Advantages of various fillers...

[CAGerringer]

Can anyone give the advantages of using Cream of Wheat, Grits, or corn meal over the others?
Thanks,
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Mike McDaniel]

Never tried grits. Cream of Wheat does not compact as much as corn meal, and I think it gives more consistency as a filler.

[ms3635v]

I tried corn meal originally and didn't like the way it compressed under the ball (in my Remington Revolver), so I switched to ceam of wheat and have used the cream of wheat for the past 25 years. Revolver shoots just fine with the filler.

[Eggman]

I've quit using fillers in all my guns. It was like getting a boil lanced.

[John Holland]

If I understand you correctly, that means when you are loading a cartridge (Smith, Maynard, Henry, etc), and you do not have a full case of powder, you just leave an air space instead of using filler?

And, if so, how does that work for you in regards to consistant ignition, burn rate, accuracy, etc. ?

These are serious questions, I'm not poking you!

JDH

[Eggman]

I guess you'd say I use "heavy" loads -- 40 grains for the Maynard, 35 for the Smith, and 24 for the Rogers and Spencer. I always load with bullet firmly against powder. Maynard shoots dead on - R&S better than with any filler load I tested. I understand and fear the air gap thing.
Sorry if what I said implied the acceptance of air gap.

[Fearless Frank]

It's no fun standing next to someone shooting revolver with cornmeal filler because it spits sparks all over.

[Dave Fox]

Some weapons require filler. A Burnside case loaded fully with powder is simply too much: cases stick and the action freezes. Believe it, and perhaps some other metallic cartridges, were originally loaded with a filler, be it fibre wads or loose. I enjoy shooting a Remington .44 revolver, but a compressed charge is not the best for accuracy in it, by a long chalk.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

Grits are like COW--they don't compress. Don't get "instant" tho'--look for pure grits.

[Gary Van Kauwenbergh, 101]

I avoid using filler in my revolver by shooting a conical bullet and using FFg powder. My wife needs filler shooting a squib load out of a .36 cal Colt Navy, and we use cream of wheat. I drilled out the flip-up nozzle of a plastic squeeze bottle, and it squirts out just fine. I do not measure the cream of wheat, a ball compresses it down just fine. The gun shoots quarter-sized groups at 25 yards.