cutting the patch at the muzzle?

[newkid]

How many of you cut the patch at the muzzle after starting the roundball (as opposed to using precut patches)? If you cut the patch at the muzzle, why do you do it that way (ie. tradition, accuracy, etc.)?

Thanks for any info.

 

[nchawkeye]

I do it because I use pillow ticking that I can buy for about 3 bucks a yard...Treated with Stumpy's snot it works better than store bought patches.

 

[Will Bison]

Cutting at the muzzle is my preferred way simply because it is the easiest way for me to do it. I experimented with precut round and square patches and finally opted to cut at the muzzle.

Most of my shooting is target and trail walk. For hunting I use a loading block with six prelubed patched balls.

 

[Ohio Joe]

I use both methods, cutting at the muzzle, and I punch out my own 1 1/4" patches, both methods using the blue pillow ticking I get from Wal-Mart.

I spit patch when cutting at the muzzle (this is my preferred method while at Rendezvous when loading from the bag. I also carry along patched balls in a bullet block lubed with TC 1000+ while at these events, and hunting.

When strictly line shooting at events such as our club's monthly match or State Shoot, I load from the box using my pre-cut and lubed patches.

I can't say as I have ever noticed a difference in accuracy from either method, it's just the way I do things. I think all of us fall into our preferred routines that work for us in given situational events...

 

[old gunsmith]

I find that pre-cuts sometimes get dragged to one side and load off center, though I can't say how much that will affect accuracy. I feel that muzzle cutting probably makes for a more uniform load. Regards, Old Gunsmith

 

[shootemup]

Have to agree with Ohio Joe, I use both methods.

I can buy and lubricate pillow ticking myself and save money while I enjoy better control over what goes down my barrel. But I'm not obsessive with it.

I like being traditional, but convenience is cool too. I also pursue the best accuracy I can achieve, but my primary interest is hunting. I shoot year-round because I enjoy it, but the truth is I only need "minute of soda can" accuracy.

Unless you're trying to print clover leaf patterns at 100 yards, you can do either and probably never know the difference.

Spot

 

"minute of soda can" accuracy. :haha: I like that.

I cut at the muzzle for rondezvous shooting. When out hunting in the cold? I use pre-punched and lubed with bore butter or olive oil patches. (something that won't freeze. Same thing at the range. I have a round arch punch that looks just like the ones you see in 19th century cased sets that I use on a lead block. Cut through several layers at a time. I like to be as PC as possible. Everyone to their own thing. :thumbsup:

 

[Applejack]

I prefer muzzle cut patches for all of the reasons stated above. It is the most simple and traditional. My recovered patches look great and are cut round just like a precut and I do not have to worry about getting the patch centered. For a starting hunting load I lube with olive oil and use spit patch for reloads.

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I also cut at the muzzle. Used to carry pre-cut patches soaked in Crisco in a plastic bag (that stuff really wreaks when it goes rancid) and that was always a mess. Plus, it was a plastic bag which is way out of place in my gear now. Now I just keep some ticking in a roll in my shooting bag and rub it into some of Stumpy's Moose Snot right before loading. Works great and isn't messy. I also happen to like using the patch knife that tg gave me to go with my rifle I bought from him.

Twisted_1in66

 

[Bill Bryan]

I only target shoot with my flintlock and I cut my patches at the muzzle from pillow ticking. I think it keeps the fabric weave aligned the same for each shot. Any thing I can do to maintain uniformity is good. I lube with 1/10 Balistol/water at the shooting bench and I think overall it is less messy than pre-lubed patches. Also I like the process of owning and maintaining a sharp knife for my gun box.

 

[fw707]

I spit patch and cut mine at the muzzle from pillow ticking strips cause it's just convenient and easy to do it that way, especially shooting from a table at the range.
I load my loading blocks for hunting the same way with the short starter, but I use a little Bore Butter or crisco for a lube cause the bullet could be in the barrel for a while.
I don't remember the last time I used a pre-cut patch.

 

[Stumpkiller]

You only offered two choices and I use a third. I don't cut at the muzzle if I can help it. And I never use individual pre-cut and lubed patches. Rolls of pre-lubed patching in a waxed pouch, yes, but not pre-cut patches.

