To Wad or Not To Wad...

[LeMat1856]

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. sept 26 / 00:52


...that is the question, for me at least.

wednesday i went to the range for a 3rd time with my crusty old lemat and tried some 1/8" felt wads in each of 3 vollies. for good measure i tried 2 without - just powder, ball n' bore butter.

quite honestly i couldn't tell the difference so i thought someone here might enlighten me as to why they always (or never) use them and why.

also, would you use any special lube with them ?

keep in mind i only use a revolver with 3f and a .44 round ball.

thanx,

~daniel~

 

[David Teague]

Hello LeMat1856,

In the mid 1970's I used Crisco with my C & B revolvers... then wonder wads & pyrodex came out in the 80's. I found them a "god send" at the time.

I have a lot of hobbies and they each take the fore-front in my life from year to year. This has been the summer of C & B shooting along with shooting BP cartridge conversions.... :thumbsup:

So... whats my point?

Due to the rising costs of powder, ball, wads, & caps I've gone back to Crisco mixed with beeswax. I use my "mix" to lube the cylinder pin and as a rust preventative. It works well and I can shoot a lot more shots with out the handgun fouling out.

More than Wonder wads every got me.

The mix is cheap and works well. As always...

YMMV.

Cheers,

David Teague

 

[Raider2000]

I've used both the wads &/or the grease over the chambers before it really depends on the revolver that I'm shooting.

I have a 26 year old Pietta 1860 Army & a 1 year old Pietta 1858 NMA w/ 5-1/2" barrel & they tend to shoot better groups without wads & just my mix if grease over the chambers "or in the groves of the conical."

Now my 23 year old Pietta '58 NMA likes to have a wad for the same reason because it'll produce better groups with them.

For the most part it is a personal thing & many don't want the mess of the grease & the wads are their answer but to me it is what works & is cheap that sells me.

I too make my own grease mix with 50/50 Bees wax & Crisco.

 

[Poor Private]

I use Wads. They can help prevent chainfires, also they act as a filler to get that ball up close to the top of the chamber instead of using filler like COW or oatmeal. I make my own wads. See below in another topic listing for how to make wads and your own grease.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I make my own felts from Duro-Felt.
I shoot Lee mold slugs, and now I dip them in a hot grease mix rather than dip the wads.
I get tighter groups useing wads. why this is I have no idea.
I shoot a Pietta '58 Rem .44 loaded with a 7.62X39 case of 3F. (about 28 gr)

 

[amccall]

Like the other replies, wads help for two reasons.
1. If the ball has any gaps in the cylinder and a spark could get through to the powder then wads can ensure to prevent this.
2. The wad fills up the space in the cylinder to move the ball closer to the end of the cylinder, improving accuracy.

I use corn meal or some material comparable to it as a filler. It is a lot cheaper and shoots the same. Also use bee's wax mixture at the end of cylinder. It helps lubricate and prevent chain reactions also. :v

 

[Mulebrain]

I don't use wads, and only Crisco! I really don't see the need especially if the ball compresses the powder.

Of course I don't know everything :grin:

 

Mule Brain,

I have a Pietta 1860 Army. I use wads because I'm lazy. It seems to work ok with my 30grn. load of Pyro RS.

Jay

 

[Emet Huntsman]

In my Walker it's powder, wad, ball, crisco. The wad moves the ball closer to the barrell and gives me just a tad more assurance I won't have a chain fire with cylinders loaded with 60 grs of 3f :shocked2:

 

[renovato]

I use wads for the same reason Poor Private does. My guns shoot a little tighter with them, and there's less fouling. I make my own. I don't know anything about the Lemat other than wanting one bigtime. Might not work as well in that gun as other methods. Try it all and find out whatcha like.

