In luck! Founds some patches.
- Thread starter Greg Blackburn
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I used to use bore butter, Hoppes patch and lube cleaner etc... Until one day a champion match shooter grabbed my stuff, and said get rid of this, get rid of that and save your money. Been changed ever since, and just ran a five day match without cleaning. Welcome to Dawn mixed with water
It's great cause I can clean my hands with it as well
Use what you will, and the recipes and concoctions are endless. Really in a way over thought to put it mildly
It's great cause I can clean my hands with it as well
Use what you will, and the recipes and concoctions are endless. Really in a way over thought to put it mildly
Griz44Mag
70 Cal.
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Mink tallow from TOTW - use it year round in any weather. Works great for pre-lubing for busy range days.
I buy bulk round patches from TOTW also - precut, easy to lube and stores easily in cap tins.
I buy bulk round patches from TOTW also - precut, easy to lube and stores easily in cap tins.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
Cut your own patches and make your own lube. Very easy and cheap to do.
Beeswax and about any cooking oil melted together in whatever ratio that works best for you makes very good lubricant for patches, wads, and arbors on percussion revolvers.
Beeswax and about any cooking oil melted together in whatever ratio that works best for you makes very good lubricant for patches, wads, and arbors on percussion revolvers.
smoothshooter
50 Cal.
I suspect the Dawn and water mix only works it’s best when the shot is to be fired immediately.
For hunting, it may not be long-lasting enough.
Am I mistaken?
I wouldn't/don't like the idea of a water based patch lube for a hunting application. It may foul some of the powder, it may dry out and cause the patch to not hold up so the shot is errant, and worse case it stays loaded long enough to start forming a rust ring in the barrel.
Mink oil, olive oil, rendered animal fat, bore butter or other chap stick style...lots of better options IMO for something that's going to stay in the barrel all day or even longer.
Mink oil, olive oil, rendered animal fat, bore butter or other chap stick style...lots of better options IMO for something that's going to stay in the barrel all day or even longer.
Patch question: I use .015 patches with .490 ball. I see .495 balls available when I go to town next week.....015 patch still works ok?
You'll never know if you don't try them.
Each muzzleloader is different and each one will either like or dislike a .495 ball over a .490 ball.
With some guns, that .018 thick patch might be too thick for a .495 diameter ball. With others, the .018 thick patch might be just the thing to make the gun shoot the larger ball even better than it shoots the .490 ball.
One things for certain. Doing a lot of shooting with the larger ball should be done to find out which patch thickness/powder load combination works best with it.
Think I'll pick some up and try them, thks.
If not you could go to a slightly thinner patch.
S.Kenton
58 Cal.
the 495 SHOULD be harder to load theoretically speaking. I’ve tried both sizes of balls with the same .016 patch and can’t see much of a difference in accuracy. But Zonie hit the nail on the head .... every barrel is different. I would simply try it and then report back to let us know how you faired.
Woody Morgan
62 Cal.
I'd try that but the smoke cloud would smell like bad breath.
Marvelous. Sulphur and halitosis.
wm
Anybody cut up old cotton t-shirts for patches? Too thin?
You have no choice to get rid of them then, and what better way to dispose of them than by shooting them?
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My hunting buddy of 50 years and I had this good natured argument for years. The discussion was which is the best shape patch to use? Round or square? We shoot .50's ,.54's , .58's , and .62's. For years I was the contrarian and insisted patches needed to be round. He insisted square patches worked just as good. Ok , time to go to the range and see who was right. Reluctantly , I had to agree he was right. Round or square shot the same. Still think it's relaxing to sit and cut out patches , round ones!..........oldwood
While I shoot targets year round, hunting is my ultimate use, so I tend to use the same patch/ball combo for both. Having tried numerous products snd concoctions, including spit, for the last 15 years or so I have been using TOTW Mink Oil(it’s really a tallow). It is very consistent across a wide range of temperatures, keep well loaded in the barrel or loading block for extended periods, and enables a high number of accurate shots without swabbing. I buy cut patches in bulk(500ct)...$20.
Many t-shirts will be too thin and not durable enough. I wear Hanes Beefy T's on a daily basis and have for years. They're a lot thicker than a standard T and may work for shooting patches, though I've only used old worn out ones for cleaning patches, not shooting, so I can't say for sure. Old t's of any weight make splendid cleaning patches.
T-shirts for cleaning patches, Okay. T-shirts for shooting patches, not durable enough. Too thin and not tightly woven. Many are not 100% cotton.
I looked at a few old ones. Yes too thin. Good for cleaning as you say.
