Paper wasp or hornet nest wads

[Bretwalda]

Ok...how and when do any of you use these for wad material? Are there any other advantages of using this over other wad materials? Of course I know to make sure that the nests are empty/vacant :rotf: !!!!

 

[Trapper]

I've used it. Good patterns outta the sweet 16. Just take a big pinch put it over the powder, load the shot and I cover the shot with an overshot card. Now.... go harvest a tree rat!!!

 

[Swampman]

I have used it, and it works fine.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Wasp nests can be smaller- as in mud wasps. In that case, I found that rolling the materials between the palms of my hand, to break it down to smaller fibers, like pipe tobacco, and then dribbling them into the barrel to be packed down with your loading jag, works quite well. The cellulose is fire retardant, and creates a great filler that seals the bore to the gases behind it. Just don't be afraid to use more, than less. you can always find more nest material.

Look for the nests in the fall and harvest them in the winter after a couple of good freezes. Hornets' nest, those head sized structures found hanging from tree limbs, usually no more than 6-8 feet off the ground, are safe to harvest in the winter, too, after hornets leave them, and enter nests in the ground for the season.

They build new nests for their Queens every Spring, so don't worry that you will be depriving them of their homes. Unused hornets nest remain until weather and decay knock them to the ground, where they are devoured by grubs, worms and ants, who used the material in their underground nests. Those Ants can wait. They get everybody eventually. :shocked2: :thumbsup:

 

[tg]

I used it a few times last fall and also a little several years ago, I pinch down with thumb and forefinger on a part that compresses to about a quarter inch +or- and pinch off the excess around my thumb to get a size as close to the bore+ and use it as an over powder wad and use another piece to keep the shot in place, it is kind of tricky to get the hang of and for me, quite a bit slower than using the commercial wads/cards but I find myself in less of a hurry as every new day comes along.

 

[Keppy]

I use it for a OPW on all my rifles. 45,54,and 58 cal. I had some trouble blown patches at one time and used a patch. Then found a big hornets nest. Been using it for few years now. It works well.

 

[gordy]

I've usedit and it works great as a fire wall to protect patches with heavy hunting loads

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Below is a pic showing the difference between the hornets nest (the HUGE nest on the left) and the paper wasp on the right. The Hornets nest paper comes off in layers making it easily foldable to place over powder or shot. There is alot of wad material in a hornets nest. There isn't much to the paper wasp nests and would take many for a days shooting, but both will work for wadding in a smoothbore.
Ohio Rusty >

 

[Britsmoothy]

Slightly OT but I have used newsprint before now and that worked very well and so I would love to give a wasp's nest a go :grin:

Brit.

 

[spudnut]

Has a mighty peculier smell to it tho :barf:

 

[paulvallandigham]

WhicH? Newsprint, or Hornet's nest?? I don't think Hornet's nest smells at all. I have had one in my garage now for more than a year. Same with the Paper wasp nest that is sitting next to it.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I think he must mean the newsprint. Wasp nest paper doesn't smell at all.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Can't say I ever notice the news print smelling, no more than the powder burning any way.
It was good at scrubbing the bore though!

Brit.

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

The wasp nest does a fine job of cleaning the bore too. It holds lube well and I've never had it catch fire on me.

 

[roundball]

"...advantages of using this over other wad materials?..."

Well, its a material found directly in nature and was something that was used "back in the day", so in that sense its somewhat of an advantage.

I have a few hornets nests, have experimented with that material as an OP wad at the range, works fine, and plan to use it for OP wads during this spring's turkey hunting, just for the hands on experience of taking game with it like the settler's did.

(that assumes I can get a Tom to step up to the 40 yard line :wink: )

 

[tg]

Good points Roundball many people get more enjoyment in this sport the closer they get to experienceing the same methods and means as the hunters of the 18th century, it may not always mean the most efficient, fastest or longest range or whatever, but a whisp of history can often be detected along with the sulfur and charcoal as the smoke clears, not something everyone finds alluring but many do.

 

[roundball]

When I experimented with them at the range, I just tore off a couple pieces of nest material and stuffed them into the muzzle like I assumed a settler might have done, then seated it all down and compressed it firmly...what I couldn't tell was how consistent each wad was from shot to shot...amazing how much of that fluff it takes to make a compressed wad...it's like cotten candy.

Consistent hornets nest wad-size for a PRB when deer hunting is not critical but for turkey shot loads, as hard as it is to find a Tom then get him in range, I want the wads to be fairly consistent so I'm going to experiment making some in the garage until I can get the technique down pat that gives me pretty consistent wad sizes...

 

[tg]

I can get a pretty consistant thicknes if I pinch from a large piece that is fairly even,kind of like pulling a hand sized chunk of lettuce leaves off then working with that, I pinch off the excess and have a stack hopefully the right size. I have not used them much but may next year as we have two big nests that we found behind the shop last year or the year before.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I used it in AK and WY, here in this part of AZ, nada to be found.

 

[spudnut]

When Ive fired nest out of the barrel it stinks,These were a couple diffent ones too