 

[LeMat1856]

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. sept 26 / 10:45p


well, that's very interesting. the score is 5 ayes and 3 nays with one obstaining (me, need to test again to see if accuracy really does improve. at this stage, just hitting the target is still a minor miracle.) for now.

since i don't have facilities to make lubes and cut felt, i thought i might try the pre-cut and lubricated .44/.45 wads available at cabela's for $5 per 100. that would last me at least 11 full loads of all 9 cylinders which would average out to 3-4 trips to the range.

many thanks to all who contributed.

plink,
no doubt, a new lemat is expensive compared to all the other revolvers, but you only live once and they are built like a tank (3.7 lbs !) and should last for years. plus, there's nothing like it. period.

if you don't mind getting "previously owned" items, check out the 'for sale' section of this civil war reenactors forum (www.cwreenactors.com)or use this discount on www.ebates.com/cabelas - good for $15 off on their lemat.

and, before i got this one, i did lots of searches on the web that came up with several individuals selling their's either "mint" or "never fired" at prices well below retail. make 'em an offer they can't refuse and it's yours. they go fast, so don't hesitate.

 

[mingo]

Never used a wad.
Never knew they existed until recently.

I have a few C&B pistols I have fired off and on for 30 years.

A very few chainfires-sloppy loading, I believe.
I use Crisco and some other kind of grease or bore butter sometimes.

Personal taste, I would say.
Wads sound less messy, but I don't plan on any.

 

[LeMat1856]

i finally made a decision - yes.

two reasons:
1. they clean up the cylinder of 'fines' (tiny powder specks) that get left inside after pouring the 3f.

2. i like the idea of having something to take up some space in the cylinder and allow a cushion on which the rb can push when i apply the loading lever. otherwise, the ball sits on raw powder which can shift slightly between rounds.

i've had a ball actually stick out slightly above the rim either because i didn't force it down far enough during loading or it vibrated forward while the other chambers were firing. a wad would keep the powder from seeping past the ball and aid in keeping soot to a minimum between vollies. i usually fire off as many vollies as possible (4-5) before any field cleaning.

it's just 1 more thing that can go wrong or it's one more thing that can make the performance better. only time will tell.

forager, try it and see if it makes any difference. i just ordered 200 pre-lubed .44-.45 for $10.

 

[bingo1952]

If powder is seeping past your balls they are too small. You need a mould a few thousandths larger. Nothing wrong with using a wad though. :thumbsup:

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

And if a ball is vibrating forward when the other chambers are fired, you are using balls that are too small. The lube is there to keep fouling soft, not to prevent a chainfire. A properly sized, tightly fitting ball will not let any of the cylinder gap flash past it. If you are shaving a nice even ring off of every ball you seat, you are using the right ball. Make sure you are using the right size cap and that they are firmly seated on the nipples and you shouldn't have any worries. The wad thing seems to have started with target shooters who used light loads and needed to fill up the space in the chamber so the ball would be at the chamber mouth where it belongs. Then of course, some folks started stuffing breakfast foods in there too. I sometimes wonder what Bill Hickok and some of the other old timers would think if they saw this.

 

[Poor Private]

I have ben using lubed wads in my revolvers since about 1970. Thats when I found the dark side, at age 16. It's not a "new" thing.

 

[paulmarcone]

I started shooting a cap and ball revolver this year (1851 Colt Navy replica from Pietta) and have been using one or two wads with good results.

Just my two cents...

 

[Mike 56]

I think of wads, lubes, fillers, bullets, and balls as tools different combinations can change POI and accuracy. They can help find the right load for and your gun.

I have a friend i have been shooting with for years that shoots with no wads or Crisco. Recently we were shooting i witnessed my first chain fire his Colt doubled. He now is a firm believer in Crisco.

Mike

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

I have ben using lubed wads in my revolvers since about 1970. Thats when I found the dark side, at age 16. It's not a "new" thing.

I've been shooting them since before there were any repos and nobody I know was using wads then. But that wasn't what I was talking about. I was talking about the days when these guns were state of the art and folk's lives depended on them. Compared to that era wads are a new thing. They learned where the guns shot to and used a good stiff load and the guns worked fine. Sam Colt always claimed that a properly loaded C&B revolver wouldn't chainfire and he never mentioned wads or cream of wheat in the loading process. In all the time I've been shooting these revolvers--1st and 2nd generation guns and some Italian repos--I have never had a chainfire. To those who want to spend the extra money and add a step to loading their revolvers I say Happy Trails and have yourselves a ball! :v

 

[Blizzard of '93]

even store-bought wads are fairly cheap - 'specially when compared to the possible disastrous results of a chainfire.
try some wads with your pistol rested, and try without wads also.
the difference is small but noticeable in my '58.