Wads

[walt53]

Hi all hope every body is well,Ihave a question for you who shoot shot in a smooth bore.I would like to know if you have tried wonder wads over thepowder / under the shot and what your thoughts on them are.thanks for your input as always, walt

[Daryl]

I bought a bag of unlubed 20 bore felt wads from Track to try them, but have not as-of yet.
I thought I would lubricate them, though, as my smoothie has a slight choke & with normal wad columns shoots modified patterns.
I also thought to try them with round balls. Again, never got around to this.

[RichG]

I've tried 1/4" felt wads from Ballistic products in a jug choke and they opened the patters. I think they are going through the shot as I find them on the ground 20+yds down range. Haven't been able to tell in my standard choke Pedersoli sxs as I haven't found a decent load yet.

[Daryl]

My standard choked 20 bore likes: 3 drams 2F, 1/8" hard card, 1/2" lubed fiber, thin "B" wad, 1 1/8oz. shot, thin "B" wad = modified patterns from an IMP Cyl. choke.
I cannot visualize or understand how the felt wad going "through" the shot.

[Pukka Bundook]

You are right Daryl, a wad cant go Faster than the shot it drives and slows down much faster too..

Too much pressure will blow a pattern as we know.
The overshot wad will on occasion cause doughnut patterns, as is well known with rolled turnover cartridges.

[hanshi]

I seldom load shot in my 20 ga but do shoot round ball.  Years ago I bought some felt from Duro Felt (I think that's right) and punched out wads for several calibers.  I usually put a wad between the powder and the ball.  But for shot I just use thin card wads punched from cereal boxes.

[TDM]

A lubed, mink oil or homemade, over powder wad is usually beneficial in a smooth bore for shot or round ball. I use them but guns can be finicky.

[JBJ]

I also have used felt from Duro Felt (http://www.durofelt.com/). For me, the felt wads worked great. Nice fols to work with as well.

J.B.

[walt53]

Thanks JB ,I’m on my own hear as I not aware of any body else in my area that shoots black powder let alone smoothbores. Walt

[Daryl]

Back in the 1800's, lots of tricks were used to improve patterns for contests in patterning, a common "contest" between gun makers in England.
These same tricks can be used today to improve patterns in cylinder bores. I might have mentioned this before .  This type of "thing" needs to
be experimented on with your gun(s).  What works in one gun, seldom works in all guns.  Hollowed fiber wads that can contain 'some' shot as well
as cupped wads (use your imagination), sleeved shot columns that keep the shot together for a short time after they leave the muzzle and that
do not allow the muzzle blast/pressure release, that can open up the pattern too quickly.
Note the top shadow-graph. The base wad is pushing into the shot column, expanding it.
The second pattern is from a choked bore, showing similar expansion of the rear of the shot column, but with a lot of shot concentrated in the middle.
A cupped wad can help with this, making patterns closer to what various choked muzzles provide.
IIRC, the bottom shadow-graph was taken considerably further from the muzzle, than the first picture.