Cutting Patches At Muzzle or Block

[Sharp Shooter]

I have been thinking about using strips. How do you cut at the muzzle or block? How long and wide do you make the strips to be good for 54cal and 58cal?

Thanks

 

[Bountyhunter]

First of all you need a really sharp patch knife.

This is how I do it. I use a really tight fitting ball with ticking. I tear my ticking into strips a little wider than the patch needs to be. So if you take a piece of patch, and cut it and shoot it and then retrieve it, then give yourself an extra half an inch of width, that will make a nice sized strip to rip off. The strips that I'm gettin ready to use this afternoon are right at 2" wide, and the holes that I previously cut out are right at 1-3/8" in diameter. This is for my .53 Santa Fe Hawken with .520 balls.

My technique is to center the lubed strip over the muzzle, and place a ball in the bore, (AFTER YOU CHARGE WITH A MEASURE OF POWDER) and then set with the short starter. My short starter sets my ball about 1/8" below the end of the muzzle. I then gather up the material with my left hand and then cut away from me with the knife in my right hand, the blade resting on the end of the muzzle. My muzzle has an hourglass figure on it from the cutting motion of the knife cutting patches. What I am left with is a mostly perfect circle about 1-3/8" wide being cut out of the ticking strip. I then push the ball on down with my long starter, then seat it with the ramrod. Using this technique, I am still using the original hickory rod that I made when I built the rifle in 1985. I set the ball very firmly on the powder for consistent performance.

I dont use a loading block, I think that they are a nuisance, and I just load from my bag. That is but my personal opinion. I dont target shoot. I shoot to kill. I stalk close, pick my shots and very seldom ever have to make a follow up shot. If I do, I use some pre lubed TC thin patches that I can thumb start and ram home with the ramrod. DONT FORGET THAT YOU NEED POWDER UNDER THE BALL. It is a bugger to ram that ball home and hear it clunk when it hits the bottom.

I hope this answers your question.

B

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you have never learned how to sharpen a knife to a razor's edge, get The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by John Juranitch. It is the best book on how to sharpen knives, axes, etc. written to date. Then buy two good stones, one medium arkansas, and the other a fine arkansas stone. Use an oxydizer lube like Break Free, or Liquid Wrench to lube the stones when you work on them. Get as long a stone as you can find. Mine are 13" by 3" so I get a good long stroke the lenth of the blade while maintaining a consistent bevel to the edge as I move the blade over the stone.

First use the coarse grit stone to set an approach bevel at a shallow angle. When you have raise a burr the length of the blade from both sides of the blade, go to the fine grit stone, and increase the angle so that you are sharpening only a small portion of the edge you just put on that knife, or razor. Raise a burr- it will be very fine- on that new stone, on both sides of the blade , and then go to the third step, which is to use a leather strop to remove that burr, and polish the edge. Test the resulting edge by dragging it slowly across your thumbnail to feel for any nicks. If you find one, go back to the fine stone and get it out. When you are done, the edge should be able to cut that patch cloth withouthleaving and " fuzz " on the edge of the blade. It will cut quickly, and easily, so if you are not used to having a sharp knife take it slowly the first time you use it. Since cloth can be hard on an edge, keep a leather belt or strop around to polish that edge from time to time while in use. You will be amazed at how long you can go just using a strop before you have to go back to the fine stone to redo the edge.

 

Look up Scary Sharp on google . It gets em realllly sharp.

 

[Stumpkiller]

For my .54 I make them 1-1/2" wide (five of one color and four of 't other on my ticking). I tear the material in long strips. Takes two minutes to make three dozen six foot strips from two yards of material.

I load from a block usually. Knife needs to be sharp, but not broadhead sharp. Scissors will do in a pinch. :haha: I do try to keep my patch knife so it will "pop" hair off my arm when pressed flat down, but quite often I don't carry a dedicated patch knife. The patch knife is any knife you cut patches with. :winking: I've also cut patches with my rifleman's knife that I sharpen with a file.

When hunting I usually carry a single blade, bone handled folding knife in the pouch. Handy in case I have a senior moment and find my belt knife is still on the kitchen table when I'm in the woods.

More than one way to skin a cat.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

My dad can help me get knives really sharp. How many shots will a 6 foot roll give you? How do you do it at the block? Will it effect accuracy if sometimes you have a little more extra patch stuff.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I get maybe 50 shots on a 6' roll. Hard to say as I use the same material to spit-wipe the bore every so often and a dry piece to wipe the frizzen and pan. Last time I was at Joanne's I bought all they had on the bolt. Seven yards of 54" wide ticking. That's enough to hold me for several years.

It doesn't matter much to have some extra, though consistancy always aids accuracy with any firearm. That's why cutting at the block, I feel, is better. It's easier to be consistant as you can feel when the ball is flush underneath (or set it on a hard surface when pushing the ball and patch down). Also easier on the muzzle and knife - no metal to metal rubbing.

 

[Will Bison]

I like cutting at the muzzle with strips. FOR ME it is the most comfortable way. I lay the strip across the muzzle, short start the ball and cut it off.

I'm not into speed loading nor have I ever been good at centering a precut patch.

It boils down to what works best for you.