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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Muzzleloaders & Blackpowder

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TomN
.300 member


Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
patch shape
      #194973 - 27/11/11 03:34 AM

Hi all this may sound like a dumb ? but is the shape of the patch inportant? I just got some pillow ticking and I nead to know if it can just be square or do you have to make it round? I ask because most of the time I get premade and lubed but for .72 their is nothing in my area so just got 2 square yards and need to know to speed up the making of new patchs.
Thanks TomN


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Tatume
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #194975 - 27/11/11 04:19 AM

Hi Tom,

After extensive testing with round, octagonal, and square patches, I concluded that square patches are best. The most important factor is that the ball should be centered on the patch when it is started down the bore. With a square patch it is much easier to center the ball. Round patches are the worst in this regard.

--------------------
Take care, Tom
NRA Life Member


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tinker
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Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #194976 - 27/11/11 04:20 AM

Square is fine.
I've seen no difference in accuracy or performance due to patch shape.
Just make sure your patch material is thick enough to provide a good seal and to hold enough patch lube.
For that .72 I'd want something in the .025" thick neighborhood.

A few years ago a fellow member here suggested I try some good cotton denim material from my local fabric store.
I got a range of thicknesses from about .018 to .032 and I've since been set up nicely for anything that comes along.
The denim fabric pieces I got are different colors too, which has been helpful in segregating for one rifle it the other.
I carry it in strips cut to appropriate width, then I cut to length as I set the ball.
Works great.







Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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DarylSModerator
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Re: patch shape [Re: tinker]
      #194988 - 27/11/11 08:18 AM

Tinker's got it. Any shape is OK as long as it's big enough to easily centre the ball.

If you lay a strip of cloth over the barrel and seat the ball flush, cut the cloth off and then, from the other end, push the patched ball out, look at the patch. You'll find it's square with rounded corners.

I mostly use precuts today, and generally they are round. The reason I use round patches, is I can cut a LOT in ashort period of time, using either a large ball bearing and the appropriatly sized bearing race, or an arch punch on a piece of UHMW or HDPE. This is the same material used for counter tops in butcher shops and for chain guides in logging/lumber mills.

A pice 12" square by 2 1/2" thick can usually be picked up for about $10.00 - locally here.

I use the 1 1/2" arch-punch for patches for my 20, 16 and 14 bore smoothbores and rifles.



A smoothly radiused crown is of paramount importance in allowing the easy seating of the patched ball inside the barrel. Once it's inside, it is a simple matter to seat it on the powder.





--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by CptCurl (19/03/12 10:49 AM)


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TomN
.300 member


Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: tinker]
      #194990 - 27/11/11 08:21 AM

Thanks I got red stripe and blue stripe the blue is about two times thicker then the red. I got some 690 balls and some more 715's with the 690 I had to use a blue and red to get a good seal with the 715 I could use only the red I gathered up as many patches as I could find and whail thay aren't burned through they do look a little frayed arown the edgees. This was with a lode of 100 grains 2f powder. bouth balls seamed to shoot good from each barell but the left barrell is crossing very bad. This wouldn't be a problun if I only wanted to shoot at 50 yards as all shots are in about 4 inches whitch would be of but I was hoping to be able to shoot to at lest 75 yards. Well I guess I will have to keep working on a lode that will shoot with only one site as I have a very good grope with using the reare site for the right barrell and the frount site for the left barrell they would be just about tuching still high but I can get a taller frount site to fix that. Thanks for the replyes it will make cutting the patches a lot easer.

TomN


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TomN
.300 member


Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #195049 - 28/11/11 05:12 AM

One more question is it ok to use more then one patch to get the seal that you need like I said I was using two to get the .690 balls to seal. one red and one blue I should have tryed two of the blue ones as they it would have been a tighter seal and I think that I would have been able to get it to go down with out to much trouble. I think that I will have to get my patches miked to see what they really are then I will know for sure it I am going the right way.

TomN


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DarylSModerator
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #195052 - 28/11/11 05:40 AM

Tom- you should use the .715" ball in a 12 bore. The larger the ball is, that you can use, the better the accuracy will be. For instance, in my .69, I can get away with using a .675" ball which is .015" smaller than the bore if I use a VERY heavy patch. For that, it takes a .030" denim patch - 12 oz. the heaviest denim for clothing they make, I assume for jackets and work coveralls. The muzzle of my .69, is the lowest picture, showing some rod wear at 100 o'clock. This does not hurt the accuracy.

Patches fray around the outside, due to the muzzle blast. What is important, is where the rifling presses against the material. Brown streaks radiating out beside the land marks shows gas blow by. The base of the patch should still have some lube on it, not be very dry and scorched.

