Carrying pre lubed patches

[Bushfire]

I'm not new to muzzleloading but I still haven't got a practical way to carry my shooting patches in the field.

I use Peanut oil, not keen on using bees wax or wonderlube or anything that is going to want to hang up in the bore some. And mink isn't available here.

Because Peanut oil is quite wet and oily, I'm not going to just sit it in my bag. What I have done is keep it in a tin, but when hunting I'm not finding it practical to have to open the tin to grab a patch then closing it every time I need to reload. I feel like it adds probably 20% on to my loading time.

I knows there has to be a better way, so what do others do?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I have a small tin. Works fine for me. Time to get a patch is minimal and I just load from a simple small shoulder bag. Others will chime in.

 

[Bushfire]

I have a small tin. Works fine for me. Time to get a patch is minimal and I just load from a simple small shoulder bag. Others will chime in.

Maybe I just need a pop open tin, mine has a screw lid which is the real time sapper.

I need a proper shooting bag, I currently use a waist bag designed for cartridge rifles. It doesn't do the job well.

 

[woodsnwater]

You need to make a bullet board with enough holes for a days hunt. I have mine on a lanyard with my short starter, pan primer and touch hole pick.

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

I lube my patches and cushion wads with vegetable cooking oil. I have a hinged flip top tin that I keep them in. This fits nicely into my rifle pouch. I can get to a wad or patch easily, and without ever taking my hands off my gun.

I open the tin and fill it with the wads I'm going to be using.

I then pour the cooking oil over the top of the wads. no patches yet!

I let the wads completely saturate, and pour any excess oil out.

I then put my patches in on top of the wads, and via capillary action, they pick up just enough oil on them to be slick, yet not wet enough to compromise a powder charge.

I have found this to be the best way for me to carry lubed, easy to get to, without making a huge mess.

If you are looking for speed, as mentioned above, a bullet board is the way to go there. takes the retrieving and handling of the patch step out completely.

 

[Grimord]

I cut at the muzzle, so I have a roll of pre-lubed patch material in a 1" diameter brass tube about 2" long with screw on caps at each end. (tube is from an old pocket level), I installed a brass screw eye in one of the caps for hanging off my shooting bag, and cut a slit in the side of the tube to feed the roll patch out of. I pull out as much patch material needed, place the ball on the patch on the muzzle and cut with my patch knife.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Maybe I just need a pop open tin, mine has a screw lid which is the real time sapper.

I need a proper shooting bag, I currently use a waist bag designed for cartridge rifles. It doesn't do the job well.

I just use an old snuff can.

This is my shooting bag....1 pocket, no frills.
https://www.octobercountry.com/bighorn-pouch/

 

[erhunter]

How about an old 35mm film container? They work great if you can find them.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Loading block for hunting, small tin container with a lift off lid for others, a sucrets or one of those mint cans works also.

 

[deermanok]

I use an empty # 11 percussion cap tin for my lubed patches.

 

[SDSmlf]

And mink isn't available here.

Your user profile doesn’t tell us where you are, but if you can get deliveries from TOW, they have mink oil in stock.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/131/1/MINK-OIL

 

[Flintlock]

The tin Altoids or breathmint tins are handy. Throw them in a small fire to burn off paint, wipe with oil. I usually carry roughly 30 lubed (olive oil) pre cut patches, maybe 6 balls ( rest are in a bag in my pouch) and a cleaning jag so its handy to swab every few shots even while hunting. Keep one of these tins in each rifle bag. Very quick and handy.

 

[andy52]

I use an empty # 11 percussion cap tin for my lubed patches.

X2

 

[nhmoose]

How about in the patch box on the rifle. I don't carry them there as they would contaminate my Snickers bar emergency stash.

I use a 2-shot loading block on a leather cord around my neck and more in a cap tin in my bag.

 

[deerstalkert]

i use a antler, bored out to a depth of 1.5 inches and about 1 inch hole. then a 1/2 inch hole in the top, to take a 24 inch roll of lubed patch. enough for 20 shots. press the roll into the big hole and pull the patch from the center of the roll from the small hole. it keeps the lube out of my bag.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

A Copenhagan can.

 

[Timber Wolf]

X2

X3

 

[hanshi]

When I hunted deer I would carry 4 extra balls and a few lubed patches in an old cap tin. Outside of rocket engine nothing much can get me to speed up. I did just fine with the tin for the patches. When you are as slow as I am it takes a little longer to reload regardless of what kind of "speed gadget" is available. It's never cost me a deer, period. Plus I tend to fumble things if I try to speed up any at all.

In the bush I load with mink oil for, at least, the first patch and sometimes Hoppes BP Lube for the rest. If it's small game, say squirrels, I load from the bag and carry pre-lubed patches for the squirrel rifle with TOW mink oil saturating them. Anything I don't shoot up in the woods I bring home and either put them out to dry (Hoppes) or packed away in a tin away from the air. At the range I don't pre-lube.
The patches are dry and I lube them at the bench as needed.

 

[LME]

I'm not new to muzzleloading but I still haven't got a practical way to carry my shooting patches in the field.

I use Peanut oil, not keen on using bees wax or wonderlube or anything that is going to want to hang up in the bore some. And mink isn't available here.

Because Peanut oil is quite wet and oily, I'm not going to just sit it in my bag. What I have done is keep it in a tin, but when hunting I'm not finding it practical to have to open the tin to grab a patch then closing it every time I need to reload. I feel like it adds probably 20% on to my loading time.

I knows there has to be a better way, so what do others do?

If you are shooting a cap and ball use your old cap tins. I have been doing this for years. The tin keeps the patches from drying out as fast and isn't as messy as puting them in your pocket.

 

[Snake Pleskin]

When hunting I use a loading block that holds 3-4 rds. It is the simplest, easiezt way to carry a load, and not even have to go into the bag if you do not want to. Just hang it around your neck etc. I have an antler measure and a pik n brush attached to my bag strap )(they can be moved). I never have to go into my bag unless I am doing some adjustments to the flint etc.