Shiloh Rifle Forums

Question is are these harder wads more likely to keep the bullet base flat and maybe a little less finning? My current wad stack is .06 veggie and then a .06 LDPE under a DD PP bullet. Been recovering some bullets from my 45-90, 91 gr. load and all the bases are somewhat dished. Are you more likely to get gas cutting with the HDPE vs. LDPE. Thinking they might be worth a try.
kw

kw,

There have been a couple times when HDPE wads worked well for me.

1) I used one .060" HDPE wad in my .45-90 Shiloh over 100 to 105 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss using a 520 grain bore diameter paper patch bullet cast from 16:1. This is far and away the most accurate load I have for that rifle. I'm not sure what the HDPE did that the LDPE didn't do but it made a big difference in that rifle.

2) When I was shooting a nose pour adjustable PP bullet with a cupped base in my Shiloh .44-77 I tried a .060" HDPE wad against the base with a .030" LDPE wad under it on the powder. That combo sealed well and resisted pushing into the cupped base. That was with a 16:1 bullet over 86 grains of 1 1/2 Swiss and the load shot very well.

The bases on my bullets looked good and in the case of the cupped .44 bullet the wad and patch clearly did not push into the unsupported middle.

LDPE wads are my go to wad but in the above two cases the use of a HDPE wad either in combination with a LDPE wad or by itself made an improvement.

Jim, your results are interesting and food for thought. My alloy is 16:1 also. I am just going to have try the HDPE.
kw

kw,

I keep some .060" HDPE material on hand to experiment with whenever I'm working with something new. It seems every once in awhile they are just what is needed. I just punch out some in whatever caliber I need and I'm ready to test. The only way to really know is to try them.

HDPE wads don't seem to expand as much as LDPE wads and may not seal well if they are under groove diameter. I like them at groove plus .002 to ,003". That may depend on what your chamber looks like.

Worth trying for sure. My 38 seems to be showing a preference for the HDPE wads.

The HDPE sounds like its worth experimenting with, so I ordered some .06 sheets of it though Grainger for a in store pick up. Found it to be way cheaper than an order from Mcmaster Carr. Then made up a slightly larger press wad punch at .462 Dia. as this rifle has a .459+ groove.
kw

I once ran some 10 shot tests over the chronograph using different materials for wads with the same alloy, powder loads and primers. Everything was the same except the wad materials and also shot them in a fresh dry snow drifts to see the differences protecting the base as well as obturation filling the grooves. I used .03" and .06" thick as well as 1/8" cork and felt.
The best with the extreme spread and the SD the Napa .06" Karropak gasket material was the best and LOPD came in a close second.
I think the softness of both of these materials expand and sealing the bore fast holding the gas back more consistent holding the ES and SD.
Cork and felt did not protect the base, got a lot of mouse nibbles and did not fill the grooves as well as the harder wads. But no problem with the softer 1/20 to 1/30 alloy.

Kurt
What is LODP?
I also tried cork, felt, neoprene, and various gasket mat'ls in different combinations, never quite hit the "wow" factor moment.
kw

TYPO Kenny, HDPE
Sometimes my fingers move faster than my brain

Kurt you are on a roll! No not Kenny, he has his wad stack figured out, I do not.
kw

Kurt,
You mentioned softness of the wad, re the "LOPD" in your wad testing
Are you really meaning LDPE. wads?
Arnie

Kurt, is the Karropak gasket material hardness more like HDPE or LDPE? It would be interesting to see how a grease cookie would compare in effectiveness when using PP bullets with the various wad materials.

Yes Arnie,

I guess I better start proof reading.
The LDPE is harder than the Karropak.

Mike,

I used to use a lube wad either lube or a lubed felt when I use a blow tube. It works just fine with a GG or PP bullet.
I have never found getting better accuracy using multiple wads. I think with a wad stack of several wads the accuracy comes from the reduced recoil the shooter feels from the reduced powder load.