Hi there. So with the spring around the corner, I am getting ready to make some smoke. Anyways, as I am new to patch and ball, I have a little question regarding some possible patch material. So I have a pair of 'night pants' that is marked 100% cotton and was wondering about using them as patches? It does feel similar to the diaper material I have for cleaning patches, just shows a bit of 'wear' as I have worn them and they have been washed a few times. The only reason I ask is that they are colored/dyed, or better described by saying it has a 'pattern' printed on them. Would this be any concern to use for patch material? I did a quick test, and they do indeed fit my roundballs just fine.... Thank you in advance for any help and insight in this matter.
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Patch Material Question
- Thread starter NEW222
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Without being able to handle your night pants I can't say if it would be good or bad for patches.
I suspect it would work but not as well as other types of material.
When I think of "night pants" I see some sort of soft, very flexible cloth.
This is just the opposite of a material that makes good patches for patching roundballs.
A good material must have a very close or tight weave to give it the strength it needs to keep from tearing as it grabs the rifling grooves.
This usually makes the material feel a bit "stiff".
The material also must be of sufficient thickness so that it can tightly fill the rifling grooves.
Many roundball shooters have found that a material like "pillow ticking" or "mattress ticking" work nicely.
Pillow ticking and mattress ticking is often striped with blue/white or red/white stripes.
It is a heavy, tight weave material designed to keep things like feathers from sticking thru it if feathers are being used to stuff the article.
I suspect it would work but not as well as other types of material.
When I think of "night pants" I see some sort of soft, very flexible cloth.
This is just the opposite of a material that makes good patches for patching roundballs.
A good material must have a very close or tight weave to give it the strength it needs to keep from tearing as it grabs the rifling grooves.
This usually makes the material feel a bit "stiff".
The material also must be of sufficient thickness so that it can tightly fill the rifling grooves.
Many roundball shooters have found that a material like "pillow ticking" or "mattress ticking" work nicely.
Pillow ticking and mattress ticking is often striped with blue/white or red/white stripes.
It is a heavy, tight weave material designed to keep things like feathers from sticking thru it if feathers are being used to stuff the article.
likely gonna have more worn areas be a bit thinner than other areas in them britches as well. Maybe you cant feel the difference but the gun will and likely affect group size. For start up sure, then get some of the above described ticking to develop yer load.
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And I suspect that will be the best use for them.....or maybe charcloth.
I highly doubt you will find "sleep pants" material suitable ( the weave will be too loose).....Best to take a trip to JoAnne's or Walmart, and get pillow ticking or cotton drill, or even light denim....
Ok, thank you all for your time, opinions, and help. Yes it is soft and very pliable/flexible. As for wear, it does not have that much, maybe 3 times I just hooked them and they ripped good. I just hated to think about throwing something usable out. But, I will be making a bunch of cleaning patches then. I do have stuff already for shooting patches, it is just that I remembered being told 100% cotton, I just forgot about the tighter weave and heavier fabrics.
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If you can rip or tear the fabric with your bare hands....it will not make suitable shooting patches....Not in a rifle anyways....It might work in a smoothbore.....but only testing will tell....
I use old cotton T-shirts for cleaning patches....if that helps give you a reference...
Sounds like flannel material. It would probably work but like others said, not the best. Only shooting will tell. I have used flannel myself and it works with light loads but doesn't give the best accuracy.
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I do applaud you for being frugal, and DIY.... :thumbsup: :hatsoff:
Flannel makes good cleaning patches. When I tried them as shooting patches, they turned into char cloth. :grin:
Don Steele
45 Cal.
Now that you know what you'll use your "night pants" for...let's get back to patch material, and allow me to make a recommendation. The 2 most common materials I see folks choosing are a striped 100% cotton fabric often referred to as "pillow ticking", and Denim.
The most frugal among us use their old worn Blue Jeans. Unfortunately, old worn blue jeans don't offer uniform thickness, so you will see variations in the tightness of your loads, with resultant opening of your groups when you're trying to shoot for maximum precision.
For a good Denim option, with my rifle, I've found buying NEW 10 oz. Denim material to provide uniform patch material. Very tough, and shoots well.
Of the Striped "ticking" products...I've seen 3 different colors...Blue, Tan, and Red. I've also observed significant variation in thickness from store to store. Some just right, some that despite their being "blue-striped pillow ticking"...were measurably too thin for my purpose.
I emphasize the measuring because the best way to identify patch material is to purchase a decent micrometer and take it along when you go fabric shopping.
Keep notes on what you find, both "uncompressed" measurement(twist the handle of your instrument until it ratchets) and "compressed" which will be a bit more subjective but with a little practice you will know what you want.