Great potential for scratching up the knife or muzzle and, with only two hands, it's hard to hold three things (rifle, knife, and loose ends of the patching). Whenever possible I use a wood ball block. Some events don't allow them and then it's cut-at-the-muzzle . . . but not by choice.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I generally use home-made pre-cut patching, squares. I have a can of store bought natural-lube I got years ago (round) that I load my block with. I shoot them up once I get some meat in the frzr.

 

[Jarikeen]

I started using pre-cut round patches and went to using square as it was much quicker to cut at home when I have a spare moment. Lubed lightly with olive oil.

Cutting at the muzzle was too much of a handful for me and was messy (hands became all oilled up). I too was worried about scatching up the knife or muzzle.

I'm aways careful about centering my patch.

 

[longshot47]

Probably not a big deal, but I'm in line with Old Gunsmith's observation about 'uniform loading', and therefore prefer to cut at the muzzle. Results have been good with Rigg smeared on my ticking :thumbsup:
~Longshot

 

[chipper]

I used to use precut patches but I found myself spending quite allot of time trying to get the ball exactly in the middle of the patch. Now I simply tie a strip of pillow ticking to my shooting pouch strap and use my neck knife to cut it. I have found that spit patch is the most convenient, most accurate and the choice that prevents the barrel from getting too gummed up.
Cheapest too....
Regards
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[2172]

NChawkeye and bison said it for me...those are my reasons..Hank

 

[Brian the Brit]

Please forgive what must seem a stupid question to you experienced muzzle-loaders (my M/L experience to date has been with .577 Minié balls in a 2-band Enfield), but could someone please talk me through exactly how you cut a patch at the muzzle?

I get the impression that you use some sort of very sharp knife but my worry would be that my hand would slip and I'd damage the gun or my hand (or both).

Do you use a special knife? Would shears or scissors do the job equally well?

Is it largely a question of pioneer tradition or is cutting at the muzzle simply the best way to ensure that the ball is centred in the material?

So many dumb questions, so much to learn!

 

I ran a little experiment today at the range. I used the same patching and used square and round and cut at the muzzle with the same lube. I even loaded off center of the patch on purpose. As long as there was patching between the ball and the rifling there was no problem with accuracy. I don't think it matters if the ball is dead center of the patch.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Brian: Perhaps you have never learned how to use a sharp knife safely. You cut away from your body, and anything else you don't want to cut.

To cut the patch at the muzzle, you first seat the ball below the muzzle, in the patch. Then you pull up on the edges of the patch, and use a very sharp knife, starting closest to your body, and cutting away from it, to cut the cloth patch off even with the muzzle. If you are grasping the cloth completely in the fingers of your other( left) hand, The blade should pass safely under your thumb and forefinger, and cut the cloth with one stroke.

Many buckskinners use a straight razor mounted in a handle- often antler-- to serve as a patch cutter. There is no need for a point on the cutter, like you would expect to find on a knife.

A flat, straight edge is what serves the purpose best of all. Straight razors can be ground on the right side of the blade only, for right handed shooters, thereby leaving the left side a flat edge like a chisel, which will lay flat on the muzzle as you cut the patch. With the bevel on the top, the bevel will tend to force the edge to remain against the barrel as you cut.

These knifes and razors are usually kept razor sharp. You need both a fine abrasive, and a strop to keep the blade sharp, and free of burrs.With a single bevel blade, you can use fine emery paper glued to a good flat hardwood board for sharpening. For a strop, you can make good use of any old belt. To sharpen, move the edge Towards the abrasive, as if you were slicing off a thin layer. For Stropping, draw the blade back away from the edge, and work both sides, so that the micro burrs that are raised during sharpening are removed, and the edge polished. Properly sharpened, the edge will cut the cloth without any real pressure.

You don't want to use a dull knife to cut patches, as the dull edge will require you to use your Large Muscles, and that is how you can lose control of the blade and cut something or someone you didn't intend to cut. A good clue that a knife is dull is when you see the owner using it on cloth as if he had a saw blade, moving it back and forth to cut.

A fine, sharp edge cuts with the use of your fine coordination muscles, so that you are always in control. You will see the owner cut the patch with one or two strokes, depending on the size of the patching and caliber of his gun.