Best Cleaning Patches - Source
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Jo-Ann fabrics, er Wall Mart.
Buy it by the yard. Pillow ticking comes in various thicknesses with most being .015 to .018, at least around here. Denim can be had that will mike at .020 to .022, just be sure the label on the bolt of cloth says 100% cotton, and be sure to wash it good to get the sizing out.
Be sure you take a micrometer with you and measure the stuff or all the gals there will think you're a sissy boy. :haha: (was that politically kerrect?)
Otherwise you will have to buy the pre-cut patches in buld, but I've enver seen them in packages of more than 100, then you're stuck with whatever thickness they sell you.
Go to Track of the Wolf, they sell various thicknesses and calibers as does Dixie Gun Works and some others.
You're right. This IS boring. :haha:
Buy it by the yard. Pillow ticking comes in various thicknesses with most being .015 to .018, at least around here. Denim can be had that will mike at .020 to .022, just be sure the label on the bolt of cloth says 100% cotton, and be sure to wash it good to get the sizing out.
Be sure you take a micrometer with you and measure the stuff or all the gals there will think you're a sissy boy. :haha: (was that politically kerrect?)
Otherwise you will have to buy the pre-cut patches in buld, but I've enver seen them in packages of more than 100, then you're stuck with whatever thickness they sell you.
Go to Track of the Wolf, they sell various thicknesses and calibers as does Dixie Gun Works and some others.
You're right. This IS boring. :haha:
Item #125 - 2"x2" square, 100% ribbed cotton patches (.45/.50/.54cal)
Item #123 - 2.5"x2.5" square, 100% ribbed cotton patches (.56/.58/.62cal)
$12/1000 in a resealable plastic bags - 4 bags or more is free shipping...excellent patches, used them for years.
Southern Bloomer Mfg. Company
PO Box 1621
Bristol, TN 37621-1621
423-878-6660
Item #123 - 2.5"x2.5" square, 100% ribbed cotton patches (.56/.58/.62cal)
$12/1000 in a resealable plastic bags - 4 bags or more is free shipping...excellent patches, used them for years.
Southern Bloomer Mfg. Company
PO Box 1621
Bristol, TN 37621-1621
423-878-6660
Guest
Aw crap! Cleaning patches? Well duh? I didn't the ? very well did I?
Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section with cleaning supplies. About 2 bucks a bag of 100% cotton leavings from making mens underware. (Honest.) I think the bags contain at least 250 patches, but they come in assorted sizes and shapes. The ones too large I simply cut in half with sissors and get double the number.
Now check this out for being frugal. I WASH them.
Yup, being a swabber I go through lots of patches so I soak the dirty ones in hot soapy water in a Mason jar and then shake the jar to aggitate them, let 'em soak, rinse 'em out , lay 'em on newspaper to dry and get another round out of them.
(Frugal = "not wastefull", it dosen't mean cheap.)
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Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section with cleaning supplies. About 2 bucks a bag of 100% cotton leavings from making mens underware. (Honest.) I think the bags contain at least 250 patches, but they come in assorted sizes and shapes. The ones too large I simply cut in half with sissors and get double the number.
Now check this out for being frugal. I WASH them.
Yup, being a swabber I go through lots of patches so I soak the dirty ones in hot soapy water in a Mason jar and then shake the jar to aggitate them, let 'em soak, rinse 'em out , lay 'em on newspaper to dry and get another round out of them.
(Frugal = "not wastefull", it dosen't mean cheap.)
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squirejohn
40 Cal.
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Get a yard or two of flannel cloth from Wall-Mart and cut them yourself to whatever size(s) you want. I can cut over a thousand in less than an hour; even faster with my wife's wheeled fabric cutter.
OK, maxi, what's this say: ghtjtoeojfspngfujslkgi49084357lsdnflso???????
After I put this up, I did check what I got left and of the ones I got Southern Bloomer is the best, but did't know you could get 'em that cheap!!! Thanks!!!
sse
After I put this up, I did check what I got left and of the ones I got Southern Bloomer is the best, but did't know you could get 'em that cheap!!! Thanks!!!
sse
Old flannel bed sheets.
Wearing 'em out is purty nice, too.
Wearing 'em out is purty nice, too.
Guest
How do you guys get flannel or denim cloth wrapped around a correct-fitting bore brush inside your bores??
Bore Brush?
I slit one corner, stick the threads of the jag through it, screw the jag to the ramrod, flip the patch over so it is about centered on the jag, and then jamb it down the bore. Screwing it through the patch means I never lose one in the bore . . . well, hardly ever.
I can honestly say I've never used a bore brush on a muzzleloader in the 25 years I've been shooting them. I have used wool jags and tow on worms, but no brushes. They're for cleaning copper and lead fouling. I don't feel the need of them with cloth or paper patched projectiles.
I slit one corner, stick the threads of the jag through it, screw the jag to the ramrod, flip the patch over so it is about centered on the jag, and then jamb it down the bore. Screwing it through the patch means I never lose one in the bore . . . well, hardly ever.
