Destroyed patches

[mcguyver]

.54 kibler woodsrunner .80 gr scutzen. .530 ball. Using dutch shultz dry patch recipe. ( my patching material is 3 years old if that matters) .013 pillow ticking. My patches are nothing but an ember after shooting. My groups are 3-4 inches at 50 yds. I tried .018 dennim cant even get ball in barrel. Started using it as over powder buffer. I have never had patches burn like this before. It dousnt appear to be cutting patches at bore. The .013 loads great with a good amount of of resistance. Any thicker would be pounding the patched ball down the barrel. Patches are cut at barrel. Tia for any feedback.

 

[Flintlock Fellow]

.54 kibler woodsrunner .80 gr scutzen. .530 ball. Using dutch shultz dry patch recipe. ( my patching material is 3 years old if that matters) .013 pillow ticking. My patches are nothing but an ember after shooting. My groups are 3-4 inches at 50 yds. I tried .018 dennim cant even get ball in barrel. Started using it as over powder buffer. I have never had patches burn like this before. It dousnt appear to be cutting patches at bore. The .013 loads great with a good amount of of resistance. Any thicker would be pounding the patched ball down the barrel. Patches are cut at barrel. Tia for any feedback.

It sounds like you’re running into a few issues that might be contributing to your burned patches and group sizes. Here are a few things you might consider and try:

80 grains of Schuetzen might be a bit on the hot side for a .54 Woodsrunner, especially with .013” ticking. High pressure and velocity can cause patch burning, even if the bore isn’t cutting them. You could experiment with dropping the charge to 55-65 grains to see if that helps preserve your patches and tighten your groups. You don’t make any mention of what type of patch material you’re using. How’s the weave?

Dutch Schultz’s dry patch method works well for many shooters, but some patch lubes work better at preventing burning. You might try a different lube—something like bear oil, mink oil, or buffalo tallow—to see if that improves performance. A slightly wetter patch could help protect against burning.

Not to be condescending here, but you mentioned good resistance with .013” ticking but pounding with anything thicker. Consistent, firm seating without deforming the ball is key. Make sure the ball is fully seated on the powder charge, as any gap can cause significant pressure spikes and burning.

To be honest, I’m surprised to hear you’re experiencing the kind of resistance you are with .530” balls. When I had my .50 Woodsrunner, I was using .490” balls and .015” pre-lubed (appeared to be Wonder Lube or equivalent) Cabela’s brand patches. I could typically start them with my thumb and ram them home using the gun’s wooden ramrod with relative ease; I didn’t encounter the difficulty you describe until moving up to .495”.

 

[SwanShot]

I had this same issue with a 54 TC renegade. I reckon Mcguyver is right. My good loads are now 60grns of #3 530 ball and .012 linen patch and olive oil lube. I saturate my patches then dry em on an old towel until they damp to touch. Works for me.
Edit: keep a dry rag in your belt if you try this, your fingers will get slippery.

 

[ETipp]

Interesting post and some interesting replies.

Knowing nothing of a .54 Woodsrunner, I can only state that out of my .54 GPR I load 90 grains of Swiss 3F, .018 Ticking, lubed with TOTW mink oil. The recovered patches look like they can be reused.

This is only a guess but I recommend trying some actual lube, such as TOTW mink oil before going any further. Properly lubed patches will load easier and most likely would allow for thicker patch material. I would just about bet that by lubing some ticker, high quality ticking, you could go up to a .018 patch. Between TOTW mink oil lube and some newer, higher quality ticking, that should prevent any burn through you are experiencing.