I bought a .50 cal wad punch as I had been told they work well in an Old Army. I punched several out and soaked them in my Gatofeo's #1 lube, and tried them last week only to find that they do not work.

I informed the maker that it does't work. He stated that he'll be sending me a new one at no cost. I believe I am getting a Lyman's .50 cal Deerstalker for Xmas, and asked if it would work in it, that I'd pay for the new one as well, as I don't want him to be out his materials and time. He has not replied.

I know it won't seal the bore, but if it were used behind a PRB or a conical does that really matter? It seems as though it wouldn't clean out the grooves, but it may help scrape some fouling off. Or would it likely push it into the grooves?

When wads are used and help with a load's accuracy it's because it does seal the bore and adds to the pressure correct?

I'm not certain the exact diameter, but I believe it to be .500", and the lands on a Lyman are .502" according to the pdf.

I use a felt wad on top of the powder when i shoot my 460 grn paper patched conicals to keep the powder from melting the base of the bullet .In this way it helps accuracy.

I don't see how a wad that doesn't completely seal the bore is of any value.

Why not use a dowel wrapped with Emery paper to increase the inside diameter of your punch?

"I don't see how a wad that doesn't completely seal the bore is of any value."

That's kinda what I was thinking, but then again, if a PRB sealed the bore why does adding a wad sometimes help?

I like your idea for fixing the size, though I'm uncertain how I'd know when I was there (.520"). I have a set of borrowed calipers, but I seem to have trouble reading the inside of my cylinder chambers accurately.

I'm not even certain why it is that a wad can sometimes help with PRB's. Because the patch doesn't actually seal the bore well enough? Or is it something like with reloading your bullet to nearly sit against the riflings so it doesn't slam into them?

I haven't found that wads add to accuracy of a well fitted patch and ball combination. But I use a dry wad between the ball and powder when I load for hunting. That's because the load may be in the barrel for quite a while and I want a barrier between the lubricated patch and powder to prevent contamination of the powder.