I can honestly say I've never used a bore brush on a muzzleloader in the 25 years I've been shooting them. I have used wool jags and tow on worms, but no brushes. They're for cleaning copper and lead fouling. I don't feel the need of them with cloth or paper patched projectiles.
Guest
"Bore brush?"..... "I can honestly say I've never used a bore brush on a muzzleloader in the 25 years I've been shooting them"
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How does your cleaning jag get into the lands & grooves? You should market that special designed product you've made cuz' nobody I know sells a jag that cleans lands & grooves. If you're using what I've seen on a hundred ML/BP store shelves I've visited in the last few years, it surely surprises me that after 25 years, your rifled barrel ain't actin' like a smoothbore. Just what cleaner do you use to dissolve lead, carbon, fouling.. etc ... maybe even copper & plastic?
Just curious Stumpmurderer...lol! When was the last time you shot a conical accurately beyond 75 yards?... not a patched roundball ... a conical or sabot with that brushless bore of yours?
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How does your cleaning jag get into the lands & grooves? You should market that special designed product you've made cuz' nobody I know sells a jag that cleans lands & grooves. If you're using what I've seen on a hundred ML/BP store shelves I've visited in the last few years, it surely surprises me that after 25 years, your rifled barrel ain't actin' like a smoothbore. Just what cleaner do you use to dissolve lead, carbon, fouling.. etc ... maybe even copper & plastic?
Just curious Stumpmurderer...lol! When was the last time you shot a conical accurately beyond 75 yards?... not a patched roundball ... a conical or sabot with that brushless bore of yours?
T7 a snug fiten patch on a jag will get in them ther groves,a bore brush?How many of them bore brushes do ya go threw a year?Ther made of wire an they whear out fast i would think.Whens the last time you whor out a cleanen jag.
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SSE i dont think it matters what brand of clean patch you use as long as if fits snug.I use to use cut t-***** stuff,then i decided i want sumin else,they had 7mm patches marked down at walley world from 4.82 to 3.25 for 500.When i got to the register they rang up at .44 cents for a bag of 500.i went back and bought 7 bags of em for .44 cents for 500.Thats 3.08 for 3,500 patches.dont know if they screwed up or not but i werent[url] complainen.In[/url] the 54 i have to use 2 on the jag,in the 36 1 fits good.
for the flush with water i use a bore mop of correct fit,once its wet i think i could suck a softball threw a garden hose with it. :snore:
for the flush with water i use a bore mop of correct fit,once its wet i think i could suck a softball threw a garden hose with it. :snore:
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Another viewpoint...there are 32 linear feet (384 inches) of sharp 90 degree land/groove relationships in my 32" round ball barrels...and I've never been willing to trust that a round jag with a patch could precisely clean 384 inches of sharp 90 degree corners where a spec of residue might get left behind...so every time I clean a rifle I include a few dozen strokes with a tight bore brush...only takes a minute
First, an update. I just called Suth'n Bloomer and the lady said all they had were the 8 oz bags of muzzleloader patches. I was quite surprised, given what I have seen elswwhere and what was kindly, but perhaps mistakenly, posted above. I figgered they had a thousand patch bag. Maybe she just didn't know. Anyway, she did sell me some 8 oz bags for $3.74 per, which, even after shipping is still quite a bit cheaper than the same article in the store, but not as cheap as some of the alternatives, which I will try once I have time to screw around with a few of the ideas.
My last cleaning job, I flushed with water, swabbed with alky, wiped dry, but there was still some black coming from the grooves. (Maybe a brush aint a bad ideer) So, I took a bit of B/P solvent that I got on hand swabbed a bit with that, dried her out with alky and dry patches and got a nice clean bore with no "orange". A brush may have helped, so maybe Trip Sev has something there.
Thanks for all the replies!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Regards, sse
I figgered they had a thousand patch bag. Maybe she just didn't know. Anyway, she did sell me some 8 oz bags for $3.74 per, which, even after shipping is still quite a bit cheaper than the same article in the store, but not as cheap as some of the alternatives, which I will try once I have time to screw around with a few of the ideas.My last cleaning job, I flushed with water, swabbed with alky, wiped dry, but there was still some black coming from the grooves. (Maybe a brush aint a bad ideer) So, I took a bit of B/P solvent that I got on hand swabbed a bit with that, dried her out with alky and dry patches and got a nice clean bore with no "orange". A brush may have helped, so maybe Trip Sev has something there.
Thanks for all the replies!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Regards, sse
Rest assured my post was not a mistake...you can take it to the bank. When I made that post, I literally went into the garage and brought the bags in the house in order to copy down the item #'s, address, and phone #.
Maybe they were out of stock, or maybe they no longer make them...OR...if you mentioned the word muzzleloader, instead of specifically asking for the item#'s I listed, then that may be where the problem is.
They do also happen to have what they call "muzzleloader patches" and she may have thought that's what you wanted, but when I bought some a few years ago, I immediately returned them as they didn't work anywhere near as well as the ones that I listed.
