over powder wads

[Texasgunnut]

I have been looking for heavy cardboard to make wads. i am having a fit trying to find a thick enough card stock. Or are y'all using corrugated cardboard?

[RED BEAR]

I use the corrugated stuff. I also really like the boxes that cereal comes in the large boxes like from Costco or bj's work pretty good.

[DIRT Farmer]

Depends on the gun, I have cut a lot from card stock like beer or soft drink 6 pack carriers. Poster board works. I also cut corrigated and soak in bees wax/olive oil for lube. Still 99% come from venders like Mikes wads in Nivina IN. When you shoot several matches a day its more fun shooting than cutting wads.

[TheOutlawKid]

Have you thought of trying cork? You can buy sheets in just about any thickness up to an inch. I have read of people swearing on their performance. Maybe hit up your local hobby shop or craft store?

[TheOutlawKid]

I use cereal box or fruit roll up box cardboard, i have a 3/8ths inch hole punch and use them in my .36 cal cap and ball revolvers. What gun are you making the wads for?

[Texasgunnut]

20 gauge trade gun.

[webfoot10]

Just get a BisQuick box and a 5/8 wad punch, and make as many as you need.
You can also use the paper egg cartons, if you want a thicker wad, soak in Lundmark
liquid paste wax and let dry. I've used both for the last 35 years, works great.

[LAGS]

For Thicker Wads, I would just use what cardboard I had like Cereal boxes cut into strips, then Glued together to the thickness I wanted with a Glue Stick.
Then used a hole punch or a correct size piece of Tubing sharpened to make a disc cutter.

[MOA]

You might try taking some good corrugated box material and heat up some lube of beeswax and crisco or olive oil and using a paint brush lay on some good coats on both side of the box material and then cutting out the disc's after the lube has dried. I'd think it would be easier than dunking all those disc's one by one.

[waksupi]

Go to Walmart and get a sheet of poster board.

[TheOutlawKid]

I got a friend who swears by Bicycle playing cards...they are really strong but also have a coating that makes them water/oil proof to prevent powder contamination.

[fgd135]

For my Parker Hale Volunteer rifle, I use wads punched from milk and juice cartons-- it's paper, but wp-coated on both sides. I've also tried various thicknesses of cork bought on rolls from hobby-type stores, but I've had better accuracy with single thickness milk carton wads.

[oldracer]

I went to a store that sells gasket and seal materials. I bought 2 yards (their minimum) of .030 and 2 yards of .060 thickness gasket material or vegetable fiber material that usually for making intake manifold gaskets when the premade ones are no longer available. I also bought a wad punch for 45 caliber wads and they work fine for my 44 caliber revolvers and45 caliber slug guns. I ran the punch on a rainy day here in southern CA until my arm gave out after cutting the material into strips just a tad wider than the diameter of the wads. I figure I have several thousand of both thickness wads and they sure work fine!
John

[Texasgunnut]

Kids drink fair amount of soda wonder if the card board from the 12 pack boxes would work.

[Conditor22]

The Dollar Tree has posterboard :)

I plan on using 1/8 rigid felt saturated with Gatafeo's 2 parts paraffin, 2 parts lard/lanolin/Crisco 1 part beeswax)

remove excess moisture

then cut with HF Hollow punch 6 pc set for use with a power drill or drill press

[pakmc]

I use wads from O'reallys made from 1/8 inch cork gasket . they work great for my .44 cap and ball and my .36 C&B, I use a 3/8 inch plunch for the .36 but i'll go to a 380 ball the next time I pour balls.). I just put a dab of grease on top of the wad and then the ball. I've shot my .44(using a .458 ball) over 70 shots with out cleaning the barrel. my favorite pistol is a 1860 full fluted cylinder and its quite accurate. I shoot goex and 777 in it.(the 777 is easier to clean up and gives a little more punch.) and it shoots to point of aim at 10 yards.(steel plates don't you know).

[KCSO]

If your over powder wad is too thin just use two. I cut mine from old tablet backers as we used a lot of them at the Court House.

[TheOutlawKid]

Mr.texasgunnut...the cardboard soda boxes are made from will do perfect...i think theyre basically the same as cereal box cardboard. Try it out...it might be what youre looking for

[mazo kid]

If your over powder wad is too thin just use two. I cut mine from old tablet backers as we used a lot of them at the Court House.
When I was working, the computer room got cartons of paper and each one had 2 cardboard sheets in it, about the thickness of tablet backing....maybe .030".

[charlie b]

Buffalo Arms Co.

Veggie fiber wads $20 per 1000. Takes a long time to use them up :)

They also have shotgun wads of various sizes.

I used to punch my own but this is much less work ;)

[owejia]

Google Circle Fly Wads, used to cut my own for use in the bee killer loads. More fun to shoot bees than cut wads. Circle Fly Wads direct from the mfg.

