Cutting round patches???

[t1952ap]

Does anyone out there cut thier own round shooting patches? I'm considering buying a patch cutter of some sort. I'd appreciate any info on a patch cutter and sources of material for shooting and cleaning patches. Thanks!

 

[jtmattison]

I cut my own. I first cut them square and then sandwich a stack between two metal washers and trim them round.
Square patches work just as good as round patches. I just get bored sometimes and cut them round to pass some time.
I use pillow ticking from Wal-Mart.

HD

 

[Tom Compton]

I always get my round patches centered in the bore and around the ball by cutting strips of material, lube, lay over the muzzle, seat a ball and cut the round patch.
TC

 

[bwhoffman]

I do.
this is a pic of my creation....
1 5/16 holesaw, nets a patch that is 1 1/8.
I shoot them in my .40, 50 and a friends .54

it was all fab'd be using a cordless drill and a belt sander with lots of time and water sa to not overheat the steel. used a real minimal angle.

I cut about 12 layers at a time and unload every 48 patches...into neat little stacks in an egg carton!
I cut into a rubber mat, pine board or a cheap white cutting board.

 

[boar]

I cut mine at the muzzle. I cut them the same way when I cut them in ball board. They come out almost round. Cleaning patch I just cut a piece off. Dilly

 

[Swampman]

Square patches work perfectly.

 

[MikeChapin]

I cut mine with a hole saw that I have ground the teeth off an put an edge on. I chuck it up in a drill press and buzz out enough for a season in about 15 minutes.

I do it because I like round patches. Someone mentioned that square shoot just as well and he's right.

 

[silverfox]

Mind looks almost like brett sr's. Made it from a Harbor Freight hole saw set ($1.99). Ground the teeth off and sharpened. Went to Hobby lobby and got a wood ball ($1.48) wanted pool ball but couldn't find one. Cut patches on pine board just pick size you need. Friend made one and uses drill press to cut multilpe patches at a time. Keeps several shooters in patches with very little expenditure in time or material.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[mazo kid]

I've used all the above mentioned patches over the years; made a hole saw cutter as has been described, cut patches at the muzzle, square patches, etc. Lately, I've been using one of those rotary fabric cutters and cutting square patches. You can cut multiple thicknesses into strips and then cut the square patches from them. I use a straight edge on a cutting board. Just keep your fingers out of the way and don't ask!! :nono: Emery

 

[Dphar]

Does anyone out there cut thier own round shooting patches? I'm considering buying a patch cutter of some sort. I'd appreciate any info on a patch cutter and sources of material for shooting and cleaning patches. Thanks!

I cut round patches for general shooting.
You can usually buy "arch punches" from leather outlets that are close to the right size.
If you need a guise for size press a ball into the muzzle using a large piece of patch material. When the ball is flush draw around the patch with a magic marker or ball point pen then pull it out and measure the mark.
They can also be made by grinding the teeth off the proper diameter hole saw. Hardware and lumber stores have cheap ones. I put a bolt and washer in the saw then screw a nut on the bolt and tighten.

If I have proper material I make them with a lathe and mill.
I use heavy cotton diaper flannel for cleaning patches. I generally tear to size as needed or cut with a rotary cutter.
Dan

 

[Swampman]

Not to change the subject, but...

You can buy 1000 muzzleloader cleaning patches on ebay for $6.95. They are made in the U.S.A. They won't work for shooting patches because they are made out of Micro-Fiber. The guys on the Modern Muzzleloader Forum say they are great. I haven't tried them.

I think the 5000 pack is $17.00.

 

[renovato]

I used to cut round patches using a large hole punch spun on a drill press through stacked cloth. It was a big pain to do, but I was just to stubborn to accept that a square patch could possibly work as well. My idea of physics just said it couldn't be so...until I finally tried them. Now I just cut them square from strips of pillow ticking using a paper cutter or scissors. They work just as well as round patches and are a heckuva lot easier to make. Same with cleaning patches.

 

[tg]

If you try square patches you will likely find they are as accyrate as the round ones and eassier to pre-cut.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I cut mine at the muzzle. I cut them the same way when I cut them in ball board. They come out almost round. Cleaning patch I just cut a piece off. Dilly

Same here.

 

[El Lobo]

I am switching over to cutting my own square patches after I use up my current supply of store-bought round patches. The ball doesn't care what shape the patch is.

 

[redwing]

The hole saw with teeth removed is very fast. I can run enough thru a drill press in a few minutes to last a long time. This works well when cutting the .024 and other heavy patches. :thumbsup:

 

[t1952ap]

Thanks for all the good info. I like the hole saw idea. I just like the idea of round patches. And it will give me something to do when it is too cold to shoot.

 

[brubincam]

-----yeah--but--you can not cut square patches with a hole saw----- :bull: -----maybe with a half saw----- :blah: :blah: :blah:

 

[ohio ramrod]

As a tool grinder I made several patch cutting dies out of worn drill bushings. They work very well in a small arbor press, or even a drill press. I read an article several years back in Muzzle blasts about making a patch cutting die from electrical conduit and sharping the cutting edge with a file using a drill press both for sharping the die and for cutting the patches.I myself fold several thicknesses of the material and place the cloth on a piece of light cardboard(like a cereal box)and then press the cutter into the cloth. The cardboard keeps the cloth from "streaching " and helps make a clean cut.I notice you are from Toledo, my youngest boy lives in Toledo! What caliber do you need? I might have some extra dies around that he could bring you the next time he comes home!

 

I am switching over to cutting my own square patches after I use up my current supply of store-bought round patches. The ball doesn't care what shape the patch is.

Correct.

Based on absolutely nothing but common sense speculation, I seriously doubt that people in the 18th century took the time to make round patches. We know that they are not more accurate for anything except perhaps the most anal target shooters of today and they are not "round" once you shove them in the barrel, just like cutting at the muzzle doesn't produce a round patch.

Today we have the luxury and obsession with "gadgets". We can run to Home Depot and get a hole saw, modify it, stick it in a drill press and enjoy hours of fun cutting out little round circles of cloth. Back in the day, they probably had more important things to do than sit around trying to cut out a small round piece of cloth.

The "gadget guys" of today carry all sorts of speed loaders, short-starters, picks, brushes, special 'flint chipping' tools, a powder for loading, a different powder for priming, etc. As someone on this board once said, some of the "buckskinners" look like their wearing a Batman Utility Belt.