Vegetable fiber wads for C&B revolvers?

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I've got nothing to offer as to the effectiveness, just a comment that they look like sliced wine corks!

Seems like they'd work well to separate powder & projectile(s).
 
They are fine...but nothing that a felt wad or even cereal box cardboard disks wont do. Im frugal and also like not being dependant on store bought manufactured products. Im like to make my own disks...so i use a hole punch to cut disks from cereal box cardboard, milk carton, even plain ol' manilla folder (paired with a thin lube disk and it seals the bore very well behind a ball/bullet to lube barrel and prevent gus cutting of the ball/bullet...and it takes up less space than lubed felt wad so i can use more powder or larger bullet). For thinner stuff like manilla folder i use a hand squeezed hole punch like a 3/8ths paper punch which makes my over powder disks for my .36 cals. I guess if they were big enough they would make a good over powder wad for a muzzleloader...like behind an REAL bullet or other conical that needs gas cutting prevented. I would probably stack two .060 sized veggie wads to make a thicker wad. I dont like using to thick of disks/cards in my revolvers as i use conicals and i need all the space i can get for powder/bullet.
 
OK Kid Where do you get a 3/8" hand paper punch? Or one for 44s like in .450 dia. I am trying to make paper carts for my 44 remi brasser.My old hands are having problems in the rolling the paper.
Black Jack Shellac
 
The trick is finding something that makes wads near .450" for the larger guns. I'm looking for a whole punch/cutter in that range. The closest is 7/16" which would be about .44.
Maybe I can find a cheap one that is slightly oversized, or ream it out slightly.
 
Ordered those vegetable fiber wads in .45 to test out. Also found Harbor Freight has hollow gasket cutter punches in stock locally, so I'll try and pick up a set this week. Includes 3/8" and 7/16". Really good price, like $8 for the set.
 
Bubba32 said:
Ordered those vegetable fiber wads in .45 to test out. Also found Harbor Freight has hollow gasket cutter punches in stock locally, so I'll try and pick up a set this week. Includes 3/8" and 7/16". Really good price, like $8 for the set.
Click to expand...

I'm curious about how stiff the Sage wads are, and if they'll securely hold the shot.

They're thinner than the .060 Walter vegetable fiber wads sold by Buffalo Arms.
Buffalo Arms also sells Poly Wads in 2 thicknesses which may be stiffer, as well as bulk sheets of both materials and sizes.

Also worth noting is that their wads come in .463 and .452.
In the event that the Sage Wads don't securely hold the shot in place, they can still be used under the shot, and then get larger
diameter wads or cut your own to use over the shot.
You don't want the wads to take up too much chamber space.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=bulk+wad&category=All

Good luck and let us know how it works out.
 
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Wow, gonna have to get one of them squeezie things for my .36. I like making wax-wads, but have found that a "waxed" .36 caliber felt wad is difficult to squeeze into the cylinder, unless it's nice and warm. In .45 cal, my .50" single shot pistol, or my rifles, it's not a problem. Thin wads in the .36 would be a winner.

Having said that, I've kind of changed over to bullets in my .36 and .44 revolvers, as a lube-change improved the accuracy of them quite a bit. Before that, ball was quite a bit more accurate in my guns. I like the bullets because between having them in a civil war cap-pouch, a small horn with a 24 grain spout, and the capper around my neck, I can reload very quickly. Not as fast as "cartridges", (bullet and paper cartridge attached) but almost. I learned that from the "Natural Man". And between a small horn or flask, a tin of caps, and a handful of bullets in the pouch (especially .36) you can really pack a lot of ammo.

I believe that a lubed bullet has enough bearing surface and lube on it to prevent chain fire, so I don't bother with a wad when reloading in the field. (hiking, hunting, trekking, exploring) Otherwise I like a waxed wad to prevent powder contamination, as I often leave my pistols loaded for long periods of time.
 
arcticap said:
I'm curious about how stiff the Sage wads are, and if they'll securely hold the shot.

They're thinner than the .060 Walter vegetable fiber wads sold by Buffalo Arms.
Buffalo Arms also sells Poly Wads in 2 thicknesses which may be stiffer, as well as bulk sheets of both materials and sizes.

