New to patched ball - what are these patches telling me ?

[Eric Krewson]

I think it is the .430 balls, I would lean toward a .440 at least. One lube that I use is Hoppes #9 Black powder lube and cleaner, you can load all day with out swabbing, the next shot cleans up after the last shot. The stuff is hard to find now.

I don't like the dry lube idea either, I didn't have good luck with it.

 

[Mad L]

I go with Hatchet-Jack (and some others); patch too thin and ball too loose and both from you follow up posts.
.50 cal Pennsylvania (Pedersoli) using .49 round ball with .010 but I prefer TOW mink Lube and lately been using Shanadoa Vally lube/cleaner (love but cant pre-lube like with the mink).
My patches have Always looked like Hatchet-Jack's untill my last time out: I did notice when loading the patches 'felt' different...then I spotted a burned out laying on the ground.
When I checked my patches (pre-cut in a small tin can) I noticed the ones on top (dry and cut in a hurry before I left) where thinner then the pre-lubed on the bottom.
Problem: I had cut the thin patch I use in my .45 pistol!

I shot with the 'bottom' patches and no more burn out, then with some red pillow ticking (unknown, from Joeanns, always have some in bottom of bag) and again no burn out.

My guess for you: Under sized ball, bad patch material, need better lube (or just spit...)

 

[Sudsy]

A synopsis and an update:

These are the patches in the OP, .430 ball, bore butter .010 patches


Next move was to Scotchbrite the bore and polish the lands in the crown
Next few shots with 5:1 Ballistol, .440 ball (rather than the .430) .013 patch (instead of .010) which resulted in bits of burning patch everywhere and -0- accuracy couldn't even put a ball on paper at 50 yards

Next I went full out with the bore polishing. Took a fairly close fitting dowel, cut a slit in it and put a sheet long strip of "crocus cloth" (fine) sandpaper in it. Ran it in the drill on high up and down the bore about a dozen times
Took a conical shaped medium grit stone (like a very big Dremel bit), chucked it in the drill and ran it on the ends of the lands.
Cleaned and lubed the gun well

Took it to the range today - forgot my $&@#^ patch material so used a dry strip and my never opened emergency tube of CVA patch lube I keep in the van

At 50 yards, consistently within the 8 ring, and these are the patches


Only thing left that I don't like is that I think I need to do more work on the end of the lands, looks like they're cutting small holes the patch when it's first shove into the barrel

 

[Frontier's]

The patch is too thin.
View attachment 80705

Ive seen that for years and am still, after tens of thousands of patches, still looking for patches that have marks on them like in that photo lol. Never recovered a shooting patch looking like that, just cleaning patches after swabbing the bore after a shot.

 

[Hatchet-Jack]

Ive seen that for years and am still, after tens of thousands of patches, still looking for patches that have marks on them like in that photo lol. Never recovered a shooting patch looking like that, just cleaning patches after swabbing the bore after a shot.

I agree those illustrations are probably a bit unrealistic. These are the closest I've had to those markings and I consider these the best I've ever had.