28 gauge vs .54 caliber

[tickTalk]

I just picked up a .54 caliber shotgun, but nobody seems to sell that size cards.
Most seem to equate .54 and 28 gauge, but .28 guage is .550. A nice chart at trackofthewolf shows the card diameters for shotguns, and it shows the cards or wads being just a bit larger than the bore.. a few examples are:
8 g, .835 bore, .850 wad
12 g, .729, .740
20 g, .615, .625
28 g, .550, .560

so from that, a .54 should use a .550 wad, not the 28 g's .560

I have looked around for a punch, to just make my own, but closest I can find is a 14mm, which is .551

so, question is.. does it really matter that much? are the 28 g wads close enough to what the .54 would ideally use?

 

[4v50 Gary]

Go to http://www.TrackoftheWolf.com to see if they sell a punch for it.

 

[tickTalk]

nobody sells a punch with an ID of 0.550 that I have found.. but i think 14mm will work.. I could also try a thin brass tube, and sharpen it, mount it, etc.. not sure if it will cut through .5 veg fiber

Now, anybody know where to by sheets of card/wad stock?

circle fly hasn't answered me yet..

tnx..

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Go to circle fly'sweb site much good information and many sizes

 

[Patocazador]

Hartek, PM me and I can give you the contact info for a guy who will make you one. He's a retired machinist and has made 4 for me.

 

[J-Bar]

I really really doubt that you or your gun could tell the difference between .550 and .551; that is 1/1000 inch in a soft deformable material. I hope you will try the .551 and let us know for sure.

 

[Rattus58]

I really really doubt that you or your gun could tell the difference between .550 and .551; that is 1/1000 inch in a soft deformable material. I hope you will try the .551 and let us know for sure.

Exactly... I use 12 ga wads in my 58 all else being not there...

 

[tickTalk]

yeah, thanks.. I am going with a 14mm punch, so now I need to figure out what materials to use..
I have been researching all week.. seems there are as many card and wad materials as there are people to talk about them..

so, for each of the 3 materials I'll need..

overpowder card.. I have read all kinds of things for this.. from poster board to felt.. I buy felt from durofelt for making revolver wads, so I would probably go with that. I think I need 1/8 'hard' f-1, right?

the cushion wad, I am not sure of.. most posts say 1/2".. but does a .54 need that much? it will only be running with maybe 50 grain powder..
as for the material, I understand there is fiber or felt.. again, durofelt carries various 1/2 or 3/8 felts.. not sure what density to get, the 'hard' f-1 like the overpowder card, or the medium, soft?
I also read that most commercial fiber wads are a type of soundboard.. homasote I think it is called here (donacona in canada?) which is weird because that stuff is supposed to be very water resistant.. so how to lube?

And the overshot card.. most posts just say 'then put on the overshot card'...
some say 1/8, some 0.07".. and material, maybe poster board, hard felt again???

anyone have suggestions on this?

tnx...

 

[J-Bar]

I have a rifle, not a shotgun, but I usually put a wad between the powder and the patched ball because I like a wet patch and don't want it to contact the powder. I use a wad of Kleenex tamped down firmly on the powder. Use enough to provide about 1/4 inch between powder and ball when compressed and it will fit the bore perfectly. Crude but effective.