Again, reading from the bags:
Item #125
[Special .30cal Cotton Cleaning Patches(2.5"x2.5")]
Item #123
[Universal Rifle-Pistol Cleaning Patches (2"x2")]
(38/.357/.45/9mm/10mm)
SSE with real black and a patent breech a bore mop and plain cold water in a pail it will leave a barrel spotless if you stroke it till it starts showen clean,then refill and stroke it with clean cold water again a few times.Dry patch it dry then hold your finger over the nipple and pour some alkey down the bore and plug the muzzle with your finger,slosh it back and forth fore a minute then let it drain out the nipple,dry patch then apply your lube.
The mop will fill all groves,make sure ya wet it first because they are a tight fit.i always take the nipple off on the first flush then,clean it in the pail of water with a patch then put it back in and flush some more.The stroken of the wet mop forcing the cold water in and out will clean the patent breech and barrel good with real black powder residue.
If you had a build up of a wax type lube in your barrel a bore brush wouldnt be a bad idear,but i dont use lube with beeswax :no:
The mop will fill all groves,make sure ya wet it first because they are a tight fit.i always take the nipple off on the first flush then,clean it in the pail of water with a patch then put it back in and flush some more.The stroken of the wet mop forcing the cold water in and out will clean the patent breech and barrel good with real black powder residue.
If you had a build up of a wax type lube in your barrel a bore brush wouldnt be a bad idear,but i dont use lube with beeswax :no:
roundball - Thanks, I figgered you would clarify. Part of the problem is me not knowing and the other part is her not knowing. I'm pretty sure I did order the "muzzleloader" patches. That is what I have now and for me they work fine. But I think I'll order some of the others you mention, too, and compare. Somebody more knowledgeable at the shop might have steered me better.
Thanks, again, sse
Thanks, again, sse
Lessee, I've shot whitetail, woodchucks and the occasional very unlucky squirrel out past 75 yards. Don't recall ever even seeing a conical when hunting. I don't think we get many conicals hereabouts. Ain't even mentioned in the State Game Regulations. They anything like a ring-tailed cat? And I don't think it sporting to shoot any fish, even sabot (which must be a hybrid salmon-turbot, right?). But they must be big'uns if you can see 'em underwater beyond 75 yards!
I use hot water & Ivory soap, followed by Lehigh oil or a patch well soaked in Natural Lube if I plan on shooting again soon. The fibers of the patch or tow seem to be enough to work into the crannies of the grooves and the edges of the lands. Honest. Haven't used a brush in a muzzleloader since the first year I owned one, and I've been shooting continuously since 1979 when I bought my .54 Renegade. I had one strip off the thread adapter in the bottom of the barrel once in my Renegade, and didn't have Roundball around to tell me to drive a piece of metal tubing over it to retrieve it, so I had to pull the breech-plug. That soured me to them in muzzleloaders. Countin on my fingers I've owned seven M/Ls that never swallowed a bore brush of any kind, metal or Nylon. Not even sure when they were invented, but I'm sure I've never seen one in a museum display of muzzleloading accoutrements.
Ain't no copper or plastic ever been in one of my blackpowder rifles to foul it, anywho. And I've never burnt anything but DuPont or Goex powder in one. I do use Maxi-balls in my New Englander, and it shoots right fine out to 100 yds (2" with open iron sights) when I do my part. But them are honest all-lead bullets.
I do use brushes on my centerfire rifles that shoot jacketed bullets. I even use stainless ones in the cylinder chambers of my S&W M-14 .38 after shooting wadcutters. Just don't seem to be needed in a M/L.
Guest
I believe ya' Charlie but I'll never go brushless.
Buckknife
I have plenty of male & female adapters that allow me to use the wider threaded 50 cal brushes that last much longer than the much thinner ramrod-fitted (8/32) ones.[url] Thunder-ridge.com[/url] sells all kinds of adapters for ml's.
By-the-way.... how's the new 32-cal small game ML? Where did you find a Bobcat in that size?
Buckknife
I have plenty of male & female adapters that allow me to use the wider threaded 50 cal brushes that last much longer than the much thinner ramrod-fitted (8/32) ones.[url] Thunder-ridge.com[/url] sells all kinds of adapters for ml's.
By-the-way.... how's the new 32-cal small game ML? Where did you find a Bobcat in that size?
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Cheapest patches are to buy a few yds. of cotton flannel and cut them to the size you want. Brownell's has 2 thickness of patches in several sizes. I like the 2"x2"
in the thick one, buy them in bags of 1000. As for brushes,
don't use them, on my guns I don't find a use for them. On some guns that customers bring in that have never been cleaned then I do find a use for them, especially when they're rusty but on a spit patched ,round ball gun you'll never need a brush.
in the thick one, buy them in bags of 1000. As for brushes,
don't use them, on my guns I don't find a use for them. On some guns that customers bring in that have never been cleaned then I do find a use for them, especially when they're rusty but on a spit patched ,round ball gun you'll never need a brush.
