gert,
here is some information from a guy that pulled some bullets from 1887 military ammo used in 71/84 mauser.
the bullets were swaged, with a dimple in the base to take the folded tail of the patch.
bullet wt 363 gns.
bullet diameter 0.439", patched to 0.443".
between the bullet and powder was a grease wad about 1/8" thick with a thin card wad over and under it.
no mention of powder charge, or compression if any.
the grease wad would be to assist with continued shooting when dirty.
experimenting with grease composition for different temps and humidities would be worthwhile.
grease in this context means either a firm animal fat, beeswax, a mixture of the above, or that plus an animal or plant based oil.
strictly NO petroleum products other than Vaseline or a few other obscure things..
bruce.