I think they may have used a wad because Triple7 burns SO much hotter than the others. Without the wad, a conical could be melted and deformed far too much to yield any accuracy and might cause excessive leading. Some folks also think over-powder wads enhance accuracy. I believe I would use a wad (though it could be homemade from cardboard or other materials) if shooting a regular diet of T7 and conicals.

I've gone back to using Pyrodex P because of problems encountered with T7. And I shoot conicals almost exclusively. T7 is still new enough that all the possible problems still haven't been well documented. The fouling ring at the ignition point which makes consistent bullet seating a real chore, the sometimes brutal pressures and heat generated, primer blowouts, and excessive blow-back into actions are some of the problems being noted. Swabbing the bore after every shot is absolutely required with T7 but with Pyrodex I can shoot for a very long time before swabbing is required.

Edited by - Underclocked on 11/03/2002 09:38:06