Also worth noting is that their wads come in .463 and .452.
In the event that the Sage Wads don't securely hold the shot in place, they can still be used under the shot, and then get larger
diameter wads or cut your own to use over the shot.
You don't want the wads to take up too much chamber space.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=bulk+wad&category=All

Good luck and let us know how it works out.
Click to expand...

I didn't buy the fiber wads for shot, curious to see if they might work as a greased wad under a ball or slug, instead of a greased felt wad. Will depend on if they will soak up any lube and how tight they may or may not fit.
 
I use a 5/16 hole/wad punch for .31 caliber revolvers. Made to cut holes in do-it-yourself automotive gaskets.
3/8" inch hole/wad punch for .36 caliber. Made for automotive gaskets. Find it online.
7/16" hole/wad punch for .44/40. 44 Magnum, .45-caliber muzzleloading rifle or single-shot pistol. Search automotive tools online.
.45-caliber hole/wad punch of .455 inch for .44-caliber cap and ball revolvers, you can get the .450 inch. Buffalo Arms sells for $20.
.45-caliber hole/wad punch of .460" diameter for .45-70, .450 Marlin, .458 Winchester Magnum, .45-60, etc. Sold online by Buffalo Arms of Ponderay, Idaho.
1/2" hole/wad punch sold online for making automotive gaskets.
The automotive hole/wad punches will be less expensive than Buffalo Bore, but not by much. Buffalo Bore wad punches are high quality. Your great-grandson will die of old age before you wear it out, if used and stored properly.
Buy the 100% wool felt from Duro-Felt of Little Rock, Arkansas. You can get large sheets of hard 1/8 and 1/4" felt at very reasonable prices. With a wad punch and Dura-Felt, you can a wad for less than a penny. Beats spending $10 for 100 commercially made wads.
I use the 1/8" lubricated wads in cap and ball revolvers with standard loads.
For light loads, I use a 1/4" lubricated wad to take up more room in the chamber so the ball is closer to the breech. It's said that accuracy is enhanced with the ball closer to the rifling, but considering that most cap and ball revolvers have primitive sights, it might be difficult to determine without a scope mounted, and firing from a benchrest. But the extra lubricant that the 1'4" wad carries certainly does no harm and, I believe, keeps the revolver working longer by leaving a sheen of lubricant on moving parts with each firing.
The best lubricant?
The one named after me many years ago: Gatofeo No. 1 Bullet Lubricant. It's not marketed commercially, you have to make it. It's composed of beeswax, canning paraffin and mutton tallow. Search the internet for "Gatofeo wad lubricant mutton tallow" and you'll find detailed instructions for finding the ingredients and making it. I use it for a wide range of black powder applications: felt wads for rifle, pistol and shotgun, rifle patches, a dab on nipple threads for easier removal later, bullet lubricant (for all black powder projectiles and with smokeless projectiles up to about 1,200 fps).
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Wow, gonna have to get one of them squeezie things for my .36. I like making wax-wads, but have found that a "waxed" .36 caliber felt wad is difficult to squeeze into the cylinder, unless it's nice and warm. In .45 cal, my .50" single shot pistol, or my rifles, it's not a problem. Thin wads in the .36 would be a winner.

Having said that, I've kind of changed over to bullets in my .36 and .44 revolvers, as a lube-change improved the accuracy of them quite a bit. Before that, ball was quite a bit more accurate in my guns. I like the bullets because between having them in a civil war cap-pouch, a small horn with a 24 grain spout, and the capper around my neck, I can reload very quickly. Not as fast as "cartridges", (bullet and paper cartridge attached) but almost. I learned that from the "Natural Man". And between a small horn or flask, a tin of caps, and a handful of bullets in the pouch (especially .36) you can really pack a lot of ammo.

I believe that a lubed bullet has enough bearing surface and lube on it to prevent chain fire, so I don't bother with a wad when reloading in the field. (hiking, hunting, trekking, exploring) Otherwise I like a waxed wad to prevent powder contamination, as I often leave my pistols loaded for long periods of time.
Click to expand...

