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.025 canvas material

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Joined
Jun 2, 2022
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Elam's Prairie, AR
Mornin' gents.

I've seen several here use .025" canvas patching material in their load build.

Where are you purchasing this?

I like a smaller ball/thicker patch combo I can start with my thumb, without coning the muzzle.

The local fabric store closed nearly 10 years ago.
 
Hobby lobby canvas is for picture frames. It was very expensive. Jo-Jan had some that may work. I bought the thickest all cotton denim that walmart had. My regular patching is called canvas at Jo-Jan but measures 0.018" with my micrometer. That is a moderate crush on the anvil of the mic.

Look at cheap canvases at Harbor Frieght.

In the end though, a 0.015-0.018" patch and a ball 0.010" - 0.005" under bore is about optimum for my barrels. I start them with a wooden mallet. Maybe they could be started with the starter handle, I don't know. I have no use for any load that can be thumb started because I never got sufficient accuracy that way. I do not care how long it takes to load, a ML is one shot gun. I want the best possible accuracy for my single shot.

Experiment with it though, that is part of the fun of the hobby.
 
If the material isn't a tight weave it may separate on you at loading.
I prefer a tight slick material.

Even though I'm lazy and will shoot my cleaning patches. Which are not my preference for nice groups.
 
Pillow ticking is a twill woven fabric. So is the material used for Levi's and better quality blue jeans. Jeans fabric is usually thicker. Try measuring a pair of your blue jeans for comparison.
 
Cotton #40 drill cloth from JoAnn's Fabrics is also a good cloth for patching. It is 100% cotton and measures 0.017 to 0.018. It compresses well into the bore and once the sizing is washed out, holds lubricant well. Three threads are used in the weave that helps to hold it together and make a tight weave.
 
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