[John McCorkle]

So question here....can a corrugated cardboard wad substitute for a felt was if soaked in lube? I dunno if this is possible and but I'm testing (or soon to test) some Lee real conicals and I've heard the best way to accuracy is wool felt soaked in beeswax and lube mix....but I happen to have no felt. Can I cut cardboard and fill it with wax/lube and have in basics a substitute felt wad?

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[arcticap]

So question here....can a corrugated cardboard wad substitute for a felt was if soaked in lube? I dunno if this is possible and but I'm testing (or soon to test) some Lee real conicals and I've heard the best way to accuracy is wool felt soaked in beeswax and lube mix....but I happen to have no felt. Can I cut cardboard and fill it with wax/lube and have in basics a substitute felt wad?

To be honest, I've never heard of using a wet lubed felt wad with a REAL conical since they have lube grooves that should hold plenty of lube.
Especially if being fired with a rifle. a dry wad is what is most often used.
That's not to say that a lubed wad can't be used, but a lubed cardboard wad may get soggy.
Perhaps a dry cardboard card underneath the lubed wad or a waterproof card to help prevent powder contamination.
I make waxboard cards from juice containers since they are waterproof and I've only used dry wads with rifles which are sometimes sold &b labeled as dry lubed wads.
Is this for a revolver or a rifle?

[Edward]

Egg/milk/ juice cartons all work ,single/double just try them all/Ed

[country gent]

Have used poster board, cereal boxes, corrugated card board, waxed juice boxes ( these are getting harder to find) Gasket materials ( these are a list all their own). Felt, and insulation board. As to the gasket materials there is the oil papers in various thicknesses, corks, veggie fibers, and the last I have had good recuts with the rubber fiber materials. Paying cards make good wads and don't seem to stick to the base of the bullet like some will do. Another we have used to protect the patch is cream of wheat. I mostly use .060 rubber fiber wads when needed. But a flintlock made from a 20mm Vulcan barrel with full charges required the 1/4" insulation board and a heavy patch around the ball ( around 900 grns). I have used most in muzzle loaders'.

Take an assortment of wads and shoot on a calm day watch groups and recover patches see what works. The charge a poster board wad 20 grns or so by volume of cream of wheat and another wad then the bullet does a good job of protecting the bullet/ patch ad seems to seal well.

[arcticap]

Amother idea to protect powder from contamination is to place a layer or two of wax paper over the powder.

[John McCorkle]

To be honest, I've never heard of using a wet lubed felt wad with a REAL conical since they have lube grooves that should hold plenty of lube.
Especially if being fired with a rifle. a dry wad is what is most often used.
That's not to say that a lubed wad can't be used, but a lubed cardboard wad may get soggy.
Perhaps a dry cardboard card underneath the lubed wad or a waterproof card to help prevent powder contamination.
I make waxboard cards from juice containers since they are waterproof and I've only used dry wads with rifles which are sometimes sold &b labeled as dry lubed wads.
Is this for a revolver or a rifle?Not thinking 'wet' more like a waxy base that requires heat to drive into the felt/cardboard. Few places here on how to make your own lubed felt wads.

As long as the lube mixture would harden up some and not be dripping (say half beeswax or so) and the lube was not doing to spoil the powder it would likely work great. Seal the bore behind the bullet

Heard lots of guys saying they use a felt wad behind Lee reals.. I'm going to try for myself, but from what I see others experience is that a felt wad and a lower than absolute max charge gets best accuracy. The theory is that the lubed wad seals behind the bullet and helps keep gas blow by on the relatively thin bands making contact with the lands of the bore. Lower charges help keep that pressure low enough it's not as big of an issue too.

So my plan is 70-80 grain of pyrodex behind a 320 with felt wad behind (ordered felt from duro felt yesterday) and see how the grouping is. If I can get good grouping with it at 50 yrds, there will be meat on the table come October

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[trapper9260]

I cut cards from cracker box. also if need to get thicker I put 2 over the powder. As for cork you can go to a farm & fleet store and can get it in sheets for gasket make. I have done that for it .

[Edward]

Not thinking 'wet' more like a waxy base that requires heat to drive into the felt/cardboard. Few places here on how to make your own lubed felt wads.

As long as the lube mixture would harden up some and not be dripping (say half beeswax or so) and the lube was not doing to spoil the powder it would likely work great. Seal the bore behind the bullet

Heard lots of guys saying they use a felt wad behind Lee reals.. I'm going to try for myself, but from what I see others experience is that a felt wad and a lower than absolute max charge gets best accuracy. The theory is that the lubed wad seals behind the bullet and helps keep gas blow by on the relatively thin bands making contact with the lands of the bore. Lower charges help keep that pressure low enough it's not as big of an issue too.