Once you find a material that works well...go back and buy a bunch of it.
Sorry to get so wordy. If you're not obsessed with precision, your old blue jeans will probably work just fine. :thumbsup:
For more on the topic, if you haven't already done so, get hold of Dutch Schoultz. :hatsoff:
The most frugal among us use their old worn Blue Jeans. Unfortunately, old worn blue jeans don't offer uniform thickness, so you will see variations in the tightness of your loads, with resultant opening of your groups when you're trying to shoot for maximum precision.
For a good Denim option, with my rifle, I've found buying NEW 10 oz. Denim material to provide uniform patch material. Very tough, and shoots well.
Of the Striped "ticking" products...I've seen 3 different colors...Blue, Tan, and Red. I've also observed significant variation in thickness from store to store. Some just right, some that despite their being "blue-striped pillow ticking"...were measurably too thin for my purpose.
I emphasize the measuring because the best way to identify patch material is to purchase a decent micrometer and take it along when you go fabric shopping.
Keep notes on what you find, both "uncompressed" measurement(twist the handle of your instrument until it ratchets) and "compressed" which will be a bit more subjective but with a little practice you will know what you want.
Once you find a material that works well...go back and buy a bunch of it.
Sorry to get so wordy. If you're not obsessed with precision, your old blue jeans will probably work just fine. :thumbsup:
For more on the topic, if you haven't already done so, get hold of Dutch Schoultz. :hatsoff:
So IF you try used, blue jeans, the area that doesn't get as much wear is below the knee. The knees get the most, then the arse, and sometimes the thighs do too. So you harvest the pants legs below the knees for round ball patching. What to do with the rest?
Well..., char, cleaning patches, oiling rags, are all good ideas, BUT for the DIY folks, you can cut off the upper leg portions from the crotch to the knee, and fill that with sand for sandbags when shooting from the bench. You can put the sand inside a kitchen, garbage bag wire-tied closed, then put that inside the portion of the upper leg of the jeans that you have removed, sort of a denim tube. Sew up both ends, and the plastic will keep any moisture from making the sand damp. You have a nice soft cloth covered sand bag to help you stabilize your rifle when sighting it in from the bench.
LD
Dan,
I go a bit further than the ratchet twist knob. It requires a bit of practice to learn how to get the same COMPRESSED measurement every time you check for the thickness that wii
;; create the perfect seal around the patched ball/
Get a square foot of material and go from place to place on the fabric, taking Compressed measurements and when you find you are getting the same reading every time you will have figured it out
Back in the early days I was surprised to find that two fabrics that measure the same in the usual method of just bring the micrometer up snug will often (usually?) measure quite differently when compressed. When the fabric, wrapped around the ball, is pressed into the barrel it will be very compressed or should be if any kind of accuracy is desired.
When you get the right patching for your rifle go buy about 10 yards of it and I doubt you will ever use it all up.
Dutch
I go a bit further than the ratchet twist knob. It requires a bit of practice to learn how to get the same COMPRESSED measurement every time you check for the thickness that wii
;; create the perfect seal around the patched ball/
Get a square foot of material and go from place to place on the fabric, taking Compressed measurements and when you find you are getting the same reading every time you will have figured it out
Back in the early days I was surprised to find that two fabrics that measure the same in the usual method of just bring the micrometer up snug will often (usually?) measure quite differently when compressed. When the fabric, wrapped around the ball, is pressed into the barrel it will be very compressed or should be if any kind of accuracy is desired.
When you get the right patching for your rifle go buy about 10 yards of it and I doubt you will ever use it all up.
Dutch
Thanks again. Looks like I will be buying a LOT of patch material. It is very hard here to find pillow ticking, hence why I bought some sort of other stuff while looking. When I come down to the US for holidays this spring, I will hunt some down and buy a bit of it while there. Thanks again for the tips. I do have denim available here, but the majority seems to like the pillow ticking. I hope I get a chance to shoot before coming down as I have a very little bit here that I would like to test, and if I do, I can at least measure and buy more of it. The best I can say is that it was from Walmart and has blue stripes.
Pillow ticking is typically what is traditional. I don't really believe todays pillow ticking is the same as it was many years ago but either way it works. A good tight weave cotton cloth would probably work just as well. Some other things would be cotton canvas cloth or another is called "drill cloth" or "pocket drill" in cotton of coarse. Good strong tight weave natural cloth, no synthetics. Once you find what works best, buy enough to last awhile to keep your consistency.
rdstrain49
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When I started with muzzleloaders some 50+ years ago, the then old guys all advised using Irish Linen, all cotton very high thread count. Never heard of pillow ticking or mattress ticking until much later. If, for example you use a .445 ball instead of a .440 ball, then you can easily use some of todays cotton linens. Just a thought.
