wad lube

[jpbvs]

I bought some .510x1/16 vegtable fiber wads from Track of The Wolf. My plan is to use them in my 50 cal. lyman deerstalker (1 in 48 rot) with conicals, do I need to lube them if so what is the suggested lube to use. I'm willing to try anything to get this gun to shoot a decent pattern. I'm going to try prb as soon as it stops snowing and warms up a bit.
THANKS

 

[paulvallandigham]

The .50 cal. wads I use are 1/8" thick. If yours are truly 1/16", use two of them together. You should not need to use any kind of lube on them to shoot either PRB, or conicals. If you want to try some lube, use any liquid vegetable oil to just roll the edge of the second- more forward-- of the two wads. Leave the rear wad Dry, so the oil cannot foul any of your powder.

 

[Toomuch_36]

For shooting PRB I would not use an over powder card/wad, but get my best results by just seating the patched ball directly on top of the charge.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint

 

[paulab]

Fiber wads aren't designed to be lubed. You need to use felt wads [wonder wads] to carry lube. Cheers Paul

 

[Billnpatti]

You don't say what kind of conicals you are using. if you are using modern pistol bullets with a plastic sabot, they seldom shoot well in a rifle with a rate of twist of 1:48. That twist rate is too slow to stabilize them well. For a conical, you need something like the T/C Maxiball or T/C Maxihunter. It will usually shoot the Lee R.E.A.L. bullet pretty well but the modern plastic stuff is best shot in one of those infernal inline devices with the plastic stock and high powered scope. YUK!!!!!

You don't really need any lube on fiber wads, they are bestg used dry. Let me suggest using leather OP wads lubed with something like Ballistol. I buy scraps of 5 to 6 oz. leather for pennys. I bought a set of hollow punches from Harbor Freight for next to nothing. I use a half inch punch to make my leather wads. I place them into a jar and pour Ballistol on them and let them sit for a couple days to soak up as much Ballistol as they will. I then remove them from the jar and use rags to pat them as dry as I can. I load one of these wads on top of my powder and then load my PBR on top. it sure improved my shot to shoot consistancy and consequently my accuracy. My patch lube is also straight Ballistol. I put the pre-cut patches in a jar and dampen them with straight Ballistol. I take a stack of the patches and squeeze oout as much Ballistol as I can. They should just be damp ,not dripping wet. With the leather OP waqds and Ballistol patches, I can shoot all day without having to wipe the bore. It is amazing. :thumbsup:

 

[nkbj]

Something that works sometimes is to seat an oversized dry card on top of the powder. In a fifty I use a 9/16" punch on old egg cartons.
Then run a lubed patched in and out (preps the bore).
Then seat the conical with that same lubed patch on the jag, just making sure the bore is clean and lubed.
If the conical has a real short nose I might lube it with the point even with the muzzle and seat it with that lubed patch on the jag.
Sometimes that works for me too.

 

[ohio ramrod]

paper patching may be a better idea than the wads.

 

[jpbvs]

(paper patching?)I saw this a while back but wouldn't know where to start to look for it so could you tell me how its done, like I said I'm willing to try anything to get this gun to shoot a consitant pattern (50 cal deerstalker).
THANKS

 

[playfarmers]

Do a search on paper patching muzzleloader bullets. I can't remember were I found it, but I tried it and got very good accuracy using a Lee mini paper patched. It was a lot of trial and screw up, but in the end one hole at 80 yards is what I got. My old .50 Deerstalker shot great with them, but recoil was stout so I went back to round balls.

 

[Boomtown Bang]

Loading order for colt .44 revolver: 20-25 grain 777 powder THEN 1/16th dry fiber wad THEN round ball THEN lube (light coat over bullet) LASTLY dry wad.
This encases lube over bullet for weather not allowing powder on bottom to be effected and seals chamber end for many reasons. It's the same common load for many, I just add 1 more 1/16th dry wad at end. I do this so the lube doesn't run all over revolver OR get blown off during shots and it keeps bore shining. Clean up is almost non existent. Worst build up I get is on nipples from corrosion of homemade magnum caps.
Caps are punched #11 aluminum pinched down to fit #10 nipple filled to TOP with primer mat then small paper cutout THEN compressed with lil rubber sized #10 dowel as far as I can compress LASTLY drip lil acetone let dry over 24 hrs. Primers fire unreal hot but 777 requires 770°Iignitionbas opposed to regular BP of roughly 550°? Reading up on 777 from website they recommend the 209 primers? I HAVE had ignition problems until I filled caps to top then compressed. After cap compression, primer mat usually ⅓ filled the entire cap (very full) can be a bit of struggle to seat but I use plastic crimp tool. Never had I had a primer premature fire nor had a chain fire yet. If I get a chain fire it would be from nipple end as chamber end sealed good
I tested my caps dry compressed vs compressed and acetone and dryed. The dry compress fires hotter regardless of how long I let acetone caps sit BUT the dry compressed slowly lose primer mat as time and handling goes by on nipples. The paper cutout fits snuggly but not a perfect seal so I usually use the acetone caps due to material quasi glued together. About 1 in 10 acetone caps are too weak for 777... roughly. Seen comparison of 18 rounds dry loads vs 18 rounds lube loads (same powder and bullet and sotre bought primers) and only the cleanup is most affected. Accuracy and chronographed speed is not affected at 18 rounds. After 18 do not know as that was test but definitely noticeable hammer resistance and rotation problems would begin, I would think. So the myth of lube making faster or more accurate seems just a myth @ 18 rounds and under.

 

[Mike in FL]

I keep hearing that a over powder lubed wad will spoil the powder. I ain't at all sure that happens; just something that sounds right. Maybe, if you left such a load in the gun, over time the powder might absorb moisture from the wad, but never ever have I heard about that being a real thing. I don't have a revolver, but I've always loaded my rifle with a lubed wool wad between powder and patch. I can't see why a revolver would be different in that regard. If it is true, what about a lubed patch in contact with the powder also be a concern? How many people don't use a wad but push their lubed patched ball down against the powder? Surely very few shooters use a dry patch.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I don’t worry about a lubed wad over the powder if I’m going to be discharging the revolver fairly soon. If it is cool I doubt it would effect the charge. A hot day would probably create a problem after an hour or two.