Mr.ugly sauce....which conicals are you using in your guns? In the "natural man" youtube video you are talking about he is using .36 cal kaido conicals, which i too have used and they are great. But now i mainly use some custom conicals i had designed through accurate molds and they too give excellent accuracy...better than round ball. The kaido conicals in .36 cal also give better than roundball accuracy and even Mike Belleview (duelist1954) also got better accuracy using kaido conicals than he did with roundball. He made a video showing the difference between round ball, pointed conical, and flat nosed wide meplat conical (kaido .36 conical)..and the kaido conical had the best grouping.
 
Wow good info. The slugs I have come from unknown molds that I've picked up over time. The ".44" slug measures out at .450", has two lube grooves, and comes out of the mold at 205 grains. The ".36" comes out of the mold at exactly 120 grains, and measures .375", with two lube grooves.

After doing more shooting, I've found the accuracy difference between the .44 slug and ball to be very slight. With the .36, noticeable but with just a lube change "pretty close" to a round ball load. Former lube, big difference.

What does the Kaido weigh? I like the metplat idea, especially in .44. Both my slugs (.44 and .36) are round nose. As I shoot, or attempt to shoot grouse with my .36, the round nose probably damages less meat. But....I've only shot them with ball, which caused very little damage. A slug with a metplat would probably be a better killer on wabbits.

What is the cost of a kaido mold? Or can they be bought already cast, in order to try them out?
 
Thanks for posting, maybe somebody can identify. I was going to suspect Lee molds, but that doesn't seem like the right weight for the .44 slug they make. What material are the molds made from?
 
Bubba32 said:
Thanks for posting, maybe somebody can identify. I was going to suspect Lee molds, but that doesn't seem like the right weight for the .44 slug they make. What material are the molds made from?
Click to expand...

For some reason I'm not finding my .375 slug mold. The .450"/205 grain mold looks like a LEE, it's aluminum, but does not say LEE on it, as most of my LEE molds do. ? The # on it is 90384DL The handles look typical LEE.
 
It shoots really nice in my 1860. I just recently tried it, although I've had the mold forever, and I was surprised at the accuracy I got. With only 24 grains under it, it seems to have plenty of oomph. DSC07205 (1).JPG
 
Ugly Sauce said:
It shoots really nice in my 1860. I just recently tried it, although I've had the mold forever, and I was surprised at the accuracy I got. With only 24 grains under it, it seems to have plenty of oomph. View attachment 963470
Click to expand...

The Lee .450 200 grain mold is popular and it gave better than roundball performance in the testing his .44 caliber cap and ball guns that Mike Beleview did. You should check out his video. Also kaido conicals in .36 caliber did way better than roundball and pointed conical. I also got the same results. Heres a screen shot of the 5 shot loads comparing the kaido conical with roundball...the kaido conical had a way tighter group..

Kaido conical group in .36 cal, 5 shots
Screenshot_2019-09-20-16-48-17.png

Roundball group in .36 cal, 5 shots
Screenshot_2019-09-20-16-49-42.png
 
Ugly Sauce said:
Wow good info. The slugs I have come from unknown molds that I've picked up over time. The ".44" slug measures out at .450", has two lube grooves, and comes out of the mold at 205 grains. The ".36" comes out of the mold at exactly 120 grains, and measures .375", with two lube grooves.

After doing more shooting, I've found the accuracy difference between the .44 slug and ball to be very slight. With the .36, noticeable but with just a lube change "pretty close" to a round ball load. Former lube, big difference.

What does the Kaido weigh? I like the metplat idea, especially in .44. Both my slugs (.44 and .36) are round nose. As I shoot, or attempt to shoot grouse with my .36, the round nose probably damages less meat. But....I've only shot them with ball, which caused very little damage. A slug with a metplat would probably be a better killer on wabbits.

What is the cost of a kaido mold? Or can they be bought already cast, in order to try them out?
Click to expand...


You can contact Kaido for his molds...they are made by lee but are of exceptional quality. They align better than standard molds because of how they are cut. If you would like some in .36 cal contact me on private message and we will something up. I also make my own custom bullets and they shoot just as accurate as kaidos.
 
TheOutlawKid said:
You can contact Kaido for his molds...they are made by lee but are of exceptional quality. They align better than standard molds because of how they are cut. If you would like some in .36 cal contact me on private message and we will something up. I also make my own custom bullets and they shoot just as accurate as kaidos.
Click to expand...

Not finding private message...is that the same as "start a conversation"?
 
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