Skychief load

[Nordnecker]

It’s been a year since I shot my smoothbore with the sky chief load. At the time, I was using a scrap pieces of Sheetrock as a pattern board. Not once did I see evidence of the heavy oil soaked wad hitting the pattern board. I don’t know where it went but I can’t believe it wouldn’t have left an oily smudge on the sheetrock if it hit it.

[Hunterdude]

It’s been a year since I shot my smoothbore with the sky chief load. At the time, I was using a scrap pieces of Sheetrock as a pattern board. Not once did I see evidence of the heavy oil soaked wad hitting the pattern board. I don’t know where it went but I can’t believe it wouldn’t have left an oily smudge on the sheetrock if it hit it.

Interesting, do you recall the yardage you where testing patterns at?

[Daryl]

Another method is using a post-it note as a shot protector. You could make them up on a dowel, smaller than the bore, folding the base over the end of the dowel.
Trim to length needed for the shot charge.  This worked in Taylor's Manton with cylinder bores.

[Tim Ault]

Another method is using a post-it note as a shot protector. You could make them up on a dowel, smaller than the bore, folding the base over the end of the dowel.
Trim to length needed for the shot charge.  This worked in Taylor's Manton with cylinder bores.

. 
Do you also fold the top of the paper tube over the shot column and ram the whole thing down ?

[Daryl]

When we used them, the overpowder wad was introduced into the bore, then the post-it note, then shot poured in, then the overshot card and everything pushed down.
Special ctgs. could be made containing shot & wads. "These Ctgs." of wads and shot were actually commercially made in England and sold to sportsmen there.  They also
went further to having the shot contained in a wire cage with varying thicknesses of wire which release the shot more slowly or more quickly and these were colour coded
as to the effective range. If I can find it, I'll post a picture of an Ely shot ctg. The picture notes "Breech Loaders" on the ctg. but basically the same system was used in ML's.
The longest ranged ctg. was noted for shooting birds at 80yards or further, but could be used for wolves and deer out to 50ayrds, where it acted like a slug.

[Tim Ault]

Thank you that was very informative, I’ve never seen a wire basket like that

[Daryl]

I agree, Tim. Imagine someone today making those "wire basket shot loads/buffering agent" and selling them at a decent price.
I wonder who thought today's buffered shot loads were something new?

[sonny]

I think the hard wad in front of the powder, shoves the shot into the thin card topper with a juicy fiber felt-wad an slightly indents that “reverse” shotgun wad an stays with the felt longer  as it heads to the target . Wow!!!!! In my “minds eye” I can see that happening……. Scarey HAYNA!!!!

[Daryl]

One expedient used to tighten patterns in smoothbores back in the early 1800's, was what was called the Swedish Cup wad. Today's equivalent would be the shot cup(post-it note)
or a hollowed out fiber wad. The hollow fiber wad was sometimes used as a cheat the oft times patterning contests in England, according to W.W. Greener in the 9th edition of "The Gun".
This was likely noted by his Dad W. Greener in earlier v"editions" of that book.
So- hollow wads held 'extra' shot which increased the central patter as a cheat in competitions.  These can also be experimented with to increase central concentrations for hunting as well.
On top of that, post-it notes and such as plastic cup wads, if protected from powder flame by an 1/8" card can also be used.