Pillow Ticking
There is pillow ticking and there is pillow ticking. If it all came from the same source on the same loom on the same day with the same loom adjustments it would all be alike
However, it doesn't.
There is something mesmerizing about those stripes of printed on or in some cases woven into the fabric, I found one that was a white tight cloth with the blue stripes embroidered in so it was similar to a very flat corduroy
If you find a ticking that works well with your rifle that is good and you should stick with it, But when you run out and gout for mor ticking with the magic stripes the chances are it will be different cloth from a different source and you will wonder what went wrong with your rifle. Your patching has the wonder stripes! The barrel must be shot out and you search for a cure for that problem.
\
It will not cross your mnd that the problem might be that your miracle ticking is a wee bit thinner when compressed between ball and wall allowing your powder charge to whiz by and change all the dynamics that once worked so well.
It AIN'T the stripes that make the ticking work for you, it is the thickness of the cloth when creating a seal so none of the powder slips by, so the thinner cloth doesn't let the ball slide out before proper pressure has built up.
Ticking can work wonderfully well if it's right for your rifle but when yyou run out ”¦
I found cotton denim in a greater variety of choices. I bought one foot samples of a number of bolts of that type of material and when I found the one that worked best, using a micrometer to se how thick it would be when crushed in the barrel, U went back and bought enough of that fabric to last me what turned out to be forever. I never had to think about patching again.
Ut's not the stripes, it's the thickness.
Dutch Schoultz
There is pillow ticking and there is pillow ticking. If it all came from the same source on the same loom on the same day with the same loom adjustments it would all be alike
However, it doesn't.
There is something mesmerizing about those stripes of printed on or in some cases woven into the fabric, I found one that was a white tight cloth with the blue stripes embroidered in so it was similar to a very flat corduroy
If you find a ticking that works well with your rifle that is good and you should stick with it, But when you run out and gout for mor ticking with the magic stripes the chances are it will be different cloth from a different source and you will wonder what went wrong with your rifle. Your patching has the wonder stripes! The barrel must be shot out and you search for a cure for that problem.
\
It will not cross your mnd that the problem might be that your miracle ticking is a wee bit thinner when compressed between ball and wall allowing your powder charge to whiz by and change all the dynamics that once worked so well.
It AIN'T the stripes that make the ticking work for you, it is the thickness of the cloth when creating a seal so none of the powder slips by, so the thinner cloth doesn't let the ball slide out before proper pressure has built up.
Ticking can work wonderfully well if it's right for your rifle but when yyou run out ”¦
I found cotton denim in a greater variety of choices. I bought one foot samples of a number of bolts of that type of material and when I found the one that worked best, using a micrometer to se how thick it would be when crushed in the barrel, U went back and bought enough of that fabric to last me what turned out to be forever. I never had to think about patching again.
Ut's not the stripes, it's the thickness.
Dutch Schoultz
rdstrain49
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Dutch, does your research / experience indicate that denim or pillow ticking needs to be or should be washed prior to use as patch material?
New222,
You should also know that Dutch is known for helping folks get their rifles to the point where the shooter can shave the wings off a fly at 25 yards, while not harming the fly.... :shocked2: :bow:
WHICH I'm all for being able to do, btw, with my rifles.
There are some folks that for plinking, and hunting, use less than the most optimal patch and ball combinations and get good results. I'm referring to the guys and gals that can gently shove the patched ball into the muzzle of their rifle without the barrel being coned. They often use "undersized" ball for this, so they might in a .54 caliber rifle shoot a .525 ball with .010 patching. At the ranges that they target shoot and hunt, they get sufficient accuracy. So even if you don't have the perfect sized cloth from what you've learned, still go out and do some shooting.
LD
You should also know that Dutch is known for helping folks get their rifles to the point where the shooter can shave the wings off a fly at 25 yards, while not harming the fly.... :shocked2: :bow:
WHICH I'm all for being able to do, btw, with my rifles.
There are some folks that for plinking, and hunting, use less than the most optimal patch and ball combinations and get good results. I'm referring to the guys and gals that can gently shove the patched ball into the muzzle of their rifle without the barrel being coned. They often use "undersized" ball for this, so they might in a .54 caliber rifle shoot a .525 ball with .010 patching. At the ranges that they target shoot and hunt, they get sufficient accuracy. So even if you don't have the perfect sized cloth from what you've learned, still go out and do some shooting.
LD
