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The easiest way to simplify seating the overpowder card is to put a small V - shaped nick on the margin : prevents trapped air and card rebound. Some of the original card wad punches were formed to do this.

There is a load for SxS percussion shotguns I got from Muzzleloading Forum called "the Skychief load" which everyone who has used it swears gives tighter patterns for longer distances (no chokes on these guns).
-- powder
-- over powder card (.125")
-- Shot
-- overshot card
-- 1/2" cushion wad absolutely soaked in olive oil.

I keep my wads in colored plastic M&M tubes and use an old "dime coin dispenser" (mine is 16 bore) to dispense the OS cards.

I had the temerity to suggest using vegetable oil (higher burn point) and everybody jumped me saying not to mess with this formula. Apparently the olive oil keeps the shot bunched much longer.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/skychief-smoothbore-load-recipe.113195/

The olive oil tends to ooze over the barrel a bit as you ram the cushion wad home. I keep a rag in my back pocket for the excess.

This is interesting, Gene. Do I understand that the 1/2" cushion wad soaked in olive oil is on top of the thin overshot wad? If so, this is contrary to everything I have ever read about m/l loads.

Yep Stanton and it sure is. Check out the link. It's been stickied on muzzleloaders forum for several years now. Try patterning it. I haven't but I don't have an easy way to do that.

(And I'm still using that homemade brass-door-handle" "stanrod"...and works like a charm).

This bit from "Skychief":

Stewart, the sloppy cushion wad is the last thing to go down the pipe.

Hinamamra, I found it while trying everything I could think of for better squirrel hunting loads. Believe me when I say that a LOT of shot was sent to the patterning boards. I kept tweaking things until I was satisfied that I was out of practical ideas.

The squirrels and turkeys have hated me ever since.:thumb:

Best of luck, Skychief.

I hunted with a greaves 16 bore my friend had a 12 bore greener we used a load like the one Argo mentioned we cut our wads from stock I got from the printing co. I worked for.the last wad was soaked in lube it kept down fowling ,