.45 loads

[Zonie]

Unlike roundball, I've bought several different packages of "pre lubed" patches that were were old and the material had weakened.
They either tore on loading or during firing as evidenced by their condition when retrieved after shooting.

All of my guns barrels have been lapped to remove any sharp rifling edges or burrs and the muzzles have all been sanded and polished to remove any trace of a sharp edge. The patches were not damaged by the barrels and using newly made Factory "pre-lubed" or home made patches made and lubricated by myself have not had this problem.

Several years ago the Bevel Brothers, writers of the monthly column "Stump the Experts" in the NMLRA Muzzle Blasts magazine tested the affects of aging pre-lubed patches and found that many different oils can and do cause the cotton to loose its strength over time.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Add to the effect of the oils, the fact that many business warehouse products in buildings that are not air conditioned or well ventilated, and you find very HOT conditions. The heat also helps bacterial growth in natural fibers, like Cotton and linen. The oils- particularly the vegetable oils provide extra food, and moisture for the bacteria. I don't think anyone should be surprised if old stock pre-lubed patches begin to tear more easily.

If you take care of the patches, as RB has indicated he does, and store them in a cool, dry place, their working life can be extended. How long often depends on what happened to the patches before You get them, sadly.

Oh, keep them out of sunlight, too. UV light is hard on all fabrics, but particularly on natural fabrics. ( Don't believe it?) When was the last time you checked a true "Canvas " awning after it has been out in the sunlight, rain, etc. for a couple of years? Do you think that color fading happens by accident? Do you think that thread bare fabric is the result of-- what?-- compared to the fabric tucked under the clamps that hold the awning up? Or any other portion of the fabric that is folded behind something that blocks both the sunlight and UV light from striking it? ) :hmm: Torn patches have always reminded me of what a torn awning looks like and feels like. :shocked2: :thumbsup:

 

[longcruise]

I would like to stay with the round ball load if possible but would switch to a bullet if nothing else works.

I'm with those who feel that your load should not be difficult using the components you described. My TC .45 1/48 is the most accurate of my TC barrels. It loads easily enough with Joannes drill (about .017) and a .445 Hornady ball.

TC quality control is pretty good, IMO but it's still worth your while to slug your bore.

To slug it you can use a .50 round ball or a .458 pure lead slug. Drop a piece of brass rod down the bore that is just a bit smaller than bore diameter and about six inches long. Then, oil the slug and hammer it into the bore with a wood hammer or whatever you have on hand that will not damage the muzzle. Remove from bore by using the brass rod inside the barrel as an internal hammer to drive it out. Don't go too small on that brass rod or it might stick in the breech plug opening :shocked2:

You should measure somewhere in the .449 to .451 range from land to land. If much smaller than that, you will for sure need a smaller ball.

The condition of the crown has been mentioned and I agree. Most production rifles have terrible crowns. I posted a tutorial on crowning and lapping a while back and decided to put it on my web site in case this came up again. Saves me redoing it here on the forum. :haha: The link below will take you to it.

Barrel conditioning

 

[roundball]

"...many different oils can and do cause the cotton to loose its strength over time..."

Strange things for sure...reminds me...in spite of my interest to only buy patches lubed with Natural Lube 1000...last year I did get a few hundred VERY old packages of Oxyoke "oiled" patches that were so old they even had the old Oxyoke label design on the packages.

I even ran a whole thread here asking for help in identifying what kind of oil that might have been...but the interesting point is...even in spite of them being REALLY, REALLY old...AND oiled...they worked perfectly as far as the material went...they just didn't minimize fouling like Natural Lube 1000 does.

 

[Rat Trapper]

With the Lee REAL bullets, try going to a heavier powder charge and see what happens. You can go up to 100 grains, but 90 may do it. Also try some over powder wads like the tc bore buttons.
With the round balls, get a new pack of 15 thousands patches and see what happens. You also may want to try some Hornady round balls.