I want to find something else to use between the powder, lubed wad, and rd ball. I don't want to shoot food like cornmeal, or cream of wheat out of my revolvers. Our friend in France said something about semolina. I have no idea what that is. Anyone else have any idea what could be used. In my .44 cals I was thinking about 410 shotgun wads. Would something like that work? Or should I look for something else?
Something Else Between Powder And Ball
- Thread starter Shotput79
- Start date
Yer outa' luck regarding the semolina thing.
From Wikipedia:
"Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, and also used for breakfast cereals and puddings."
Myself, I'm perfectly happy pouring cream-of-wheat on top of my powder until the cylinder is full, then pressing the ball on top of that. Cheap and readily available from the reloading......er.....grocery department at Wal-Mart. (That's also where my favorite grease comes from - Crisco.) Haven't tried it yet, but I understand that a compressed load of cream-of-wheat makes for a perfectly serviceable and safe "blank".
From Wikipedia:
"Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, and also used for breakfast cereals and puddings."
Myself, I'm perfectly happy pouring cream-of-wheat on top of my powder until the cylinder is full, then pressing the ball on top of that. Cheap and readily available from the reloading......er.....grocery department at Wal-Mart. (That's also where my favorite grease comes from - Crisco.) Haven't tried it yet, but I understand that a compressed load of cream-of-wheat makes for a perfectly serviceable and safe "blank".
Shouldn't be hard to crumple up some aluminum foil, push it into a homemade die, and then mash it down to make your own wads.
The die might be something as simple as a short length of tubing, whatever diameter is appropriate. Use a dowel rod (with a mallet?) to compress the wad of aluminum foil.
The die might be something as simple as a short length of tubing, whatever diameter is appropriate. Use a dowel rod (with a mallet?) to compress the wad of aluminum foil.
Ideal Tool
Moderator
Hello, Shotput79. Back when I was still using the percussion cyl. in my 1980's Colt re-issue..(Have installed Kirst conversion cyl.), I was looking for an accurate load. Almost gave up on this one..with round balls, it shot high and way left. The Lee conical didn't do any better. Finally I came across the discontinued Lyman 450229..a hollow based bullet. Problem was..it was too long to fit thru frame cutout to load! Had to make up small arbor press to load cyl. off revolver...More problems! bullet base was press-fit in cyl. & couldn't get it to start straight..I finally used my Lyman lube-sizer, with the adjustment stop set so only rear band was sized to .450"...nice slip fit in cyl. throat. working up loads, I found 18gr. FFFG plus the remainder of cyl. filled with Super Grex, with enough space left for lubed bullet gave me ragged hole groups about 5" high but with perfect windage at 25yds. Now Super Grex has been discontinued..this was a granulated poly. plastic designed for shotgun loads, but I believe there are other brands of this stuff out there. I never had an issue of melted plastic with it's use. Best of luck!
the rifleer
New member
corn meal
troy_mclure
New member
sawdust?
Poflon was voted down by Smokin_Gun.
However Black Dawg sells corn cob filler made from ground up corn cobs, although their product page does not specifically mention what it is anymore. It's listed under cartridge brass and filler.
http://www.blackdawgecartridge.com/...ge&thispage=bd_filler.html&ORDER_ID=298129411
However Black Dawg sells corn cob filler made from ground up corn cobs, although their product page does not specifically mention what it is anymore. It's listed under cartridge brass and filler.
http://www.blackdawgecartridge.com/...ge&thispage=bd_filler.html&ORDER_ID=298129411
Well I have been using felt wads cut from old hats bought at garage sales or flee markets. a die punch of a slightly diameter of the chamber then I heat up some wax and vegetable or animal grease and soak them in it let them dry. Now instant lubed wad. I use this concoction for shotguns, revolvers and for my rifle patches. It is probably a good mini ball lube too.
Mace
Mace
PomPoms. You can find them at HobbyLobby, Michaels, etc. For the .44, the 1/2 inch balls fit right in the chambers. Don't know about the. 36, though. However, they can limit the amount of powder one can use, as they can only be compressed so far. I can usually get about 30 grains of FFFg in a chamber when using them on my Remmie and Colt. Any more, and it becomes difficult to get the ball seated down far enough.
hi all
Shotpup79
I am delighted to be quoted!
The meal, in fact, is the grain of wheat that is used for the couscous, which has the distinction of being flexible enough grain, which does not damage the steel. In addition, play a function to fill a gap in the field, the couscous (or meal) can scratch the scale left by the powder burned the shot previous one.
I use this for over 20 years! and I'm not alone.
In addition, a packet of semolina (medium grain is ideal) costs only $ 1 I think the United States, and I do not think it might interfere with your conscience from people starving all over in the world ...
Finally, the atmosphere is guaranteed by a smell of barbeccue!
I also use rabbit droppings, yes, but ...
Let's say you can not fill with grease, so it remains an alternative is to buy or make a felt wad, but it is more expensive.
Enclosed a video which shows the use of semolina.
(not to look I forgot my glasses, and not think that I force like crazy, it's just that when I press the power amortized the ball so as not to reverse the charges I placed in the other chambers.)
