Patch And Wad Questions

[NEW222]

Hi again. As I ready myself to try out patch and ball in my muzzleloader, I have a question regarding patch and wad materials. Now I have found pillow ticking here, BUT, it is only in .010 thickness. What are my best other options for patch material. The only other one I saw mentioned here was drill cloth, but when asked, the ladies working at the fabric store looked at me very strangely and have never heard of it.

And secondly I was wondering about over powder wads. The only felt material here is polyester, nothing cotton at all. One is marked 100% polyester, the other is marked that its polyester is made with 100% recycled plastic bottles, and the third has no marks at all. Will these work? I was going to 'lube' the wads also in case it makes a difference. Also I am going to punch out a bunch from a cereal or pop can box to try as well. The last question tied into this is does the wad have to be a perfect fit, or is a tad smaller ok? Reason for asking is I have only a 1/2" hole punch (for now as I will be asking for a 9/16" one for Christmas), and would like to use these as well in a TC 54 calibre rifle. Thank you all again in advance.

 

[NEW222]

Bonus stupid question!
Do I 'lube' cardboard over powder wads punched from the aforementioned boxes?

 

[coloradoclyde]

The only other one I saw mentioned here was drill cloth, but when asked, the ladies working at the fabric store looked at me very strangely and have never heard of it.

Pocket drill....the stuff they make pockets out of.

 

[nwtradegun]

do not use synthetic material. it will melt and gum up the bore. I suggest you order lube patches and wads. you do not say what caliber and make you are using.

 

[coloradoclyde]

And secondly I was wondering about over powder wads. The only felt material here is polyester, nothing cotton at all. One is marked 100% polyester, the other is marked that its polyester is made with 100% recycled plastic bottles, and the third has no marks at all. Will these work?

NO!....
NEVER USE SYNTHETIC MATERIALS.

 

[coloradoclyde]

The last question tied into this is does the wad have to be a perfect fit, or is a tad smaller ok? Reason for asking is I have only a 1/2" hole punch (for now as I will be asking for a 9/16" one for Christmas), and would like to use these as well in a TC 54 calibre rifle.

NO!...you are better off being slightly larger than smaller. Meaning the wad should be tight...
A loose wad will not work. and could be potentially dangerous.

 

[Turtle Dave]

I dont know if this correct. I have used cotton flannel sold at walmart by the yard. Its about 015 thickness. Hope fthere is a walmart near you. You should be able to find similar at a fabric store. If there is a hobby lobby store up there they have pillow ticking. Hop this helped. Warning, i am a newbie to black powder.

 

[jethro224]

What are my best other options for patch material.

Denim, Canvas, Duck... Really any tight weave all-natural-materials cloth.
Wash and dry it one or more times before using for patch material. This is to remove the sizing and should tighten it up too.

 

[NEW222]

Ok. Thanks for the quick responses. I will discard of the felt I bought and resort to trying out the cardboard. I wish I could shop at Walmart, but up here, they do no longer carry fabric. Only small pre-packaged swatches. Also, no Hobby Lobby either. It looks like we are getting bent over the barrel up here for these hobbies and interests.

Also, I thought I had mentioned, but this is all for my TC New Englander in 54 calibre.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Bonus stupid question!
Do I 'lube' cardboard over powder wads punched from the aforementioned boxes?

Cereal and pop can boxes are for making over shot wads, not over powder wads....they do not need lube...that type of cardboard has a lot of clay in it.
Corrugated cardboard or hard card over powder wads should be lubed....if for no other reason than preventing a forest fires.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Ok.

Also, I thought I had mentioned, but this is all for my TC New Englander in 54 calibre.

One really shouldn't have to use a wad in a rifle....If you have the proper patch, ball and lube combination....that should suffice.

 

[NEW222]

Ok. Thank you again.

 

[mooman76]

I've used old flannel and dress shirts before. All cotton of coarse. Flannel is not the best because it isn't usually tight weaved or that strong but it has worked for me with light loads. Look for your patches after you have fired them. Usually they are around 12-1ft from where you shot. The patches will tell you things. Ideally They should be almost good enough to use again if they are doing the job for you.

