Question about over the powder wads

[Big Bub]

Greetings everyone, I have been casting and shooting lead boolits for about 35 years. Have learned a little along the way, but as we know we never learn it all, heck the fun would be gone! I have been a lurker for some time, but I do have a question. I have read many posts about putting a felt wad on top of the powder charge prior to seating a boolit, does this not cushion the blow of the exploding powder against the base of the boolit, perhaps preventing some obturation of the boolit?

[451 Pete]

Big Bub,
I used to wonder a bit about that until I shot a long range match at Oak Ridge Tenn one year. I was shooting a cylindrical paper patch 530 grain bullet out of a hexagonal bored Parker Hale Whitworth. Another shooter that was working the pit pulling and marking targets returned one of my bullets to me. The soft lead had obturated and formed a hexagonal shape all the way to the oglive of the nose of the bullet. This was shot over a 80 grain charge of powder using a felt wad. I have never worried about the use of a wad or clyindrical bullet in a hexagonal bore since.

[Omnivore]

I'm not sure of the physics, but I know for sure that a felt wad, with some projectiles, all else being equal, will improve my group size from dismal to excellent. The 250 grain REAL 50 cal is a case in point. Groups consistently improved by several inches at 50 yards. Without the felt wads I would have given up on them. With the wads, they're on my preferred loads list.

[AR-15 Cowboy]

I use a wad with the .50 cal R.E.A.L., but I soak them in the pan when I lube my boolits, I think by doing that it helps in lubing the boolit. I know my accuracy improved when I started using wads.