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM4PEqUiBfc[/URL]
if u need some helps to this, tell me.
Sincerlly
Seb
Shotpup79
I am delighted to be quoted!
The meal, in fact, is the grain of wheat that is used for the couscous, which has the distinction of being flexible enough grain, which does not damage the steel. In addition, play a function to fill a gap in the field, the couscous (or meal) can scratch the scale left by the powder burned the shot previous one.
I use this for over 20 years! and I'm not alone.
In addition, a packet of semolina (medium grain is ideal) costs only $ 1 I think the United States, and I do not think it might interfere with your conscience from people starving all over in the world ...
Finally, the atmosphere is guaranteed by a smell of barbeccue!
I also use rabbit droppings, yes, but ...
Let's say you can not fill with grease, so it remains an alternative is to buy or make a felt wad, but it is more expensive.
Enclosed a video which shows the use of semolina.
(not to look I forgot my glasses, and not think that I force like crazy, it's just that when I press the power amortized the ball so as not to reverse the charges I placed in the other chambers.)
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM4PEqUiBfc[/URL]
if u need some helps to this, tell me.
Sincerlly
Seb
Shotput,
You can buy 44 or 45 cal 1/2" tall fiber filler wads or 3/8" lubed fiber wads from Circle Fly in just about any diameter you want. They are better made than a few years ago and fill the space easily. I used to lube and split the half inchers and they kept my bores scoured out real well. The shipping price is high but the more bags of wads you get the cheaper the shipping. I recently bought a bag of each of the above mentioned wads and they work fine.
You can buy 44 or 45 cal 1/2" tall fiber filler wads or 3/8" lubed fiber wads from Circle Fly in just about any diameter you want. They are better made than a few years ago and fill the space easily. I used to lube and split the half inchers and they kept my bores scoured out real well. The shipping price is high but the more bags of wads you get the cheaper the shipping. I recently bought a bag of each of the above mentioned wads and they work fine.
You could try soy wax.....pillar type over container type. Pillar type is stiffer for making candles not contained in containers. It comes in beads form usually. Use as is,maybe, or melt into cylindrical shaped like a thick lube pill,which I've used and liked. Thick lube pill.
You could take up space by using more powder or.....use a higher volumn courser powder like FFg or Fg instead of FFFg. The same power with more volume course grade. The FFFg powder is about a third less volume than the same power with FFg or the FFg is about a third more volume than the equivilent in FFFg. About anywhoooo....
If yer gun shoots goodwith FFFg then it'll shoot well enough with FFg or even Fg powder.Courser powders just burn slower so
you "follow thru" with the shots longer.
One thing that solves the "ball needs to be at the top of the chamber for accuracy" delema is to take the taper(most chambers in Italian cap&ballers have a taper) out of the chamber by a chucking reamer the right size. The right size can be what the mouth of the chamber is or the best is the chambers are reamed to be exactly what the grooves of the barrel are or even .001-.003 inch over the groove diameter. That way nthe gun is more consistantly accurate and.....it doesn't matter once the side walls of the chamber are parallel where the ball is seated to. Side note.....the chambers of almost all cap&ballers are under sized compared to the grooves of the barrels. The accurate ones like the target grades top dollar like Pedersoli or Hege are chambers equal to the groove diameter of the barrel or real close within a .001 inch. The Pietta "Shooters" Remington has equal chamber and barrel grooves diameters. Val Forgett told me once that the Italians made the chambers under sized to accomodate subsequent shots using the blackpowder(fouling). I guess keeping the barrels grooves from fouling with that hard sticking blackpowder fouling would be in order with the chambers and barrel grooves diameters equal. That is why I use the wool wads saturated with lube/wax or the lube pills(bees wax,paraffin wax,mutton tallow....or any decent lubey stuff...in equal amounts to make a lube pill recipie. Keeps the barrel pretty danged clean and the grooves don't diminish because of hard fouling. Just put the lube pillor wool wad saturated with lubey wax right on top the powder. Just don't make the wax/lube too soft.
People seat balls to the top of the chambers because of so many chambers being tapered. Once the taper is gone no filler of any kind is needed.
The guns that have the chambers equal to the barrel grooves diameter are the Pietta "Distressed look" Colts or Remingtons and the Pietta "Shooters "Model,the Uberti Pocket 36cal like the "Pocket Police" or the "Pocket Navy"the "Pedersoli Remingtons and Rodgers and Spencer" and the "Hege Remington and Rodgers and Spencer".
When the taper is gone to the chamber walls then no filler is needed even with very light target loads.You do need to keep the barrels clean though and ....cleaning after every shot, like with sighting in a new muzzleloader rifle, isn't viable with a cap&baller revolver.
You could take up space by using more powder or.....use a higher volumn courser powder like FFg or Fg instead of FFFg. The same power with more volume course grade. The FFFg powder is about a third less volume than the same power with FFg or the FFg is about a third more volume than the equivilent in FFFg. About anywhoooo....
If yer gun shoots goodwith FFFg then it'll shoot well enough with FFg or even Fg powder.Courser powders just burn slower so
you "follow thru" with the shots longer.
