First try at wonder wads in fowler.....

[Bigmon]

Maybe someone can tell me what to expect or how to do it.  I have a fowler that the bore is just a little smaller than 24 ga.  So much so that those hard wads are just too difficult to use.  So I got some 24 Ga wonder wads which are 24 ga. lubricated felt.  They don't look like they will give too much resistance when fired and may make a weaker shot?  Am I correct or do I need to use two wads, or any other methods??
Thanks in advance?? 

[Daryl]

How many wads you need to use will likely be dictated by the patterns you get.  Thus experimentation will show what is needed.
Sometimes what works on one gun will work in another, but there is no rule for that.
If shooting full size balls, same goes. It depends on your gun. One wad might allow blow-by, or not - it depends on the gun. I have some
20 bore wads like that, but have not tried them yet.

[577SXS]

You might measure your bore and have a wad punch made to cut card wads with to put on top of your powder before the felt. I buy larger gauge card wads and punch the smaller out of them. Two felt wads should be OK but I like a hard card on top of powder. Have you tried fiber wads?

[alacran]

14 millimeter Arch Punch might cut the right size wad for you. It will cut a .55 wad.  I know 24 gauge is .577. but you say your bore is tighter than that. You could make one from a 9/16 hole saw. 9/16 is .563.

[Daryl]

As well, if not choked, you might find the thin over-shot wads, 2 or 3 on the powder, gives a better pattern as they lack the weight to blow the pattern
at the muzzle from exiting pressure pushing the wads through the shot column.

[Levy]

I often hunt squirrels with a no name percussion combination gun (.29 x 24 ga.) that has served me well.  The 24 ga. side is usually loaded with 2ff Goex equal to volume of shot, an over shot card, a couple of 24 ga. wonder wads, 3/4 oz of #7 shot and then an overshot card.  For me it has worked well out to 20-25 yds.  Amazingly, I got 3 doubles on squirrels in a row one morning in GA.  Never again.  James Levy

[Bigmon]

Thanks guys.  I find it is shooting pretty well with 70Gr FFG, two wonder wads, equal volume of #6 shot and then I topped that with a couple green leaves, as I had no over shot wads the correct size.  It shoots thru both sides of a fix-a-flat heavy steel can.  I will make some cards to fit.
Last time I tried a smoothy for squirrel I got bit trying to pick one up!  Always need a nice stick.  I just finished this fowler in time for this fall season.  My first build from an actual plank.
Thanks

[577SXS]

That looks like a really neat gun! Love the size!

[Levy]

That's a great looking little fowler.  I have a 38" 28 ga. barrel in a piece of stump walnut that needs the same treatment.  James Levy

[Daryl]

70gr. stricken measure should hold about 1 ounce of shot.

[alacran]

That is a nice slender looking gun. # 5 shot seems to go clean through squirrels, kills them quite well.

[Bigmon]

The barrel is about 40", it is the standared Chambers round faced lock.  The cherry wood is from a tree I cut here in the yard. I actually think I did a better job on this one because it was from an all square plank rather than a precarved.  A lot easier lining everything up and pining and bolting.  Although it was a challenge shaping.  But I kept re-drawing the center lines, etc as you all told me to do.  And finally, there is was!
Thanks you all.  I will get some more photos and post soon.

[Hungry Horse]

First off the bat you have to figure out exactly what size the bore is. You said it smaller than .24 gauge/.58 cal., maybe it is .28 gauge/55 cal. or something in between?
  I know a lot of guys here like wad punches, but I much prefer a nicely Re ground hole saw of the proper size with the center bit removed. One of these babies in a drill press will turn a moth eaten chunk of old wool army blanket into wads ready for grease in no time flat.
 I think once you get this wad thing sorted out, you are going to be pleasantly surprised at how flat you little smoothbore shoots, and how tight the pattern is. Just remember that with small bore trade guns, or fowlers, the shot string will be long. So you will have to increase your leed on wingshots. Good luck.

  Hungry Horse