Ball and Patch

[rb8941]

Yet another newbie question that's probably been answered here before.

I just bought my first flintlock, a .50 caliber rifle. All sites I've visited say use a .490 caliber ball. Makes sense. But when it comes to the patch some say use a .015 patch while others say use a .010 patch.

My question is, which is correct, or is it a personal preference, doesn't make any difference kind of thing?

Thanks,
Rick

 

[tg]

Various combinations in that range will work, some use a .495 ball the specific gun will "tell" you which is best after some shooting.Often going down to a .010 patch will result in blowby/burnt patches most use .015-.020

 

[Travis Gregory]

It depends on what your particular rifle likes to shoot. Some rifles require a tighter patch than others to get better groups. Try both and see what your rifle likes. If it doesnt change the group size Id go with the thinner patch for easier loading.

 

[greyghost]

Rick,
I've just gone thru a lot of problems with my .45 cal. flinter as you can read under my topic "flint to perc conversion" under the percussion heading. One of the biggest problems I was having was how dirty the gun was and how much cleaning I had to do to get it clean [ 200 + patches]. I was shooting a .440 ball and a .010 patch and it wasn't tight enough. Other flinter friends advised me to use a .445 ball and a .015 patch to make a tighter fit and help clean on each shot with less leakage. Hope that helps you a little bit.

 

[BadHorse]

i use a .490 or .495 rb, with a 0.015 patch, your just gonna have to shoot a bunch and find the best combo. oh yeah, getting the right amount of powder is fun to, every gun likes something different! 60gr. of fffg is a good starting load

 

[Dphar]

Yet another newbie question that's probably been answered here before.

I just bought my first flintlock, a .50 caliber rifle. All sites I've visited say use a .490 caliber ball. Makes sense. But when it comes to the patch some say use a .015 patch while others say use a .010 patch.

My question is, which is correct, or is it a personal preference, doesn't make any difference kind of thing?

Thanks,
Rick

If its a true 50 with .490 ball a patch heavier than .015" may be needed. Heavy cotton pillow ticking is thicker than this and usually works best with a .490.
The patches compress considerably and you need enough to get well into the grooves.

Dan

 

[Tom Compton]

IMO overall measurement of ball and patch (ball diameter + patch thiskness + patch thickness) should be close to or slightly greater than grove to grove diameter(nominal bore diameter + grove depth + grove depth).

Soooo,

.50 cal w/ .013 groves = .526
.500 + .015 + .015 = .530
.500 + .010 +.010 = .520
typical button rifled barrel is .008 deep (or less) .500 + .008 + .008 = .516

If use
.495 ball w/ .015 patch = .525
.495 + .018 + .018 = .531
.480 + .018 + .018 = .516
.490 + .018 + .018 = .526

.490 + .010 + .010 = .510 some of the lead displaced by squeezing between the rifling lands will have to flow into the grooves and may be enough to seal the groves on a button rifled barrel but not a barrel that was cut rifled .010 to .015" deep.

Additional detail can be applied to tightness of weave of the patch and lso which lube. I never heard of using over powder wads in rifles (normal in shotguns) until reading on this forum so will have something else to experiment with.

TC

 

[MikeChapin]

I have three .50s and each one likes a different patch and load for a .490. One, a Tennessee with a GM barrel likes a .024 cotton duck or light canvas patch. Another, a CVA Mountain Rifle does best with an .018 ticking patch. The last one, a long rifle with a Getz barrel, likes a medium weight denim .020 patch.

It takes a little work to find what your rifle likes best but that's part of the fun.

 

[Irish13]

I have a .50 cal flinter that takes .490 and to be honest I don't know what thickness my patch is, which shows my ignorance, but it shoots great with the .490 and pillow ticking patch. The blue and white stripe pillow ticking. If I go to the .495 I almost have to beat the ball down the barrel. FYI also I don't buy precut patches, I just buy the pillow ticking by the yard at local cloth world. So I don't know thickness. Anyone know how I could tell?

Thanks, YMHS,
Irish

 

[mazo kid]

You need a micrometer, or a friend with one to determine patch thickness. Also, I hope you have washed your patch material a couple of times to get the sizing out of the material; helps the patch to compress easier. Emery

 

[Tom Compton]

While you are measuring, check the land to land measurement on the rifle. Some .54s actually measure .530 so a .50 could be smaller depends on maker.

If the .005 increase in ball diameter makes for difficult loading, the existing ball and patch combo is probably tight enough to force patch and lead into the grooves and seal.

TC

 

[longcruise]

I have a .50 cal flinter that takes .490 and to be honest I don't know what thickness my patch is, which shows my ignorance, but it shoots great with the .490 and pillow ticking patch.

Nothing ignorant about knowing how to shoot your rifle!

I have calipers and micrometers within reach as I type this but I no longer bother to measure patch material. OTOH, I do have a large collection of patch material and potential patch material, and, I add to the collection at every opportunity.

I just go off to the range with at least two different ball sizes and my patch material collection and shoot till the best combo shows itself.

 

[kossetx]

This thread makes me think. I have a 20# box of cotton rags. I mic'ed the rags and not one was over .012. My bore, top of land to top of land, is .5075. A 490 ball, .024 of a patch would seem tighter than it is. Now, I haven't even shot it yet but the ball goes in fairly easily. Any reasoning why?

 

[greyghost]

Yea, you oughta see all the women give me a strange look when I walk into the material dept. at Wal-Mart with my michrometer and go around measuring material. They all think I'm nuts, especially when I tell em what it is for. :rotf:

 

[musketman]

They all think I'm nuts, especially when I tell em what it is for. :rotf:

I like to make up stories, so I always tell them I make custom down filled pillow maker and the cloth has to be a certain thickness to prevent the feather's quills from poking through to prevent law suits from people with duck allergies. :haha:

 

[Tom Compton]

What is the groove depth? Is there a deep crown?

.490 +.024 = .514 - .5075 = .00625 or .003125 per side.

Sounds like the squeeze is pushing a little lead into the grooves but not reaching the bottom of the grooves - unless the grooves are