I have balls now

[tobias]

I have probably overlooked it in here but I have finally gotten .50cal round balls. I have been muttling through the sabots I got for Christmas last year. But I am now ready to start ramming those round ones in. My question is this, what size do I cut the patches to fit my .50? Also is bore butter ok to use as a patch lube or is there something better?

 

[silverfox]

You'll get lots of answers to that question. First what size balls do you have .490 or .495.
Patches should be from 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 and can be lubed with BB. You could also try Musketmans Moose Milk (several different formulas) but 1/3 Murphys oil soap, 1/3 90 Percent Alcohol, and 1/3 plain water will get you started. A little extra Murphys won't hurt. I'm sure you'll get several in following replys. Then you could also just cut you patches at the muzzle and measure to get the right size. How!! seat a ball with excess material use a marker and mark the material at the muzzle. Pull the ball with the extra material and measure the circle you have on the material. That would give you the diameter of the patch you need, will work for any caliber.
For patch material go to Wal-Mart and get some pillow ticking it's either blue/white stripes or red with white stripes should be from .15 to .18 hundreds in thickness. Works good and is cheap. If you don't have a Wal-Mart any Sewing shop or material store should have pillow ticking.
Merry Christmas
Fox
Fox :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[Swampman]

Square patches precut from pillow ticking work just fine. Wash the pillow ticking before you use it. I make my lube from 1/3 each lard/olive oil/bee's wax. Use 3F GOEX if you can get it.

 

[Robert58]

Buy a yard of blue and white or red and white pillow ticking from Walmat. Cut it in 1 1/4" strips. Put a few strips in a bowl, spoon in some bore butter and put it in the Microway and zap it untill the bore butter melts and saturates the strips. Take them out and roll them up and you are set. Put the end of a roll on the muzzle with the ball and use you short starter and push the ball into the bore and cut of the excess. Myself, I spit patch, so I cut my pillow ticking into strips and hold the end of a strip in my mouth while I am pouring my powder into the bore and then I place the wet end over the bore and push the ball just into the bore and cut the ticking of. That is the most accurate way to shoot that I have found. And I have found that as long as I spit patch I don't have to swab between shots.

Robert

 

[tobias]

Great info. my friend thanks for responding so rapidly. I am most certain I will be popping off some lead today.
oops forgot to mention I have .490 balls

 

[tobias]

good ideas I have all the ingredients I will give it a try today hopefully and we will see how it goes

 

[tobias]

Thank you for your response, I look forward to trying the various ideas today providing wind and weather are not too unaccomodating. I should have no problems with the spit techinque cuz all my friends and relatives say I am full of spit er is that with an h? :grin:

 

[patch knife]

Tobias , make sure the patch material you get is 100% cotton . You don't want any synthetic stuff in it .

 

[tobias]

Glad you made mention of that. Old Santy Clause brought a half yard each of red and black stripe ticking. Its all cotton so I am going to be banging away here in just a little while hopefully providing the weather is a bit more accomodating than it has been these past few days here.