 

[necchi]

Denim, Canvas, Duck... Really any tight weave all-natural-materials cloth.
Wash and dry it one or more times before using for patch material. This is to remove the sizing and should tighten it up too.

I've had such great luck finding Denim in so many thicknesses I don't even bother looking for anything else anymore.
Wash and dry just once is enough

 

[Grenadier1758]

Drill is sometimes called pocket drill or utility cloth. Its a stronger weave used to line pockets. It should be in the same area as the pillow ticking and mattress ticking.

Only use 100% cotton or if you can afford it 100% flax based linen. Most modern linens are too loosely woven to be of much use for patching.

Denim, cotton duck or canvas can be used for patching but are sometimes too thick.

 

[tenngun]

Maybe I miss understood you, so you can ignore this. It sounds like you are shooting a rifle. In that case you need to patch the ball but you don't need a wad. It sounds like your new to this, in that case I would suggest going to an online to a muzzelosding house like log cabin sport shop, track of the wolf, jedidiah star ect and buy patching from them. Companies like ox yoke sell precut and patch strips in .10,.15.20 thick. Lubes like mink oil or lard from your grocery store works well.
Pre cut wads are also sold of 100 % natural material. Should you be shooting a smootie you can do well with a wad and no patch. As you learn your gun you will want to experiment with different stuff for it and do well, but get the basics under control before you advance to ml.2.

 

[Mean Gene]

If you haven't tried this yet I recommend looking ar youtube, there are several videos there that cover loading and shooting muzzle loaders.
Good luck and safe shooting!

 

[ohio ramrod]

I use over powder wads made from leather which are .025 to .030 over the land to land dimension. For example for a fifty caliber ( .500 diameter nominal) I would use a .525 to .530 wad.Since I make my own punches and have a source of leather scraps this is a low cost method. You do not want any polyester wads or patching as it will "melt" and foul up you bore.I am surprised your fabric store does not have a better selection of cloth to allow you to get more choices of cloth thickness. You don't have to use "ticking" any woven pure cotton or linen clothe will work. :idunno:

 

[Zonie]

If you haven't tried this yet I recommend looking ar youtube, there are several videos there that cover loading and shooting muzzle loaders.
Good luck and safe shooting!

You'r right but watching some of those YouTube videos can be dangerous.

I've seen more than a few which were made by people who not only should not be making "how to" videos about shooting muzzle loaders but probably shouldn't be allowed to even touch a muzzleloader.

"Now, ye sees, ye jus take the cap offen the powder can..... an tip her up ta tha barrel like this.... an pour some down the barrel like this.

Don't worry 'bout gettin' too much in thar....
This black powder ain't like modern stuff so's a bit extra won't hurt a thing.

Now, ye drops tha ball down the hole an krinkle up some patchen an stuff her down tha bore like this...."

or

"To shoot a muzzleloader properly you must have a precision powder scale such as I have here.

Variations in the powder load as small as a tenth of a grain will severely damage the accuracy of the group you intend to shoot ......."

:rotf:


Or:

"Shooting a muzzleloader can be an enjoyable experience but there are a few things that need to be discussed before we actually get into the loading and shooting.

First, you must have a separate measure or container to pour the powder into to transfer it to the barrel....."


After watching a few of these videos, it's pretty easy to figure out who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't.

 

[NEW222]

Well, some good news. After a couple of phone calls, I have located a fabric store that has 4 varieties of 100% cotton pillow ticking! Good news, now the bad. I have to wait till next Thursday to go there. But I will be going there, digital calipers in hand to measure. I am not sure of pricing, but was told this is from $10 - $12 per yard. When there, I will also look for 100% cotton felt as well. I can at least use the wads in my 50 cal Deerhunter for the R.E.A.L. and Maxi-Balls. I will keep you all posted on what I find.