December 28, 2009, 09:28 PM | #1 |
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Overshot card?
What is the purpose of an overshot card? I have an 1853 3-band Enfield replica and plan on shooting .577 swaged minies. I have seen some folks saying they use an overshot card, is this necessary? Can't I just put lube in the base?
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December 28, 2009, 09:50 PM | #2 |
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Presumably you mean overpowder card. If you're shooting a true hollow base mini it's neither necessary nor desirable; you want the powder to enter the cavity in the base of the bullet so that the base is forced to expand and engage the rifling. On the other hand, if you're shooting a solid base conical the overpowder card is useful to prevent the bullet lube from contaminating the powder.
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December 29, 2009, 12:33 AM | #3 |
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Using an overshot card would help to prevent the undersize minie from migrating up the bore in between loading it and shooting it, such as in the field when hunting with a loaded rifle and especially when the bore is clean and there's not much of a friction fit to hold the minie in place.
The overshot card would be positioned on top of the minie unlike an overpowder card which would be positioned underneath the minie. So yes, I believe that in some instances using an overshot card is desirable and even recommended by some of those folks who load slightly undersize minies. Last edited by arcticap; December 29, 2009 at 12:41 AM. |
December 29, 2009, 07:40 AM | #4 |
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Interesting. I hadn't heard of that.
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December 29, 2009, 08:02 AM | #5 |
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what you risk is a buldged barrel as the over the bullet wad tips side ways and is run over by the bullet. old time pumpkin balls(complety round) for shotguns did the same thing,and you still can find old shotguns with buldged barrels from it, foster type shotgun slugs with out a over the ball wads stopped buldged barrels. in my mini rifle i glue a 1/2" wide strip of news paper around the mini ball and that cures the movement of the mini problem . after 2-3 shots my mini,s fit snug with out the paper wrap. eastbank.
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December 29, 2009, 11:05 AM | #6 | |
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December 29, 2009, 12:19 PM | #7 |
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Wasn't it common practice, back when muskets were actual millitary weapons, to use the paper wrapping of the cartridge as an overshot wad to keep the minnie ball, or the round ball used in smoothbore muskets seated against the powder charge?
Not having the bullet firmly seated on the powder charge is really asking for a bulged barrel, or so I understand. |
December 29, 2009, 01:56 PM | #8 |
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yes it was common in muskets and rifles to use the paper from the powder packets to help seal and keep the bullet in place, but it was paper that was burned up by powder blow by,some thing that would not happen to a card or wad rammed on top of the bullet. eastbank.
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December 29, 2009, 02:15 PM | #9 | |
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maybe
Found this: a manual of arms of a sort.
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December 29, 2009, 07:26 PM | #10 |
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Thanks for the info guys, it has been a long time since I shot a BP rifle and this is my first Enfield. I have always used round balls with a patch before, so it sounds like I can skip the cards altogether and just put in my charge and put a lubed minie on top of it.
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December 31, 2009, 01:41 PM | #11 |
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Smilin Jack posted about how he uses a felt wad underneath and a cardboard wad over his Lyman cast Minies shot out of his .58 along with a photo of a 100 yard target.
On his target he notes that on his 2nd shot his bore was dirty and he flinched. See post #7 and the attachment: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...76#post6151162 And in post #10 below he says that the card wad is actually made from a Corn Flakes box: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthrea...26#post6155226 Last edited by arcticap; January 2, 2010 at 11:49 PM. |
January 2, 2010, 09:29 AM | #12 |
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Why not get a minnie that is a good fit in the barrel? Not available in moulds?
A minie that fit well could be bumped up with the ramrod at loading so the bullet won't migrate towards the muzzle end right? |
January 2, 2010, 11:17 AM | #13 | |
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