matttdalton
32 Cal.
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- Sep 8, 2015
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I mean this as no disrespect to all traditionalist and just feel like I should share my few years of research and development to help any of my fellow shooters and hunters. These are in the spirit of the Eley muzzleloader shotgun cartridges and Col. Hawker’s paper/oakum cartriges, but with modern available materials. Half the idea came from the old, now extinct muzzleloadingshotguns.com website and the other from William Hovey’s books. These were originally intended for waterfowl hunting, but have other uses as well. These work well in my modern replica Pedersoli gun but MUST MUST MUST be pattern tested (5-10 shots) to ensure there is no balling or failure of the Wad to release the shot. I do not know if this will cause damage issues in older original guns. Here’s the recipe:
Plastic Wad shot cups are filled with a charge of shot to match your needs and Wad capacity. Bismuth, ITX or steel for waterfowl or lead for anything else. Plastic wads need to be a gauge smaller than your gun. I have a 10ga and use 12ga plastic wads. For a 12ga, use 16ga plastic wads.
An over-shot card is centered and taped to the top opening of the shot cup to contain the shot. The masking take strips are about 1/4” wide and made from horizontal cuts from plain brown masking tape 1 7/8” wide. The overshot card should match your bore: use 10ga overshot cards in your 10ga. They will overhang by about 1/16” on all sides. Some plastic wads prefer to be taped over the slits between the petals and others do not. I’ve found small shot is easier to handle with the slits taped if the wad releases the shot. You must pattern test because every wad and gun is different.
A felt Wad is centered and taped to the bottom/gas seal with the same masking tape noted for the over-shot card. The projectile section is now complete. The felt Wad should match your bore as the overshot card did and will overhang as well.
The powder container is made from cutting coin rollers in half, placing an over powder card near the bottom, folding and taping the end closed with masking tape. The over powder card should match your bore like the felt and overshot card. Penny rollers for 10ga and Dime rollers for 12ga. These can be reused many, many times.
Place your charge of powder into the coin roller. Hold the Wad over the tape near the felt Wad. Insert the felt Wad and plastic wad at an angle while twisting and gently seat onto the powder. You now have a complete speed load cartridge.
To load, hold the plastic Wad with the coin roller cup up. Pull the plastic Wad from the coin roller. Dump your charge of powder down the barrel and then insert the plastic Wad by gripping the tape near the felt Wad. Gently push the plastic wad into the barrel. It should slide easily until the over shot card. Short start the over shot card with your thumb/finger and ram the whole thing home as one unit. Prime and fire.
While using pyrodex, I can reload fast enough to keep up with 4 other modern shotshell shotgun shooters on the trap field....and no one has complained about the smoke and smell yet.
And yes there’s melted plastic fowling in the barrel. But nothing to hinder an outing. I get a round of trap in each barrel with another handful of shots at the pattern board in without any issues or cleaning. The Remington and TPS wads rinse out easily with hot water. Claybuster wads fowling has been clogging at the nipple threads and have been a little trickier but still rinses away with hot water.
Once I figure out how to load pictures, I’ll get them on here
Plastic Wad shot cups are filled with a charge of shot to match your needs and Wad capacity. Bismuth, ITX or steel for waterfowl or lead for anything else. Plastic wads need to be a gauge smaller than your gun. I have a 10ga and use 12ga plastic wads. For a 12ga, use 16ga plastic wads.
An over-shot card is centered and taped to the top opening of the shot cup to contain the shot. The masking take strips are about 1/4” wide and made from horizontal cuts from plain brown masking tape 1 7/8” wide. The overshot card should match your bore: use 10ga overshot cards in your 10ga. They will overhang by about 1/16” on all sides. Some plastic wads prefer to be taped over the slits between the petals and others do not. I’ve found small shot is easier to handle with the slits taped if the wad releases the shot. You must pattern test because every wad and gun is different.
A felt Wad is centered and taped to the bottom/gas seal with the same masking tape noted for the over-shot card. The projectile section is now complete. The felt Wad should match your bore as the overshot card did and will overhang as well.
The powder container is made from cutting coin rollers in half, placing an over powder card near the bottom, folding and taping the end closed with masking tape. The over powder card should match your bore like the felt and overshot card. Penny rollers for 10ga and Dime rollers for 12ga. These can be reused many, many times.
Place your charge of powder into the coin roller. Hold the Wad over the tape near the felt Wad. Insert the felt Wad and plastic wad at an angle while twisting and gently seat onto the powder. You now have a complete speed load cartridge.
To load, hold the plastic Wad with the coin roller cup up. Pull the plastic Wad from the coin roller. Dump your charge of powder down the barrel and then insert the plastic Wad by gripping the tape near the felt Wad. Gently push the plastic wad into the barrel. It should slide easily until the over shot card. Short start the over shot card with your thumb/finger and ram the whole thing home as one unit. Prime and fire.
While using pyrodex, I can reload fast enough to keep up with 4 other modern shotshell shotgun shooters on the trap field....and no one has complained about the smoke and smell yet.
And yes there’s melted plastic fowling in the barrel. But nothing to hinder an outing. I get a round of trap in each barrel with another handful of shots at the pattern board in without any issues or cleaning. The Remington and TPS wads rinse out easily with hot water. Claybuster wads fowling has been clogging at the nipple threads and have been a little trickier but still rinses away with hot water.
Once I figure out how to load pictures, I’ll get them on here
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