Some guys put a patch down on the powder to separate the powder charge from their 'wet' patch. some guns allow this wihtout a loss in accuracy, some don't. The larger bores are usually much less fussy than a small bore. Nothing new there.

You can try using 2 patches, but better accuracy will come from one and a larger ball.

Now - you may get OK accuracy, with a small small and that's OK.

If you are casting balls, you can use harder alloys with the smaller ball & thicker patches that cannot be loaded with a larger hard ball.

When a ML double crosses, it usually means it needs more powder. Go up in no more than 10gr. incriments. The tubes should uncross at some level of charge, then open to parallel - possibly - whether it's 110gr., .120gr., 130gr. or whatever.

My own Kodiak .58 did this for me, but shot 'true' with smaller charges than I would have liked.

Here is a short video - many of you have probalby seen it - sorry for the repeat. In it, I am using a .562" ball and a .0215" pre-cut round ticking patch. I have since changed to a .573" X .574" pure lead ball (old Lyman Ideal .570" mould) and use a 10oz denim patch, at .022". The .0215" ticking shot as well, but I ran out of it. The other shoots and loads identically.
With the .562" ball I could get double barreled groups of 1 1/2" to 2" group at 50 yards off a rest- ceretainly good enough for hunting. The larger balls make a nice 1" group, quite consistantly. There is no down-side to the larger balls that I can see.

Note, I load the right barrel with one stroke of the rifle's 3/8" hickory rod, then say to choke up on it and I load the second barrel using several strokes. After the ball is down just off the powder, I place the starter's knob (w/3/8" hole) on top of the rod and give it a final smack. That is to put the ball onto the powder with virtually exactly the same pressure each time. I do this the same every time I load the gun. Consistancy is 50% of a ML rifle's accuracy- it is said. Works for me.


edited to include the video

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by Daryl_S (28/11/11 06:01 AM)


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tinker
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Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada
Re: patch shape [Re: DarylS]
      #195067 - 28/11/11 07:00 AM

Daryl-


Here would be a good place to discuss patch lube too.

Thick patches=good success for me too.
Murphy's and Castor
Bear Oil
Lehigh Valley
Oil and Bee's Wax
These all have worked for me.
The various and sundry yellow camphor-smelling store-bought products have also worked for me.

What's working for you lately?
How are you adjusting for the cold season?




Cheers
Tinker

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--



"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...


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TomN
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Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: tinker]
      #195096 - 28/11/11 10:52 AM

Thanks I was trying to use something that I could load without brusing the plam of my hand the .715 balls tha I got from track were way easyer to load then the first ones that I had, they loaded just like yours in the vido just a good slap on the ball stater and then the short starter and push them down with the ramrod with two or three pushes seamed like a good sung load the patches were a little brown but non had burned through and non had holes of any kind or were cut on loading. Also they shot very well for each barrell just not to the same point of aim. Will just have to keep at it till I get a load that works. If not I know that I can use one site for each barrell and have a very good shooting gun to 100 yards or more just have to flip the sites not the best way but faster then loading s single shot. Will keep ya all posted on how things are going thanks.

TomN


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DarylSModerator
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Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26489
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #195105 - 28/11/11 11:48 AM

Yes - by all means Tom, keep us posted.

Finding what the rifle wants as far as regulation is concerned, is a trial. I think using two targets is best - side by side, just like the barrels, and aim the right barrel at the right target, left barrel at the left target. It's easier to keep the holes separate in your mind. Once you get them to where they'll superpose,you're about done. Another 10 or 15gr. should have them shooting parallel, if that's what you want.

Usually some where between on top of each other and almost on top, is about perfect for a black powder rifle with a 200yard range.

The discussion on lubes usually brings up a smorg. of home made mixes.

I prefer to simply use Neetsfoot oil, Trackofthewolf's Mink Oil, or for short hunts- less than a week, I'll use Hoppe's #9 PLUS. Regular Hoppe's #9 is not the same - does not work. #9 PLUS is a BP lube/solvent, while #9 is a smokeless solvent.

The wintergreen/camphor stuff like Bore Butter do not work in cold weather. They go brittle hard when it's cold. When it's not cold, they can sit in the corners of the grooves and build up, holding fouling and promoting trouble. I don't use them.

LHV and Shenendoah lubes would work find for a day hunt, but not longer before cleaning. The reason I say this, is that they can evapourate from the patch and leave you with a dry patch, or a patch that can then absorb moisture and rust your barrel. 1 or maybe 2 days at the most adn that's it for me, for those two.

They are both VERY accurate & clean shooting lubes that usually require 10 to 20gr. MORE powder to achieve the same accuracy as less-slippery lubes.

