What type of filler do you use?

[Studit]

What does everyone use as filler & why do you use filler?

Please bear in mind that I live in Australia & I have never heard of cream of wheat & other such things so a description as well as a name would be helpful.

I own a pair of Uberti 44 cal Remington New Army revolvers.

 

[Heelerau]

I don't personally use filler, a mate in South Australia used semolina.

Cheers

 

[RADeO]

I use plain old cornmeal as filler. This allows me to seat the ball just slightly below the chamber mouth (which is supposed to enhance accuracy) leaving no air space between the powder and the ball.

 

[Zonie]

Cream of Wheat is an American breakfast food made from Farina.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farina_(food)

As others have mentioned other fillers like corn meal are sometimes used.

As for my loads, I don't use anything between the powder and the ball/bullet.

Maybe it's my shooting but I haven't seen a lot of difference between having the ball at the chamber mouth with a full powder load or down in the chamber a ways with a smaller powder load.

 

[Studit]

Thanks Acorn.

Next question...

Do you blend it or pour it in after the powder?

 

[Zonie]

If you use a filler, it goes in after the powder is loaded. Don't blend it in.

 

[Studit]

Thanks Jim,

I had heard of it being done & wondered if it would help.

I'm happy to fill the extra space with powder.

My technique has more to do with my (lack of)accuracy than anything cream of wheat could fix, although it does sound like a tasty stick to your ribs kind of breakfast & a good warm up for they day's shooting :grin:

 

[FishDFly]

Actually all the top of the line shooters use a filler.

Some like corn meal which will compress when seating the ball.

Cream of Wheat dos not compress when seating the ball.

We all get to chose, but the top shooters use a filler for a reason, they like to win.

 

[Studit]

Actually all the top of the line shooters use a filler.

We all get to chose, but the top shooters use a filler for a reason, they like to win.

I shoot for fun. If I get too competitive I stop enjoying it. I'm happy to hear the ring of a steel plate when I throw lead down range. If its the one I'm aiming at I'm even happier.

 

[TFoley]

Cream of Wheat is an American breakfast food made from Farina.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farina_(food)

As others have mentioned other fillers like corn meal are sometimes used.

As for my loads, I don't use anything between the powder and the ball/bullet.

Maybe it's my shooting but I haven't seen a lot of difference between having the ball at the chamber mouth with a full powder load or down in the chamber a ways with a smaller powder load.

Well, I'm a beginner here, only shooting BP since the late 60s, but I've never used any kind of filler either. I subscribe to Zonie's methodology of a SUITABLY lively load, followed by the ball, and bang. Where's the fun of shooting a limp-wrist blibble load that barely makes the target?

Sure the top-line shooters use all kinds of miracle mixtures, but then, they take their time and are usually desperately serious about the whole thing - meh.

Most of us here are here because of the fun of shooting old-style guns of one kind or another, and if the laws here in yUK were kinder, I'd have dozens of 'em, but I'd shoot them the way the GFO intended, and the way that those good ol' boys did back then.

So, no filler for me.

Man up - cram that chamber as full of powder as you can and still get a ball in, just like they used to in the old days. They weren't futzing around, those guys who used a handgun back then - their very lives often depended on it.

Your mileage may differ.

tac

 

[ZUG]

I use a filler when shooting in a match for score for plinking at tin cans - no filler but I don't use my match gun for plinking :wink: . I started using corn meal but now use cream of wheat & use a loading press with the cylinder out of the revolver again match gun only :v . My fun plinking revolvers are loaded in the conventional way :thumbsup: .

 

[cynthialee]

old stale cornmeal that was going to be thrown out anyways

tightens up the groups nicely for me

 

[zimmerstutzen]

My ruger seemed to do better with out filler. But when shooting for score, I used 2fg. My Uber 1862 police did better with filler. Used masa harina.

 

[Studit]

...
Man up - cram that chamber as full of powder as you can and still get a ball in, just like they used to in the old days.

Now that's an attitude I like.

 

[USMA65]

My ruger seemed to do better with out filler. But when shooting for score, I used 2fg. My Uber 1862 police did better with filler. Used masa harina.

If you are a percussion long gunner, are you patching with once used tamale corn husks? :wink:

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Locally, masa is about $1.00 per 5 pound bag. PA Dutch don't eat Tex Mex/beans or Chinese/rice. So it sells cheap here. We use it for lots of things, thickener in Chili, mix with feed for animals to increase carbs, filler in c&b revs, buffer in shot in shot shells, and once in a while, to make tortillas.

 

[Zonie]

Tortillias are too much work when factory made ones are available.

Now, using it to make tamales, that's a worthwhile use. Yummy Gummy! :grin:

 

[Heelerau]

Mate I have found using two greased felt wads on top of a smaller charge gives good accuracy and is less fiddle some than using filler. 3/8 hard felt you can source that locally.

 

[Rifleman1776]

When I had my revolvers I never used a filler. But, I did grease over the ball. Then someone gave me a large quantity of lubed felt wads. I placed those under the ball, stopped greasing and never looked back. Made life simpler and cleaner and I could not detect any difference in performance. Cream of Wheat is for breakfast.

 

[Kansas Jake]

X2 on the greased felt wad.