First shoot patch diagnosis

[mikemeteor]

Thanks for all the tips folks. :hatsoff:

did the 100+ strokes with some 5/0 steel wool.
Also eased the front end of the lands with some 400 grit wet/dry paper and steel wool.
Plus adjusted the sights a touch.

Went back out for a 2nd shoot this morning. So here's the 2nd SHOOT PATCHES, in numbered order.

#1 was ticking patch alone. Still some cutting/burn thru.
#2 and #3 were denim. Good Lord. It was a mighty struggle getting them down.
I'm a decent-sized cat - 6'1", 215 lbs - but I was sweating by the time I got them down tight.
Wouldn't want to do that regularly.
#4,5 and 6 were shot with make-do over-powder "wads".
The little patches next to the regular ones were my OPW - folded them in half and tamped em down on the powder before the PRB.
Looks like no burn-thru with them. (couldn't find #5 wad).
Just to check, I went back to bare PRB with #7. Burn thru is what I'm strongly inferring now.
Shot #10 again with the make-do OPW. Back to good-looking patch.

Plus, maybe it's in my head, but shots seemed to go more where I was pointing with the OPWs.

Hate to add an extra loading step (OPWs), but unless there's a patch material between this WalMart ticking and the denim, guess that's where I'm at.

Any tips, hints, suggestions are very welcome.

These were all with 80g FFF in .50 caliber.
well-lubed with Ballistol and water mix.
3 of 15 trigger pulls were pan-flash misfires. That strikes me as not so good.

 

[paulvallandigham]

What lube are you using? 80 grains of FFFg is a fairly hot powder charge in a .50 cal, although some here shoot a lot more. We commonly get posts from folks complaining about burned patches in their .50s, whenever they exceed 70 grains of FFFg powder.

I have been shooting my .50 for almost 30 years, now, and I don't need that much powder. I am shooting 60 grains of FFg, NOT FFFg, powder for target shooting out to 50 yards. My "Hunting " load is only 75 grains of FFg, as I found that the accuracy did not improve much, nor did the trajectory flatten out much more if I raise that charge to 80 or 90 grains. Since Accurate ball placement on game is the most important part of clean kills, I have stuck with the lower amount.

I have been shooting .015" patches with Young Country 101 lube( Now Wonderlube) on them. But, either the lead balls are getting smaller, or the current patches I have are not the same thickness I am used to. The loading is feeling easier, and I may try using a slightly thicker patching- .018"-- to see if I don't get the same feel when loading, and the same accuracy, or better.

Using an OP wad in your rifle only requires an " extra" step in putting the OP wad in the muzzle of the barrel before pressing the PRB down on top of it. I run both the PRB and the OP wad down the barrel together, to eliminate the extra TIME required to load the two down on the powder separately.

I found that if I DO seat the OP wad down on the powder, I have more trouble running the PRB down the barrel, as air has to now escape around the patch. If I push them down at the same stroke, the air in the barrel is pushed through the powder charge, and out the vent( Or nipple on percussion guns).

I am using commercial Vegetable Fiber Wads, from Walters, but you can buy them through Track of the Wolf, and other suppliers. Mine are about 1/8" thick, and are .510" in diameter to give a good seal down in the grooves. At $7.00 per thousand, I can hardly justify the time to punch out my own, if I could find the properly sized punch! The added, and unexpected benefit I have received from using the OP wad is more complete burning of the powder, less fouling in the barrel, and slightly more velocity. Accuracy is improved because of the lower SDV achieved by the better gas seal.

Oh, I have the Young Country Lube to use in hot weather, ballistol, and olive oil to use in cool temperatures( 30s, and 40s), and Isopropyl Alcohol to use in below freezing temperatures. With the OP wad, the choice of lube is based on what it takes to coat the bore to prevent rusting during the hunt, and what will NOT freeze the Patch to the barrel.

 

[Ken Rummer]

If you use over-powder wads and don't get cutting, then your barrel is probably ok and the patch is not getting damaged during the loading process. That leaves the patch, ball & powder charge combination to work on.

 

[kherring]

I get good accuracy in my .50 cal flinter shooting 65 grains of 3f goex and a cotton drill cloth patch. I buy the cloth by the yard from Wal-Mart. That load is a killer on SC white tails. I like to use an over powder wad as well to seal the gas behind the patch. I found that one square from a roll of toilet paper waded up and pushed into the muzzle before the patched ball works well. Plus its never a bad idea to have some toilet paper while in the woods for what ever emergency may come up!

 

[tg]

What type of groups did you get when shooting and leaving patches as shown? I have found that sometimes the patches can be pretty frazzled/burnt and the gun still shoots a very nice group, just something to think about.Often people shoot a few shots then check the patches, it is very much worth while to check the target as well this gives a base for comparison as one changes this and that.

 

[mikemeteor]

thanks guys.
the group with the homemade OPWs was about 5 shots in 4 inches at 25 yards - that was sittin down at a bench with no proper benchrest.

Shoots about as good as I can see, it seems !

I need to get it out with a proper benchrest and start workin up the loads now.
As KV Rummer suggests, think I've solved the burn-thru problem with an OPW, so time to get serious with findin' the right set-up.

Might try the cotton drill patch too and see how that behaves with and without an OPW.

 

[the Black Spot]

you can find plenty of linen patching at a goodwill/2nd hand store. plenty of it in the ladies dresses section. i got one big dress 2 years ago and still have half of it.
i use mink tallow for patch lube. with a .490 hornady rb and 60 gr of 3f schuetzen bp i get 1.25 inch groups at 50 yards. no blow through on the patches.

 

[Ken Rummer]

I would think used clothing will likely vary in thickness since my old denim jeans are considerably thinner on the rear than below the knee.

Since patch thickness is an important variable I would opt for spending a few extra bucks for WalMart ticking to get patches that are a constant thickness.

Why add an extra variable?

 

[satwel]

If there is a Joanne Fabrics store near you, go in and buy a yard or two of 40lb drill cloth. Wash it a couple of times to remove the sizing and throw in the dryer to tighten the weave.
I've been using it for patching for years in my .50 flintlock with great success. In competition I shoot a .490 ball with spit as a lube. Recovered patches are a little scorched on one side with absolutely no burn-through. I could re-use them if I had too.
I think I'll start experimenting with OPWs based on what I've read here.