overpowder wads??

[lamina1982]

So ive read that using overpowder wads with REAL bullets ot maxihunters will greatly increase accuracy. What could I make these out of instead of buying?? thanks

[WickedGoodOutdoors]

Get a 1/2" for .50 cal or whatever cal you need Hole Punch and melt 50/50 Crisco & Wax with a cake of Ivory Soap in a pan.

Drop in a piece of thick craft felt.

take it out let it harden and puch out a bunch of wads.

load powder, ram down a wad, ram down the lead which you lubed with the same mix..

It will also keep your powder dry and lubes the boolit

[idahoron]

I use wool felt I get from a fabric store. I use a 1/2" black iron pipe. I sharpen one end and cut the patches by hitting the pipe with a rubber hammer. I use a piece of lumber for an anvil. The patches I use are .620" but the pipes come in different thickness so the diameter is different. My rifles like the patches to be in the .620 to .640 range for my 50 cal guns. They pucker a bit when they go into the barrel but they seal fantastic. Ron

[curator]

A wad makes considerable difference in my rifles when shooting Maxi-hunters or R.E.A.L bullets. I have had success with circlefly's inexpensive 1/8 card wads in .460 and .510 in my .45 & .50 caliber muzzle loaders. Their lack of lube doesn't seem to make a difference since I lube the heck out of the bulet anyway. Another apporach is to use a "half-measure" of cream of wheat cereal on top of the powder. This actually shoots better in some of my rifles with deep groove rifling and large bore smoothbores shooting round ball.

[BBA]

An old wool coat from the resale shop makes alot of wads. Soak them in melted lube. Same results as curator with the REAL and maxi's.

[Underclocked]

Being lazy, I buy Wad-510-A from Track of the Wolf. Can't beat the price and they work great in my Whites.

[riverwalker76]

Get a 1/2" for .50 cal or whatever cal you need Hole Punch and melt 50/50 Crisco & Wax with a cake of Ivory Soap in a pan.

Drop in a piece of thick craft felt.

take it out let it harden and puch out a bunch of wads.

load powder, ram down a wad, ram down the lead which you lubed with the same mix..

It will also keep your powder dry and lubes the boolit

Do you have a pic of what one of these is supposed to look like?

Also, I assume by 'wax' you mean ... beeswax .... right?

Does the Ivory Soap melt, or do you need to shave and dissolve it in the mix?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I'm looking for a cheap alternative as well.

[Maven]

rw76, Sorry to interrupt WGO's answer re: Ivory Soap. It will melt, but it does so much quicker if you grate it or shave it (only takes a few minutes).

[qajaq59]

My rifles like the patches to be in the .620 to .640 range for my 50 cal guns. They pucker a bit when they go into the barrel but they seal fantastic. Ron

I've been looking for a pipe with an exactly .5 inch inside diameter. But from your post I gather anything close will work?

[idahoron]

My rifles like the larger wads. 3/8" black Iron is like .49 and if you find one that is thin wall you can get a .50". Ron

[Maven]

Qajaq, If you can't find the right diameter of iron pipe, Google arch punches. Amazon.com has a nice selection: 1/2", 9/16", 5/8" as does EBay, but Amazon's prices are better.

[qajaq59]

I found a galvanized pipe the right size. Now all I have to do is figure out how to keep a sharp edge on it long enough to cut the felt. It seems to dull up immediately.

[lawhetzel]

If you have a .50 caliber, you should be able to find a 1/2 inch hole punch, singly or part of a set, fairly cheaply in a number of places. They can be sharpened easily on a grinder if you do not let it get too hot. Use a wooden mallet or rubber hammer to whack the punch. Punch them out on a hard wood block. If you have a .54, like I do, you have to get a 9/16 punch which is actually close to .56. They are usually somewhat more expensive. I got mine from Dixie IIRC.
Usable felt may be hard to find easily. Much of the craft store variety is polyester or a polyester blend. (That's right, plastic which may melt and coat your bore.) Old felt hats are a good source of real wool felt, but they are harder to come by than they used to be. I buy mine from Duro-Felt Products http://www.durofelt.com/image_26.html. It is genuine wool felt. Most muzzle loaders use the F-1 hard felt that is 1/8 inch thick. It figures out to about to about 1.5 cents per square inch. which will ideally get you 4 wads per square inch. As you can see a 36X36 inch piece will make a lot of wads.
I punch out a bunch of wads. Then I dip them in my melted grease/bullet lube.
I use them with REAL type bullets and they have cut my groups by half or better. I am getting a new slow twist ball barrel for my .54 Renegade and want to try they under a patched ball.

[Hanshi]

As a "do it yourself" sort, I punch all my wads and card wads now. It does pay for itself pretty quickly if you shop around. Durofelt often has clearances and specials that are great deals. A simple, cheap set of punches from Harbor Freight is all you need.

[qajaq59]

Thanks for the help guys. I think until I can get everything in order on the punch, felt, etc I'll just order some wads and try them out. And you are definitely right about finding real felt. All we could find today in three different stores was polyester blend. And I don't need a plasticized barrel. LOL

[idahoron]

When I sharpen mine I use a grinder to thin the wall and a file to put the finish on it. If you get the pipe too hot it will get too soft. Grind it slow and don't get it too thin. I cut almost 200 wads and never sharpened it. Ron

[qajaq59]

I'll give sharpening it another go early in the morning, when the garage isn't 120++ degrees. Florida is tough in the summertime......LOL

And by the way, how thick do I want the material for the wads. ( Lawhetzel answered before I asked. I just missed it. Most muzzle loaders use the F-1 hard felt that is 1/8 inch thick. ) The wife thinks she knows where there is a second hand clothes place that might have some hats.

And guys I really do appreciate your helping me out.

[BBA]

Make sure to wash the sizing out of the hats.

[qajaq59]

I'll look around today for some hats. If I find any I'll wash them. But if I don't find any, I'll just order the felt that was suggested. It wasn't that expensive. And I ordered the punch last night from Harbor freight. So I should be all set. Thanks again all.

[idahoron]

My felt runs .035 but I don't think thickness is that much of an issue. The big thing is does it seal the gas? Thickness for paper or cotton cloth for wrapping a bullet or ball is different. What is the diameter of the punch you got? Ron