (all by weight).
These items I purchased from Dixie Gun Works, and I bought the paraffin wax (Gulf Wax) from the local grocery store.
I have also used the Gatofeo lube on my black powder pistol conicals.
Ohio Ramrod (here) will likely make you a punch for a reasonable fee.
Durofelt will sell you a roll of felt for a reasonable fee: http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html
And I have made Gatofeo's #1 lube, which is 1 part mutton tallow, 1 part paraffin wax, and 1/2 part beeswax (all by weight).
These items I purchased from Dixie Gun Works, and I bought the paraffin wax (Gulf Wax) from the local grocery store.
I have also used the Gatofeo lube on my black powder pistol conicals.
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I just made some in .36 and .44 caliber from eighth inch duro-felt and lubed them with SPG. I like them better than messing with lube over the ball.
I need to test them for accuracy further but from the one time I used them they seem to hold equal if not better groups. Mike D.
I need to test them for accuracy further but from the one time I used them they seem to hold equal if not better groups. Mike D.
Making your own wonder wads, to do so, you need to buy the following:
1. Felt
2. Punch
3. Mutton tallow
4. Paraffin wax
5. Beeswax
Now you have to:
1. Cut the felt, there is waste in cutting,
lossage
2. Make the lube
3. Lube the wads
4. Lube on top of the balls after loading.
Not using wads, but using Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal as a filler.
Cheaper, less labor, less steps in loading, still you need to make the lube to go over the ball.
The rewards, less cost, less work and more accurate using a filler than wads, filler gets the ball closer to the cone than wads. You can get a lot of shots out of box of COW, about 612 shots or so.
Not what you asked, I know, this is my learning from line shooters, it works.
Some folks like making wads, I did before, I just found a better way.
1. Felt
2. Punch
3. Mutton tallow
4. Paraffin wax
5. Beeswax
Now you have to:
1. Cut the felt, there is waste in cutting,
lossage
2. Make the lube
3. Lube the wads
4. Lube on top of the balls after loading.
Not using wads, but using Cream of Wheat or Corn Meal as a filler.
Cheaper, less labor, less steps in loading, still you need to make the lube to go over the ball.
The rewards, less cost, less work and more accurate using a filler than wads, filler gets the ball closer to the cone than wads. You can get a lot of shots out of box of COW, about 612 shots or so.
Not what you asked, I know, this is my learning from line shooters, it works.
Some folks like making wads, I did before, I just found a better way.
Billnpatti
Cannon
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I make my own wads using a punch that I purchased from Ohio Ramrod and some 1/8 inch hard felt from Duro-Felt. I take a sheet of felt and "butter" it with Bore Butter. You can use the lube of your choice. There are probably better recipes than Bore Butter for your wads. I then put the buttered felt into the microwave for a few seconds to melt the Bore Butter into the felt. I let it cool and then punch out my wads. . A word of caution, do not over butter your felt or you will have a gooey mess on your hands.....and in the microwave. Just a nice thin coat will do the job. When you take the felt out of the microwave, it ought to look just like the store bought wads. If you want a bit more lube, you can always lightly butter the felt again and once more melt it in the microwave.
I watched a ewe tube fillum of Duelist making his own wads and have done the same. I lube a sheet in a pan with my minnie ball lube which is 5 beeswax to 1 unsalted lard by volume. For forty years have used water pump grease over the ball, the wads over powder are so much easier and I don't have any cylinders binding like they often did after a number of shots. Have not tried them on paper targets as yet but have been great on cowboy action shoots. Have not quite figured out wether it is cheaper to make them or buy them .
cheers
Heelerau ps I use both Navy, Dragoon and Remington
cheers
Heelerau ps I use both Navy, Dragoon and Remington
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Used homemade wads for several years and they work well: inexpensive, less cylinder binding and fine accuracy. I use the Gatofeo method and lube that rodwha laid out. I also use these lubed wads when I load up some 45 Colt BP rounds.
I make up 2 to 3 hundred wads at a time so I only have to do it one or twice a year.
Jeff
I make up 2 to 3 hundred wads at a time so I only have to do it one or twice a year.
Jeff
- Joined
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I cut out my wads first, then melt my favorite lube in a double boiler and drop in the wads until they absorb all the lube in the tin.
I then pick them out and drop them on wax paper until cool, bag them up in zip-lock bags until ready to use.
I also made some and lubed them with mooses milk ,spread them on wax paper until the water evaporated but have not tried them yet. MD
I then pick them out and drop them on wax paper until cool, bag them up in zip-lock bags until ready to use.
I also made some and lubed them with mooses milk ,spread them on wax paper until the water evaporated but have not tried them yet. MD
hanshi
Cannon
I punch out my own, as well, from felt material but don't normally lube them. By the way, your punching is much, much neater than mine.
AZbpBurner
54 Cal.
Life's too short to spend all that time and money to make a wad that exits the bore in a fraction of a second.
I've been using cheaper and easier to make paper wads that produce equivalent results:
A 1/2 sheet toiletpaper folded square with a tiny dab of ball lube placed in the center, then all 4 corners drawn together, slightly twisted, then placed into the bore and lightly rammed against the powder. Ball seated firmly atop.
An on-sale pkg of house brand deluxe size 2-ply rolls will make enough wad material to last you the rest of your life for about 5 bucks. And you don't need a punch - only a squared piece of popsicle stick to put that tiny dab of lube into the paper.
1/4 square of TP for .36 cal cap and ball revolvers, and 2 squares or 1/2 sheet for .44 cal.
Whether in Remingtons, Colts, or ROA, my accuracy with these wads is as good as it gets.
I've been using cheaper and easier to make paper wads that produce equivalent results:
A 1/2 sheet toiletpaper folded square with a tiny dab of ball lube placed in the center, then all 4 corners drawn together, slightly twisted, then placed into the bore and lightly rammed against the powder. Ball seated firmly atop.
An on-sale pkg of house brand deluxe size 2-ply rolls will make enough wad material to last you the rest of your life for about 5 bucks. And you don't need a punch - only a squared piece of popsicle stick to put that tiny dab of lube into the paper.
1/4 square of TP for .36 cal cap and ball revolvers, and 2 squares or 1/2 sheet for .44 cal.
Whether in Remingtons, Colts, or ROA, my accuracy with these wads is as good as it gets.
AZ,
While you're foldin' poop paper :grin: I'll be punching wads. :grin: :grin:
I lube mine by hand. I just get enough on my fingers and and cover the wad on both sides. Goes very quick and I don't need a microwave or stove. I use mink oil or Moose Snot and they both go on easy. I'll save the "paper" for other things. :grin:
TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!
While you're foldin' poop paper :grin: I'll be punching wads. :grin: :grin:
I lube mine by hand. I just get enough on my fingers and and cover the wad on both sides. Goes very quick and I don't need a microwave or stove. I use mink oil or Moose Snot and they both go on easy. I'll save the "paper" for other things. :grin:
TinStar
Soli Deo Gloria!
rodwha
58 Cal.
Last edited by a moderator:
hanshi
Cannon
Toilet paper does work as well as anything I've tried. At the range I use toilet paper wads in my rifles. I don't lube them as the prb patch is already lubed with Hoppes. If wadded tight it will often be found still stuck to the patch; wadded a bit more loosely, it turns to "snow" upon being fired.
AZbpBurner
54 Cal.
hanshi said:
I've minimized the "snow" effect by folding up the paper wad with a litle dab of ball lube inside. Seems to hold it together.
Somehow it sounds very appropriate to be putting a "little dab" on a piece of toilet paper. :rotf:
