Shotgun Wad Material

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

Good evening.  I'll soon be in possession of a Pedersoli 10 gauge percussion shotgun.  Any suggestions for period correct wad materials?

[Tascosa Joe]

Wasp Nest.  Fiber and card wads are period correct.

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

Thanks.  I wasn't sure if fiber and card were used prior to 1870.  How about tow under the shot?

[Tascosa Joe]

I never tried tow.  I have used it as a fire starter and as you know it burns readily which might be a hazard on the range.  I am sure there are several muzzle loading forums on the net but I have not looked.  You might try Cornell Publications for a late 1860's hardware store catalog and see what was available.

[Major 2]

coir - fiber from the coconut
there is also the stalk casing the frond as it juts from the palm trunk ...cut with Osborn hole punch makes a good card.

[Blair]

I have found that, with muzzle loading shot guns, old news paper works well.
You may want to play around with the size of the paper you will need to get a good snug fit in the bore.
I have used face tissue from the pocket size packet when in the field, folded over several times to get a good fit.
Hope this suggestion helps.
My best,
Blair

[Okefinokee Outlaw]

Thanks folks.

[Montana Slim]

All the above IS good.....I started with newspaper loading as a kid & it works in a pinch for muzzle loading, or in shells with BP. Even have used it with smokeless powder in .410's recently. Must pack newspaper wads tight. Once you figure out the square size for a good "ball" compressed into the bore....WRITE the info down in your load data records.

Slim