If they dry out, they might allow the shot's fouling prevent an easy load for a fast second shot- those are needed, time to time. If they dry out, the shot might not go where it is supposed to go.

I'd stick with oils - Neetsfoot or Mink. I've left my rifle loaded for several months, yet hit centre when finally firing the load off on target. I used track's mink oil. Warm it up, soak patches, squeeze them out between your finger and thumb - hard. That's it.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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TomN
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Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: DarylS]
      #195121 - 28/11/11 03:41 PM

Forgot to say the lube that I was using was from track its there minkfoots in the 6 or 8 oz. tin. I put as much as I could on them by rubing them in the lube then loading them. I think that I like this new to me lube as its easy to apply and whipe off my hands

TomN


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TomN
.300 member


Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #195247 - 29/11/11 12:49 PM

went buy the gun shop tonight and had the patches miked the red stripe were 0.020 and the blue were 0.025 the 25 patches will not load with my rifle without using a mallet to get them to at lest start I mingt even have to hammer them to the botton something that I doin't want to do to shoot even at the range. With the .20 I am loading .715+.20+.20 for .755 that should work. I know that I didn't have to whipe beween shots I did after 5 of 6 but I doin't think that I had to. well I hope to get back to the range on thursday and keep adding a little at a time to get them to uncross or at lest be tuching with rights and lefts.
TomN


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ChrisPer
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Reged: 12/05/08
Posts: 235
Loc: Australia
Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #197206 - 18/12/11 11:46 PM

I am using 10% soluble oil in water, partly wet and squeeze out the patches to be just damp. My patches are shop-bought round cleaning patches, with a .490 RB in a CVA .50. They start easily, and I get 3-4 shots before they become harder to seat all the way to the bottom.

Not keeping them loaded any long time, the one time I took it hunting I loaded a dry patch below the wet one to slow the moisture from damaging the powder.

Now I am looking for a more waxy, drier lube - and wondering if a 'lube cookie' might be a good idea to soften the fouling.


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TomN
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Reged: 07/03/10
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Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: ChrisPer]
      #197223 - 19/12/11 04:50 AM

ChrisPer
If you are talking about the lubed felt wads for for over powder I use them in my .50 Great Plains rifle and they work well for me. I use 85 grains of 3f and the felt wad and a 370 maxie or a 410 great plains and get 1 to 2 inch gropes at 75 to 100 yards. The loade works good on deer but I think that its a little lihgt for elk.
TomN


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DarylSModerator
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #197247 - 19/12/11 01:55 PM

Please don't use maxiballs on elk or moose when they are fired from a rifle with a 48" twist. That twist is too slow for those bullets to maintain stability after they impact the animal. They do not travel in a straight line, but turn and course through the soft parts of the body, bouncing off the bones and even turning more than 180 degrees at times.

Also - due to the huge lube grooves, the bullet collapses instead of expanding, thus it does exactly opposite to what it should do, to kill. It makes a very neat, barely bleeding wound in moose.

Patches wet with water based lubes are not very good for hunting where the rifle will be loaded for an extended period of time.

Several of the new local guys here tried it and my brother ended up re-barreling their rifles due to rust rings where the patch sat in the bore while loaded. They had my brother re-barrel their rifles due to now fouling badly and loss of accuracy. That's over $200.00 just for the blank, no drawfiling, no browning or bluing, no sights no barrel wedge escutchions or pin escutchions.

As to cleaning and needing to wipe.

Here's a short video of me shooting my .45 rifle after a day on the trail. I've fired over 50 shots - no wiping and cannot understand why someone would use a load that didn't clean the bore as you loaded it the next time, ie: every shot you take is cleaned as you load the next one. There is no fouling buildup - ever. 1 shot, 5 shots, 50 shots, or 100shots - there no buildup in the bore as it is virtually cleaned every time you load it. The only fouling in the bore is from the last shot, which is easily wiped by the lubed patch as it's loaded. Fouling does build up in the breech, as that area is not wiped. After a day's shooting, I removed the barrel, set it's breech in a cantainer of water and with 2 thicknesses of flannelette on a jag, pump water into the bore from the bucket up to the top of the muzzle, then push hard flushing that out the vent, repeating about 10 or 20 times until I decide it's clean. It is. I use cold tap water only. No soap (most all soaps contain corrosives) - no solvents - they are not needed and a waste of money. Water is all that is needed and it's free.
I then dry the bore- usually takes 4 or 5 patches (doubled), the last one sticking due to the bore being dry. I then spray a LOT of WD40 down the tube so it runs out the vent- then I double a patch and patch that out, blasting excess WD40 out the vent (or nipple seat).

Here's a short video of two of us shooting 'for the video'. The reason I am showing it, is to show that even though I've already fired off at least 50 shots, the barrel still is easy to load. No buildup of fouling.