One thing that solves the "ball needs to be at the top of the chamber for accuracy" delema is to take the taper(most chambers in Italian cap&ballers have a taper) out of the chamber by a chucking reamer the right size. The right size can be what the mouth of the chamber is or the best is the chambers are reamed to be exactly what the grooves of the barrel are or even .001-.003 inch over the groove diameter. That way nthe gun is more consistantly accurate and.....it doesn't matter once the side walls of the chamber are parallel where the ball is seated to. Side note.....the chambers of almost all cap&ballers are under sized compared to the grooves of the barrels. The accurate ones like the target grades top dollar like Pedersoli or Hege are chambers equal to the groove diameter of the barrel or real close within a .001 inch. The Pietta "Shooters" Remington has equal chamber and barrel grooves diameters. Val Forgett told me once that the Italians made the chambers under sized to accomodate subsequent shots using the blackpowder(fouling). I guess keeping the barrels grooves from fouling with that hard sticking blackpowder fouling would be in order with the chambers and barrel grooves diameters equal. That is why I use the wool wads saturated with lube/wax or the lube pills(bees wax,paraffin wax,mutton tallow....or any decent lubey stuff...in equal amounts to make a lube pill recipie. Keeps the barrel pretty danged clean and the grooves don't diminish because of hard fouling. Just put the lube pillor wool wad saturated with lubey wax right on top the powder. Just don't make the wax/lube too soft.
People seat balls to the top of the chambers because of so many chambers being tapered. Once the taper is gone no filler of any kind is needed.
The guns that have the chambers equal to the barrel grooves diameter are the Pietta "Distressed look" Colts or Remingtons and the Pietta "Shooters "Model,the Uberti Pocket 36cal like the "Pocket Police" or the "Pocket Navy"the "Pedersoli Remingtons and Rodgers and Spencer" and the "Hege Remington and Rodgers and Spencer".
When the taper is gone to the chamber walls then no filler is needed even with very light target loads.You do need to keep the barrels clean though and ....cleaning after every shot, like with sighting in a new muzzleloader rifle, isn't viable with a cap&baller revolver.
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Rifleman1776
New member
He doesn't want to shoot food. That leaves out soy and seminola.
He doesn't say what he has against shooting food, just doesn't want to. Accuracy and such do not seem to be part of his agenda.
But, as has been stated many-many times here and in other discussions on this identical subject, there are wads of various materials available and wad punches so one can make their own.
All he needs to do is think for himself. There are solutions aplenty out there.
He doesn't say what he has against shooting food, just doesn't want to. Accuracy and such do not seem to be part of his agenda.
But, as has been stated many-many times here and in other discussions on this identical subject, there are wads of various materials available and wad punches so one can make their own.
All he needs to do is think for himself. There are solutions aplenty out there.
Years ago I read of a man with a muzzleloading rifle who use grass seed as a filler. He lived in the country, so he spoke of stepping out his door, firing his rifle, and seeding his lawn at the same time!
But I'd think that grass seed would work just fine. It's fine enough and somewhat compressible.
That's what you need, by the way: fineness and compressibility.
Cream of Wheat is not compressible, so if you add a little too much you have to scoop out a little to accommodate the ball. Corn meal compresses, so adding a little too much is not a problem.
Sawdust sounds like a good idea. It might smolder on the ground, however.
The old timers also used wasp nest in their rifles, between the powder and patched ball. I tried this years ago in my .50 rifle. Pretty amazing stuff: doesn't burn or fragment. All I recovered were gray plugs that weren't even scorched. In fact, I probably could have reused those plugs in the rifle.
Wasp nest certainly didn't act as I expected. Who knows, perhaps sawdust would do the same thing?
Couscous might work. It's certainty tiny enough.
So far we have:
Couscous
Seminola
Sawdust
Wasp or bee's nest
Grass seed
Soy wax
Felt
Goat poop
Rabbit poop
Puflon
Super-Grex
Corn meal
Grits (added after Hawg's observation)
Oatmeal (added after Hawg's observation)
Did I miss any?
But I'd think that grass seed would work just fine. It's fine enough and somewhat compressible.
That's what you need, by the way: fineness and compressibility.
Cream of Wheat is not compressible, so if you add a little too much you have to scoop out a little to accommodate the ball. Corn meal compresses, so adding a little too much is not a problem.
Sawdust sounds like a good idea. It might smolder on the ground, however.
The old timers also used wasp nest in their rifles, between the powder and patched ball. I tried this years ago in my .50 rifle. Pretty amazing stuff: doesn't burn or fragment. All I recovered were gray plugs that weren't even scorched. In fact, I probably could have reused those plugs in the rifle.
Wasp nest certainly didn't act as I expected. Who knows, perhaps sawdust would do the same thing?
Couscous might work. It's certainty tiny enough.
So far we have:
Couscous
Seminola
Sawdust
Wasp or bee's nest
Grass seed
Soy wax
Felt
Goat poop
Rabbit poop
Puflon
Super-Grex
Corn meal
Grits (added after Hawg's observation)
Oatmeal (added after Hawg's observation)
Did I miss any?
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