Thread: loading black powder shotshells what to use for wads

what to use for wads for black powder shells cant seem to buy fibre wads here and plastic are no good for bp really well not ideal anyway I can import wads at great cost and might still do that if no cheaper/better option comes along been quoted 110us for 1000 nitro cards,1000 wads and 1000 over shot cards but only $40 us of that is product lol not heavy but I guess real bulky lol

I can easily make over powder/nitro cards and over shot cards so not overly worried about them its mainly what to use for wads 2 options of seen are sheep's wool and the old style felt carpet underlay I can get sheep's wool as my uncle farms a fair few thousand of the little buggers...... felt underlay seems to be a more popular option but I don't know anyone in that line of work can anyone help there?.. also any other options?

Cork tile wads as the cushion for the shot, 4cc BP/beer coaster wad/beeswax cookie/2x cork wads,1-1/8 oz shot/light over cardboard wax or glued in. Remember NO air gaps. I used brass hulls.

@Maca49where do you get cork from mate

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

@Maca49where do you get cork from mate

Flooring shop, unfinished cork tile. I made a wad cutter of the correct dia, I also use FFG powder in them, I'm only loading 6 or 7 shot for clays, wax is the diamond rolled bee keepers sheets to help soften the residue in the barrel, Leading of the barrel can be a prob

cool mate

I use pinex ceiling tiles for the over powder wad, thickness is spot on 40lbs pressure on the wad then 1oz of shot thick cardboard over shot wad then roll crimp for 2 inch shells or forget the over shot wad and star crimp.

@Marty Henry, we better stop talking about all the rubbish we are putting into the atmosphere firing these cannons, cork, cardboard,beer coasters, pinex tiles, wax, not to mention lead!! no wonder theres global warming

You can buy Brass 12g shells from the states, cheap as and no restrictions

Originally Posted by Maca49

@Marty Henry, we better stop talking about all the rubbish we are putting into the atmosphere firing these cannons, cork, cardboard,beer coasters, pinex tiles, wax, not to mention lead!! no wonder theres global warming

Ha ha turn up to the toby shoot with one choke those users of that new fangled smokeless stuff and show them what a real propellant can do.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

I use pinex ceiling tiles for the over powder wad, thickness is spot on 40lbs pressure on the wad then 1oz of shot thick cardboard over shot wad then roll crimp for 2 inch shells or forget the over shot wad and star crimp.

The original pinex ceiling (big sheets) was what I used for my 12g, I think it was thicker than the current pinex tiles. Had a nice rotary cutter that made very clean wads. For my 16g I scored some special (well was to the company I worked for) cork gasket material which I cut with a wad punch I machined up. Otherwise I pretty much followed Maca49's combination. For the 12g I star crimped them. For the 16g I used Elley plastic hulls with an overshot wad with a ring of PVA glue to hold the wad in. They held together perfectly and I never had one come apart in the second barrel after firing the first barrel. Patterns were reasonable not fantastic but good enough to bust clays in our clubs shoots. Also used pinex wads etc in my Hollis single barrel muzzle loader.

11.10m2 Acoustic Cork Tiles $14.40 per m2 | Trade Me something like this @Maca49 would work? its 6mm thick?

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

11.10m2 Acoustic Cork Tiles $14.40 per m2 | Trade Me something like this @Maca49 would work? its 6mm thick?

Yep, but you can get them from Bunnings, Mega 10 or any flooring store.

yeah saw them on Bunnings website today 35 bucks for a box I'm guessing that would make a shitload of wads though lol your bees wax cookies tell me a bit more about them mate?
cheers
rambo

@Maca49 to you mean bees wax foundation sheets like this cut into wads?
Full depth Manuka Special comb foundation | Comb Foundation | Ceracell Beekeeping Supplies | Auckland | New Zealand

You can make a grease cookie I've used various receipes, bees wax, chef aid, lanoline all melted together in various ratios, tipped into a flat pan and thin cookies cut from it, now I just use bees wax sheets as shown, you could use two of them in a shotgun shell. Theory is it melts with the heat and mixes with the BP residue and softens it, easier to wipe from the bore, you need to play a bit,