Lubed wads

[Stephen Borud]

I was reloading some 50/70 and 50/100 pp rounds this morning and got to thinking about lubed felt wads. I believe Mr Don uses them and I am sure others do as well on here.

My question is how do they work for hot dry conditions without wiping? How many rounds can be fired before you have to clean?

Last weekend I shot over 40 rounds with a 3/16th thick lube wad out of the Big 50, around 20 out of the 50/70, and about 15 out of the 40/50 BN, it wasn’t super warm and dry but they all shot well.

The 50s use the same bullet which is tapered one weights in at 473, the other 425. The 40 shoots a straight sided 265 grain bullet.

Thanks
SB

[Don McDowell]

Stephen I don't know if the ones I use come in 50 or not, but I've shot 50 out of the 44-77 and not wiped until the shooting was all done at Quigley a day or so before the match started.

[Stephen Borud]

Wow, that’s great. What kind are you using Don?

[Don McDowell]

Stephen I use the Muzzleloader original wads. Usually wait until Midway puts them on sale and get 10 packages at a time. Tried to talk the company in to packaging in bulk, but didn't get very far.

[Kurt]

Just go to a hat shop and ask for scrap trimmings. He took me to the back room and said hold your arm out when he reached into the scrap barrel I got so many rings 2 to 4" wide of 1/8 " XX XXX rabbit felt I cut thousands of wads from it and still have a bunch of lubed wads left. I cut them with the press mounted wad punch .40-to .50 caliber. heat up some lube in a coffee pot at low heat on a hot plate and stir in the wads for a spell then borrow your wife's posta sieve and sped them over a couple paper towels patting off the excess lube and your good to go.

[Don McDowell]

If I were going to use dry felt, I'ld sprinkle them with jojoba oil.

[Old Jim]

The lubed felt wads are placed over the powder?, or do you still need a veg. over-powder wad?

And, what keeps the lubed wads from sticking to the bullet bottom?

Or am I over-thinking this?

Jim

[Don McDowell]

Depends on what the felt is lubed with. The dry lubed ones I buy you can use it by itself, and I have done just that on occasion.
Lubed with something akin to bullet lube a thin card wad under the felt and something like a wax paper wad under the bullet would be advisable.

[Kurt]

Jim, When I use a felt wad it's in place of a lube wad for a PP bullet.
I found the felt wad give me some strange results down range and what I found in the snow pile so I quit using them.

[Don McDowell]

545-18x... don't think the felt wad was doing anything strange in my loads.