Patch Question

[PALongbow]

I cut some square .015 pillow ticking patches this morning about the same diameter as a normal pre-cut round patch. Melted butter bore in the microwave and began to lube some patches. I wiped off the excess so it wouldn't build up too much.

Couple of questions here:

- Is this a good way to pre-lube pillow ticking?
- Seems the patches really absorbed alot of the melted lube. Does this method create too much build up on the patch?
- Is it recommended to lube both sides of the patch or should I just worry about lubing one side of the patch? I know it absorbs through when melting butter bore but when at the range and adding butter bore do I only need to be concerned about lubing one side or both.

I am heading out to the range on Saturday to do some shooting and would very much like to try these pre-lubed home made patches.

Ron

 

[riverrat43]

Ron, others will weigh in here with perhaps better answers, but, from my experience there is no set in stone answer to that question. Lot's of variables come in to play such as what each individual rifle likes, patch thickness, ball diameter, rate of twist,powder charge etc. On my rifles, some like both sides lubed, one likes only one side lightly lubed, one just likes a slightly damp spit patch. If you go to the range, try a variety of lubing methods, i.e., one side lubed, both sides lubed, heavy lube, light lube and so on. I've seen just the amount of lube used on a patch make the point of impact differ with all other things being equal in a rifle.

Melting lube and dipping is a good way to pre lube. When I do this, I stack all the patches up and then put them in a vice and tighten down hard to get the excess out and insure an even coating on all of them. Just my thoughts.

 

[2172]

Ron, as Riverrat says, it is more a matter of personal choice than not. I cut my ticking into strips about an inch and a half wide, stretch out a 2 foot lenght, and smear wonderlube on one side only, I then roll the strips so that the lubed side in inwards...lately I've been using a 'fake' ticking that is printed on one side only, and I use that to remind me that the ticking patterned side is the lubed side...I cut at the muzzle...I've recovered a lot of my patches, and they seem fine...Hank

 

[Cherokee]

I just finished doing this. I bought some dry patches by mistake. I took some bore butter and melted it in a cup in the microwave and put a stack of patches in a close pin and dunked them. I then pressed them till nothing dripped out laid them on a paper towel and put them in a zip lock bag. They look just like the lubed patches I normally use.

 

[roundball]

I cut some square .015 pillow ticking patches this morning about the same diameter as a normal pre-cut round patch. Melted butter bore in the microwave and began to lube some patches. I wiped off the excess so it wouldn't build up too much.

Couple of questions here:

- Is this a good way to pre-lube pillow ticking?
- Seems the patches really absorbed alot of the melted lube. Does this method create too much build up on the patch?
- Is it recommended to lube both sides of the patch or should I just worry about lubing one side of the patch? I know it absorbs through when melting butter bore but when at the range and adding butter bore do I only need to be concerned about lubing one side or both.

I am heading out to the range on Saturday to do some shooting and would very much like to try these pre-lubed home made patches.

Ron

I've nuked NL1000 into precut pillow ticking...from my experience at the range it didn't matter if the patches started out with a lot of lube...when I short start them into the bore, the compression squeezed out any excess, they shot perfectly, etc.

I've never had any bore buter "build-up" that caused[url] problems...in[/url] low humidity conditions extra lube is[url] necessary...in[/url] high humidity conditions it doesn;lt matter as everything is so wet and soft the bore gets wiped clean every time I seat the next ball...BUT...I do believe bore butter can build up over the weeks/months/years if it's not 100% cleaned out every time after shooting.

I also believed in complete patch saturation...indeed, I've bought precut/prelubed TC patches that seemed a little drier than normal and melted more NL1000 into them too.

 

[benvenuto]

I agree, too much lube is not a problem, as long as all the patches are consistent from one shot to the next

 

[CoyoteJoe]

Meltin "Nature lube" in a microwave is unnatural!
:grin:

 

[PALongbow]

But my wife liked the pine scent that was lingering throughout the house.... :grin:

Ron

 

[riarcher]

There's a 100 ways to skin a cat.
And, I can't believe too much lube could ever be a problem (unless maybe in an extreem amount).
In my .75 I use a .26 denum patch, BB generously applied to one side, and stacked one upon the other in a short jar. Set jar in simmering water on the stove for about 1/2 hr. turning over every 10 minutes. Patches come out with the lube pretty well satuating throughout the thickness of the cloth. Let cool and use.
Just anouther (easier) way for me to satuate a patch. I used to use the Mirowave too until I started burning the patch.
Anyway you can get the lube into the material seems good to me.

 

[roundball]

I used to use the Mirowave too until I started burning the patch.

Same here...learned to use moderate temp setting and a few separate 30 second bursts of time or the heat would build and scorch the patches, make them stiff when they cooled...

 

[Black Hand]

I stack pieces of patching in a tin, top them off with a good dollop of Bore Butter and put them in my toaster oven at 200-250F until melted and absorbed. If they still look dry, I top them off again with lube and repeat as necessary for the amount of patching. I've never had any problems with too much lube even though some of the patches obviously have a bit more stuck to them that others. Most of the excess wipes off in the handling and loading anyway.
Black Hand