Lube and shot loads when where and how

[Tim Ault]

I’m still reading all about different shot load combos and trying to gain knowledge . But one question I have is about lube . Not what lube to use  but when how much and the like . Some of the combos I have see do mention using a lubed felt wad over powder or in the sky chief load over the shot . But a lot of combos are just powder 2 thin cards ,shot and one thin card on top no lube mentioned ?  So am I correct that no lube can be used successfully without undue fowling  effecting loading following shots? So what gets lubed or not lubed in everyone’s shot loads ?   

Thanks , Tim

[Daryl]

When I am shooting trap with my flint 20 bore with the choke, I use a Track lubed wad between power and shot with a thin overshot wad to top it off.
I have shot trap with it, using only thin B (over shot) wads, 2 between the powder and shot and one over, with no lube and had no difficulties loading
and shooting 20 shots.
Patterns with the thin "B" wads only, is almost as good as the lubed wad in my choked tube.  If non-choked, the thin wads can give very good patterns
better than most other combinations.  The only way to find out with YOUR gun, is to try different combinations.
What was the "jingle"?  Less powder, more lead, shoots far, kills dead?
My load is usually 3 drams of 2F, 1 1/8oz shot in my choked 20 Bore.

[Prairie dog shooter]

For my trade gun and my double barrel shotgun I load half of a cushion wad lubed with sweet oil (olive oil). 

I know some clays shooters who buy unlubed wads but soak them in a little clay dish of water with a drop of dish soap before they load the gun.   

There seems to be no one right way of doing it.  Just load what your gun patterns best. 

[Daryl]

Exactly! One must try different solutions and use what works for "them".

[Sparkitoff]

I stand fiber wads in a pan of olive oil overnight. By morning, the whole wad is soaked and there's hardly any in the pan. You can easily do 100 at a time. I keep them on a piece of cardboard for another day and some loose oil runs out. What is left is a slightly damp oily wad. When using, I often split one in half and use half in each barrel (SxS) These start as 1/2" thick wads. It keeps loading easy and the barrels clean up real easy at the end of the day. There are a lot of different ways. I tried this and like it enough that I keep doing it.

[Brokennock]

For the Skychief load I let my thick fiber "cushion" wads soak in olive oil or melted coconut oil (depending on time of year and expected temperatures) until they don't seem to be gaining any more weight. As per Skychief's original instruction one of these is loaded last and is the only lubed component.

For my squirrel and pheasant loads I use a lubed felt or tow/faux-tow wad. Loaded 3rd.
1. Powder
2. Thin card
3. Lubed felt wad or ball size wad of lubed tow/faux-tow.
4. Projectile/s
5. Two thin cards.
I usually use some iteration of my olive or coconut oil and beeswax lube melted to soft then wads added to the container and mushed around. Probably going to switch to just mink or neatsfoot oil though, maybe lanolin, just enough to get the felt greasy.

There is a gentleman from the other side of the pond that does an awful lot of hunting and pest control shooting with smoothbore muzzleloaders of various gauges and only uses various numbers of thin cards between powder and shot and over shot. He does occasionally use a dollop of lube, usually some type of animal grease/tallow, added directly into the bore between a couple of the thin cards that separate his powder and shot.

[Prairie dog shooter]

Something else I have picked up is spraying a squirt or two of moose milk down the muzzle after the gun is loaded.  Doing that I can shoot an all day clays match or shoot doves all day and never wipe the bore until I clean the gun at the end of the day. 

It may not be P/C, but I have read that some of the old shooters would spit down the muzzle for the same results.  Well sir, I'm not going to put my face in front of the muzzle of a loaded gun! Therefore, I cheat on the P/C when hunting or competing in a match with many targets. 

While I enjoy being in period, I would never let safety take a backseat to being period correct.

[JBJ]

Spitting down the bore was what V.M. Starr, the old time shotgun gunsmith and shooter, suggested in his little pamphlet. I share Prairie dog shooter's reluctance to place any part of my anatomy in front of any "live" firearm. Mr. Starr had a lot of wisdom in his little pamphlet which may be read/printed from http://home.insightbb.com/~bspen/starr.html. However, I would ignore the bit about spitting down the bore. Prairie dog's idea  of spritzing a moisturizer down the bore has merit in my opinion for prolonged shooting. Never encountered the situation while hunting that required even spritzing.
J.B.

[Tim Ault]

Thanks all a seems like it’s another on of them gotta try it and see things .  I see a trend forming with shot loads “gotta try it and see” is all encompassing! Lol

[martin9]

Yep, "try and see" is a BIG part of these smoothbores. I've just started keeping a notebook about what loads work best in mine. Wish I'd started that sooner. One example I can think of is the Skychief load patterns better with #6 shot than any other load. with #8 shot just 2 thin overshot cards over powder/one over shot patterns better....go figure

[Daryl]

Different components change the way guns shoot. If you change something, write it down and only change 1 thing at a time  when testing loads.
Good to keep records, Martin & everyone. Sometimes the memory fails from one session to the next, and if records are not kept - and actually referred
 to, duplication OF POOR COMBINATIONS will occur.

Edited to add: "of poor combinations"

[JBJ]

Remember what? 
J.B.

[Scota4570]

When I used to shoot doves with a ML I used waterless hand cleaner.  I bought it in thetube.  A small amount went on top of the powder.  I'd squeeze out a little and scrape it off with the muzzle. The wad then went down.  No cleaning was required for the day.  IT stayed wet and easy to load. 

[Bob Roller]

Seems to me a lubed disc on the top of the shot will help to keep the bore from being coated with lead by being dragged along a dry bore withe lube under it.I have had little experience with any kind of shotguns and the last one I owned that was a muzzle loader was a J,N Scott
10 gauge SxS.That was about 70 years ago.It was not a classic gun with fine 4 pin locks or exotic wood,
Bob Roller

[Prairie dog shooter]

What you put over the shot can really destroy a pattern, or not.  I use a wad punched from thin sheets of cork. 

[Nordnecker]

When I first started shooting shot I didn’t use any lube. After about 4 or 5 shots, I couldn’t load anymore because of fouling. I tried to swab out the bore one time and got the range rod stuck because of fouling. Adding the lubed wad solved these problems. The other problem I had was the piston effect of ramming different wads, cards, whatever down the barrel at different times. Now, I load it all at the muzzle and ram it down all at once at the same time. No more piston effect.

[Tim Ault]

What’s the piston effect? Not being able to seat the load column due to the trapped air can’t escape or ?

[Daryl]

Yes - I have had that happen, but if one re-seats the charge (MANDATORY) and hold it down you can feel the air release/bleed off & the charge will stay put. You
MUST ensure the load is doing just that, "staying put".
NEVER fire a load if there is an airspace between the powder and projectiles.