So my plan is 70-80 grain of pyrodex behind a 320 with felt wad behind (ordered felt from duro felt yesterday) and see how the grouping is. If I can get good grouping with it at 50 yrds, there will be meat on the table come October

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk Not so on max charges .the lee 320 does not get best accurate till 105-110 grains of OE2F in my renegade 1-48 barrel ,same for patched RB in my 1-66 .610 barrel /just sayin Ed

[John McCorkle]

Not so on max charges .the lee 320 does not get best accurate till 105-110 grains of OE2F in my renegade 1-48 barrel ,same for patched RB in my 1-66 .610 barrel /just sayin EdYup in a 1:48 yoj may get to push it faster/ harder. I have a 1:28 and i doubt I'll get to push it that fast with good accuracy

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[GregLaROCHE]

You might try taking some good corrugated box material and heat up some lube of beeswax and crisco or olive oil and using a paint brush lay on some good coats on both side of the box material and then cutting out the disc's after the lube has dried. I'd think it would be easier than dunking all those disc's one by one.

Make sure to coat and then cut. If you try to coat afterwards, they will probably swell up and my not fit.

[Grapeshot]

Kids drink fair amount of soda wonder if the card board from the 12 pack boxes would work.

I used them for years. Worked in an indoor range where the owner would bring in soft drinks in 8 packs and I would take all of the empty cartons after we put the cans in the refridge.

[John McCorkle]

Ended up finding a good load combo...broke down and bought some felt from durofelt

Lee 50 Cal 320 REAL (bore butter on bands)
1:28 twist
95 grain Pyrodex RS
209 primer
Felt wad (no lube)

Put the chronograph at the target after I worked up accuracy... getting 1340 fps at the target and just at an inch (a tad under) at 50 yards

Interesting also is that I powder coated some to see if it changed anything...

Point of impact was a little different but just as accurate and clocked at 1440 (full 100 fps faster) I noticed they were much much easier to slide down the tube ..took a bit more effort to start engraving the rifling but once it went down super easy. I'm assuming the reduction in friction accounted for the increased velocity

Anyhow...felt wad from durofelt us the ticket in Lee REAL bullets. Works great in my case...putting these Louisiana whitetail on notice...Oct 21 is coming soon ....

Sent from my Moto G Play using Tapatalk

[oldracer]

Since this thread is still rumbling along I thought I would list the wads I use as they were the recommendations of a past national champion. I'll list the 45-70 setup also just in case someone wants to go to the dark side!
- 45 caliber slug gun except the Pedersoli Gibbs: Powder no compression, .060 fiber wad (NO lube cookie), 540 grain grease groove bullet pan lubed with Doug Knoell lube.
- 45 caliber Pedersoli Gibbs: Powder no compression, 520 grain Pedersoli grease groove bullet sitting on the powder. I wipe the bullet base very well.
- 50 Caliber round ball: Powder, compress slightly, pillow ticking lubed with Bore Butter (can't use spit any longer since dry mouth after cancer treatment).
- 44 caliber Remington cap & ball: 30 grains of powder, 20 grains of Cream of Wheat, 0.454 ball seated just below front of cylinder, no wad.
- 45-70 Sharps: 68 grains FFG, compressed, milk carton wad, news paper wad, 540 grain grease groove bullet as above, no crimp, case mouth slightly belled to seal case in chamber.
John

[GregLaROCHE]

Glad to hear someone else uses cream of wheat. What do you have against compressing ?

[oldracer]

I don't compress the powder in my revolvers and slug guns mainly because my mentor said not to when I started. I was told to try compressing which I did BUT the accuracy was terrible! I tap the patched round ball for 3 taps but not super hard because of the same. I finally figured it out that the powder needs some air inside the powder stack with percussion caps since they have less spark than a centerfire primer. After 5 years or so he told me what I had figured out as I guess he wanted to see how smart I was?!
John

[indian joe]

I have been looking for heavy cardboard to make wads. i am having a fit trying to find a thick enough card stock. Or are y'all using corrugated cardboard?

My missus works in an accountants office - she brings home busted lever arch files - heavy card same as tablet backing but thicker (60 thou vs about 35) you would proly get them in office depot or wallymart for a couple bucks - could even work out cheaper than buying the right stuff from the right place.

I use lube soaked egg carton in a couple pistols, seems to work ok (2 thicknesses) - heat the lube in a flat tray and dunk the egg carton in it while hot - keep the heat on till bubbles stop coming out of the egg carton material - lift it out - let it drip a bit then lay it flat to cool on a piece of baking paper - this stuff cuts so nice with a wad punch !

Same idea might work with thicker card ? have not tried it - would need longer to soak the lube in I reckon.