More Documentation on the use of Wads or Wadding with Round ball in Smoothbores.

Round Ball & Wads or Wadding.

“ I slipped a boullet upon the shot and beate the paper into my gunne."

Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson 1636-1710.  Being an account of his travels and experiences among the North American Indians, from 1652 to 1684.

Foard’’s findings are supported by Rogers (1968) who found that various unusual and unauthorised methods of loading were used by soldiers to speed up the time between firings since the time of Charles I. Powder was poured into the end of the barrel, the musket ball dropped on top without wadding. The charge was then rammed home by banging the butt of the musket on the ground. This led to the range and penetration ability of the musket ball to suffer.

file:///C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/David%20Miller%20PhD.pdf

A Few Words About Smoothbores.

In the 18th century smoothbores did NOT use a patched ball, the ball was loaded in the same way as using shot, with wads or wadding.

An Essay On Shooting 1789.

Now fearch for Tow, and fome old Saddle pierce. No Wadding lies fo clofe, or drives fo fierce.

I have used leather wads for many years now, using my Father’s old 20 gauge wad punch. I started using leather wads not because of some historical documentation, but because it seemed the common sense and practicle thing to do. Leather will not take fire and be a danger in dry weather. Then recently I found this 18^th century poem. It says in part:

PTERYPLEGIA:

Or, the art of

SHOOTING-FLYING. 1767.
Now fearch for Tow, and fome old Saddle

pierce.

No Wadding lies fo clofe, or drives fo fierce.

Old Saddle Pierce? This had me foxed for a while, and then I realised that this being a poem, it may not necessarily refer to an item per se but more of a procedure or action. So I searched the dictionary for the word “pierce”, and this in part is what I got:
Pierced. Piercing.

1.    to penetrate (something), as a pointed object does.

2.   to make a hole or opening in; perforate.

3.   To make (a hole or opening) by or as if by boring or perforating.

From this I deduct that “old saddle pierce” is most likely to be the cutting of leather wads from old saddle leather.

What are your thoughts?

Rifles, Smoothbores & the use of Wadding.

Smoothbores, Rifles & Wadding.


Early to mid 18th century English guns did not use patch material for round ball shooting. Instead, wadding was used in the same manner as used when firing shot. The rifling in rifles was seen as a solution to the round ball moving from side to side in the barrel, which effected accuracy when shooting over long distances. Fortunately hunters using the fusil did not shoot over long distances, and had no problems shooting game at 50-60 paces. Rifles however required the ball to be driven into the muzzle “by means of an iron rammer, struck with a mallet”. So, rifles did not use a patched ball either, leastways not in England and not by an Englishman.


In Germany however “they sometimes charge them in the following manner: a piece of thin leather or fustian is cut of a circular shape, and so large as to cover a little more than one half of the ball; this piece is then greased on one side, and being placed over the muzzle, the ball is laid upon it, and both thrust down together”.


Smoothbores however; fusils, fowlers and muskets, did not use patched ball, only wadding. “In firing with ball it is observed that the better the ball fits the piece, or the less windage there is, the greater will be the force of the discharge-the wadding of hat (wool or beaver felt hat material cut to fit the bore) may be preferable to that of card or paper…..”.


“In countries where orchards abound, a very fine moss, of greenish grey colour, is found adhering to the apple trees, which is extremely proper for wadding….tow is also very good for this purpose”.


The above information is taken from “An Essay On Shooting 1789”, this book in turn uses “La Chasse au Fusil” as a basis for this work, so it is probably safe to assume that both the English and the French used the same manner of shooting the smoothbore. This in turn makes me question the use of so called “patch knives” by the French hunters which they carried round their necks. I suspect that this knife was instead simply a utility knife.


Waterproofing Leather.


“ Take of tallow, half a pound, Hogs lard, four ounces, Turpentine, two ounces, New bees wax, two ounces, Olive oil, tow ounces. Melt the whole together in an earthen pipkin over the fire, and stir it well while melting”.


I think I have also mentioned before that no mention of priming horns can be found in this period publication, and loading and shooting is covered within.

Rifle.

Smoothbore Fusil.

I used to use hat as wadding before I even read this book, then when I ran out of hat, I started using thes leather wads, cut to size with the wad cutter below.

Tow which I also use as wadding and for cleaning my gun.

More on Wads & Wadding.

For wadding in the 18th century as you may have read in my earlier post dried grass and tow was often used, but bear in mind that this material can easily catch fire! Therefore I recommend that unless the area is safe from fires spreading; or the weather or ground is wet, that you use wool felt or leather wads.

These are the leather wads I use in my 20 gauge fusil. These have been cut from second hand leather shoulder bags. The same thing can be done using inexpensive second hand wool felt hats.

This is the original 20 gauge wad punch that I use to cut out the wads.

Unpatched Balls in a Smoothbore.

I have suspected for some time that patching was not used in the 18th century for smoothbores, and I have read that even rifles were loaded without patches. Recently a friend, David Schmid, posted the following information on the group forum.

To Shrimpton Hutchinson Esq.

SIR,
You are hereby ordered and directed, to compleat yourself with ARMS and Accoutrements, by the 12th Instant, upon failure thereof, you are liable to a FINE of THREE POUNDS; and for every Sixty Days after, a FINE OF SIX POUNDS, agreable to Law.


Articles of Equipment,
A good Fire-Arm, with a Steel or Iron Ram-Rod, and a Spring to retain the same, a Worm, Priming wire and Brash, and a Bayonet fitted to your GUN, a Scabbard and Belt therefor, and a Cutting Sword, or a Tomahawk or Hatchet, a Poach containing a Cartridge Box, that will hold fifteen Rounds of Cartridges at least, a hundred Buck Shot, a Jack-Knife and Tow for Wadding, six Flints, one pound powder, forty Leaden Balls fitted to your GUN, a Knapsack and Blanket a Canteen or Wooden Bottle sufficient to hold one Quart.



"...it is the General's orders, that none of the men load with cartridges upon their regimental parades but from these powder-horns; and to have wadding above and below the ball, to keep both powder and ball firm in their pieces."

~ John Knox, Point Levi, 1759, (Knox, 295)


"...discharged his piece at him the ball Enterd About an Inch from the middle of his back...the very wad Enterd the wound."

~ John McKay, Rainy Lake, Minnesota, 1793 (J. McKay,17)


"The Yellow Head landed, during the morning, to fire at a deer, which was seen grazing on a meadow, at some distance. He approached cautiously, but was unsuccessful in the shot he fired. What most excited our surprise, was the rapidity with which he reloaded and fired again, before the deer had got without the range of his shot. This was effected without the use of wadding to separate the powder from the ball."

~ Henry Rowe-Schoolcraft, Minnesota, 1832 (Schoolcraft 1834, page 65)

From Diderot.