I've already got a ball sitting on a patch at the muzzle. My short starter has a little nub for putting the ball just into the bore. The shaft of the starter is used to put it down about 6". That makes it easier on the rod as I choke up on it also, and shove the ball down in several pushes. As you can see, it doesn't take me long to load, prime and shoot.




--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Edited by CptCurl (19/03/12 10:51 AM)


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TomN
.300 member


Reged: 07/03/10
Posts: 149
Loc: washington
Re: patch shape [Re: DarylS]
      #197253 - 19/12/11 03:07 PM

Daryl S
The Great Plains Hunter rifle is 1 in 32 so will not shoot round balls at all I have tryed. The light load is why I am trying to get my .72 to shoot with a bit more powder and the round ball. It will do well with one site for each barrell and I guess that is ok as I can only load one barrell when hunting here. I tryed more powder in the .50 but it just wouldn't shoot well it shoots about 1 1/2" groups at 75 to 100 yards if I do my part. I just think that it is to little powder charge for elk I have killed them with loads this low ( 2 one spike and one cow) but I had to track them for a long time to find them.
TomN


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DarylSModerator
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Re: patch shape [Re: TomN]
      #197258 - 19/12/11 03:36 PM

Absolutely, the 32" twist or 28" in replacement .50 & .54 cal. barrels are all just wonderful- they would be my pick if wanting a bullet shooter. I'd still stay clear of the TC maxiballs though due to their poor game killing shape. The Hornady flat noses if they shoot, should be much better. I do not like the sub calibre plastic jacket crap. I'm a little bit without 'give' on that score. I think a .54 should take advantage of it's bore size adn shoot a .54. .50 in a .50, etc.

Better yet, Tom, we have the .72 double for you and my single .69. For North America, once figured out, will be/are, the ultimate for big game shooting. Round balls in largee sizes have always proven superior on large and even dangerous game, to muzzleloaded slugs of any size.

Switching to flt nosed bullets should make a BIG difference. That history is behind us, engraved in stone,s o to speak, - at least in books like Seller's books on Sharps. The Firearms of the American West, 1865 - 1894, as well as the earlier book concerned mostly with muzleloaders and the earliest of breechloaders, 1806 - 1865 are quite valuable as well, even more so dealing with history in ML as well as early breech loaders.

These two books are incredibly full of first hand accounts of famous battles and research - re-prints of letters- to loved ones, governments, military research, statements of shooters, hunters, camp commanders, gun orders, whatever - wonderful history-stuff. Yes, there are a few mistakes - but few is the correct word here. They are both well worth being in everyone's library. I received them from a thoughtful brother as a Christmas & birthday presents, back in 2002 and 2003. It takes years to read them several times each - they're worth it, and make wonderful revference material. What this Captain said conderning that battle, that soldier said about that certain commander, that firearms order to Derringer for rifles, smooth rifles, shotguns, etc, etc, S. Hawken written orders - goes on and on - well done and presented and documented - all of it.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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MikeRowe
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Reged: 23/11/11
Posts: 478
Loc: Arkansas, USA
Re: patch shape [Re: DarylS]
      #197536 - 22/12/11 01:35 PM

I have made a lot of patches in 30 years of muzzleloading. The easiest way so far to cut them is with a hole saw with the drill bit removed and the teeth ground off with a bevel angling in from the outside.

I wrap the patch around a thin scrap board six or eight times and staple it down one edge to hold it, them put my cutter in the drill press and go to cuttin. Makes a lot of patches very quickly. Also, old sheets can be made into cleaning patches very quickly indeed.

I lube with saliva for the range, and bore butter for hunting (it doesn't get very cold here). I have also used neatsfoot oil as well.

Just keep the petroleum based oils out of the bore.


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DarylSModerator
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Re: patch shape [Re: MikeRowe]
      #197593 - 23/12/11 05:24 AM

Mike- a friend of mine also uses a modified hole saw. He purchased 2 the same size, and ground most of the set off the outside of one hole saw and modified the other as you did, making it sharp.
First he cut through 2 thicknesses of 1/2" spruce plywood of good quality with the hole saw to make the template for holding the patches - alignment pins are installed in one board's corners and clearance holes in the the other.

Then, separating the boards, he puts anywhere up to 50 or 100 layers of cloth, then aligns the pins/boards. He then puts a couple clamps on the boards, then runs the sharpened hole saw down through the holes, cutting 50 to 100 patches perfectly, loosens the clamps, moves the cloth, re-clamps drills, etc. It takes me longer to type this out, than for him to cut 300 to 500 patches.

--------------------
Daryl


"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V


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