Lubed wads work very well

[wittzo]

Usually, I just toss the powder in from my measure and use a patch because the felt wads make it tighter to ram. This time I decided to see what it would be like to use them consistenly.

The last few outings with my .54 Mississippi Rifle, I've tried to be more consistent. I'm loading it with 55 grains of FFg Goex, using the same material as a patch for every shot, spit lubed, and using 5/8" hard felt wads lubed with Gatafeo's formula over the powder.

At 50 yards, I was able to put 3 balls in a cloverleaf from a rest and every shot was as easy to load as the first one. I waited a couple of days and took it out again with the same performance. I got really lazy, I didn't clean it. I waited a week before I shot it again and when I finally cleaned it that night, the bore looked just as clean as it did before I fired it the first time, except in the chamber area, of course. I shot the rifle more than 30 times without swabbing or cleaning.

Hard fiber wads do a real good job of scraping the bore clean when you ram everything home and upon firing.

 

[Fingers McGee]

Ah.................. Another to see the light

 

[trog]

what diam. should be used in a .50cal., and where can I getumat?

 

[wittzo]

I'd been using them for a long time, just not regularly.
I'm going to systematically lower my powder charge for 50 yards, then work on a load for 100 yards now it's cooler. I figure using the wads and cleaning around the cap area after shooting sessions I can let the rifle sit for a couple of days or shoot it every day until the loads are worked up before I deep clean it.

 

[wittzo]

I have a set of gasket punches I bought from Harbor Freight that I use to make felt wads. I got the set of 12 so I could get the 3/4" punch to make wads for my .69 Springfield rifle musket and my .75 ship's carbine. I use the 5/8" punch for my .58 and the 9/16" for my .54. One of the punches is suitable for .45 pistol, but I got a dedicated punch for it because the wads were a little too small, more suitable for a .44.
You want the wad to be a bit snug in the bore, but not too big to ram it home or make it too difficult to ram the patched ball. For .50, use the cutter one step larger than 1/2" in the set. The felt has a bit of "springback" to it, so it's going to expand a little bit. The lube will also stiffen it. Don't use it with miniballs or other hollowbase bullets.
I use the industrial felt mentioned in the homemade felt wads thread in the stickies of the forum and a modification of Gatafeo's lube formula. I substitute unsalted lard for tallow to keep things local. I didn't want to pay $6 shipping for a $5 product.