winmag45 14 Posted August 14, 2020 Just wondering,do I need to put a wad in or can I just put 35 grains of powder.I only have bullets with smokeless lube,can I still use them?I am going to use Pyrodex. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAL. .30 M1 2,101 Posted August 14, 2020 6 hours ago, winmag45 said: Just wondering,do I need to put a wad in or can I just put 35 grains of powder.I only have bullets with smokeless lube,can I still use them?I am going to use Pyrodex. Having just reloaded a bunch of 45-70, i am of the opinion that the consensus is to put a wad. Also never use smokeless lube with BP or Pyrodex....but ymmv Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
njJoniGuy 2,129 Posted August 14, 2020 When I load 45-70 cases with 50+ gr of Varget or H335, I don't use a wad. The case is almost full, no no need to keep the powder on top of the flash hole, even when the loaded cartridge is horizontal. Different story altogether when I use 11 gr of Unique for my 'powderpuff' loads. That little bit (relatively) of powder when laid out horizontally may not be anywhere near the flash hole (and the primer flame) so I place a vegetable fiber wad (bought in bulk from one of the cowboy action sites) atop the powder before seating the bullet. I use a proper-sized stainless bolt (from Home Depot) to push the wad into place. A sharpie line on the bolt lets me confirm the wad is in the proper spot, so I know there is the right amount of powder in the case. No experience with BP in any of my big bore guns. My apartment landlord would likely shit a golden brick if he found me storing BP in my place! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CAL. .30 M1 2,101 Posted August 14, 2020 39 minutes ago, njJoniGuy said: When I load 45-70 cases with 50+ gr of Varget or H335, I don't use a wad. The case is almost full, no no need to keep the powder on top of the flash hole, even when the loaded cartridge is horizontal. Different story altogether when I use 11 gr of Unique for my 'powderpuff' loads. That little bit (relatively) of powder when laid out horizontally may not be anywhere near the flash hole (and the primer flame) so I place a vegetable fiber wad (bought in bulk from one of the cowboy action sites) atop the powder before seating the bullet. I use a proper-sized stainless bolt (from Home Depot) to push the wad into place. A sharpie line on the bolt lets me confirm the wad is in the proper spot, so I know there is the right amount of powder in the case. No experience with BP in any of my big bore guns. My apartment landlord would likely shit a golden brick if he found me storing BP in my place! BP has no real airgap - less than 1/6" from what I hear........ so I used a wad with 70gr of BP and crunched it a bit.... YMMV And yes BP is an EXPLOSIVE - as per @Smokin .50 other powder is a propellant ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winmag45 14 Posted August 15, 2020 Thanks for the replies.Looks like some people use corn meal instead of a wad,very interesting.Well if you hear a big boom from the range it was just me hahahaha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites