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load question
- Thread starter 20gaugecalvary
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yeah but he is smart
we say yes you can use it and some idiot is going to load a full charge of 4f and when bad stuff happens, blame us
Personally I use fffg because it ignites more readily in cold damp weather conditions which is normal for my hunting conditions. I have little use for a gun that doesn't reliably go boom when asked.
And far more current experience than most of us, plus he seems to be a pretty good guy.
I was looking for information as to what size ball and patch for a 45 caliber. Seen this post, OP posted a .440 ball and .001 patch. Would that be correct?
Might have been a typo. Probably meant 0.010 for the patch. Using a 0.440 ball I'd think you'd need a thicker patch to engage the rifling. But depends on the rifle. I use a 0.445 ball and a 0.010 patch for my .45 cal rifle.
I would really want a bit more information on @Jappo's rifle before I start making recommendations for ball and patch.
I do recommend using a digital Vernier caliper to measure the land-to-land diameter of the barrel and the groove to groove diameter. Use the difference of the groove diameter and the land-to-land diameter and divide by 2 to get a start on patch thickness. Knowing the land to land dimension, subtract 0.010 for a reasonable to start ball and a patch slightly thicker than the starting diameter calculated above. Use a smaller ball and thicker patch for an easier to start ball and patch. Patch lubricant to start can be spit or for the more fastidious a mix of water and liquid dish soap.
We need specific measurements. Anything else is pure speculation and may not be of any help.
I do recommend using a digital Vernier caliper to measure the land-to-land diameter of the barrel and the groove to groove diameter. Use the difference of the groove diameter and the land-to-land diameter and divide by 2 to get a start on patch thickness. Knowing the land to land dimension, subtract 0.010 for a reasonable to start ball and a patch slightly thicker than the starting diameter calculated above. Use a smaller ball and thicker patch for an easier to start ball and patch. Patch lubricant to start can be spit or for the more fastidious a mix of water and liquid dish soap.
We need specific measurements. Anything else is pure speculation and may not be of any help.
Well I thought about that, but all I have are .440 balls and plenty of em. I guess I could just try different sizes of patches. But the .440 is the most common for 45 caliber right?
It can vary depending on the actual bore diameter and how deep the rifling is. It is not just simply getting a RB and patch thickness that add up to the bore diameter.
For example, my .54 TC needs a much thicker patch than just a .010" with a .530 ball. They tend to be a bit over advertised bore diameter plus they have shallow grooves. Seems to take a pretty tight combo for them to shoot well IME.
When I tried a .010 cotton patch it shot horrible groups and recovered patches were burnt to a crisp. When I bumped to a .015" cotton patch, groups were still poor and recovered patches still showed being burned through quite often. So, then I tried some .018" pillow ticking patches. Groups were really good and recovered patches had no holes, just the normal fraying around the edges.
For load development in a new to you rifle, it is a good idea to have a few different patch thickness with you to see what the rifle will prefer.
And a couple of ball sizes.
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