Rifled load

[jtwodogs]

Would an overwad or card or some type of buffer material, something between the powder and patched ball help accuracy in  a rifled  barrel, especially in heavy loads. I know that they use them in smooth bores. Please excuse my terminology but I think you'all know what I am talking about.

[RobD]

i think you mean an over powder wad, such as used with bpcr lubed bullet cartridges.  i never tried that with a patched ball ... i guess because it seems redundant since the patching is the over powder wad and should fill up the rifling groove spaces.  other than that, dunno.

[Riley/MN]

I helped my buddy Gene get a TC going that he received "cuz somebody owed him money" - the bore was terrible, but we scrubbed & scrubbed. His best accuracy is now achieved with a wonderwad under the PRB. Wonder wads are lubricated, dense felt wad.

[Hanshi]

I found that in cases where the patches were burned or torn that an op wad often solved the problem.  I frequently, but not always, use an op wad in my rifles.  It does often help velocities to be more uniform and can even increase velocities on occasion.  But this is not absolute.  Some guns benefit and some don't.  Try an op wad and experiment so you can determine if they help your shooting.

[Ironhand]

I knew several bench rest shooters that used over powder wads.

Ironhand

[Maven]

As Hanshi indicated, it is certainly worth trying.  Also, they certainly help with Maxi-Ball and REAL bullets in 1:48 or faster twist barrels, but those projectiles don't require a patch.

[RobD]

from what i'm reading above, adding in an opw seems more like a fix for something kinda wrong, which is always a good thing.  

[jtwodogs]

It shoots great with 90 grains of 3f goex. Just wondering if I could up my load with 2f and a wad.
While I am at: The velocity the same grain for grain with 3f and 2f? I guess I am asking is it  a little faster with 90 grains of 3f then 90 grains of 2f?

[jtwodogs]

I have some .72 cal wads from a shotgun I had, is there anyway I can cut a few of them down just to see if it works, short of a wad cutter.

[Buzzard]

Yes, twodogs, mostly with heavy loads in bores with deep rifleing, and/or thinner patching.

[Eric Krewson]

My .54 shoots (Rice barrel) a better group with a wool felt wad over the powder and has a sharper"crack" when it goes off, my .44 (Bill Large barrel) shoots through the same hole at 50 yards without a wool wad and scatters them all over the place with a felt wad, go figure.

[jtwodogs]

Is there a trick to cutting a .72 down to a .62 just to try and see if it helps?

[sse]

It shoots great with 90 grains of 3f goex. Just wondering if I could up my load with 2f and a wad.
While I am at: The velocity the same grain for grain with 3f and 2f? I guess I am asking is it  a little faster with 90 grains of 3f then 90 grains of 2f?

Whatt is the caliber of the rifle?

[jtwodogs]

.62

[sse]

.62

Thanks, interesting.  Sounds like one heck of a rifle, not sure I've ever heard about a rifled bore that size.