Hey guys another new guy question. I've been shooting RB out of one of my percussion rifles and haven't been getting very good accuracy out of it. With a clean barrel, I dropped a solid brass punch down the barrel and then started a .490 ball on a .015 lubed patch down the barrel about 3 inches or show. I used the brass punch's weight to push the patched ball out (turning the muzzle up then down over and over again). After the ball came out I noticed that the patch wasn't marked by the grooves. I tried the same procedure with .018 patches and the lands and grooves were marked on the patch. The .018 patch and ball were really snug to start. My question: Is possible to have a patched ball too snug for firing in the barrel?
patch size
- Thread starter oldboot
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If you are able to get the ball out without having to violently move it enough to get that brass punch to slam into the ball & dislodge it you're nowheres near "too tight". I load relatively loose (no short starter) and accept some accuracy loss for the sake of speed, convenience and less to carry (no short starter). A 0.015" patch with a .490" ball is generally a loose fit. I have 0.017" and 0.021" patches I use with a 0.490" ball. The guys looking for accuracy at all costs are using 0.017/0.018" and 0.495" cast balls and a mallet to start them. Yuck.
I was range officer at Friendship last weekend and a lady had a really tight load in her 36 caliber. It turns out that about 25% of her box of .350 RB was actually between .358 and .365, and thats' WAY too snug. Having a micrometer with me kept her shooting, and not pulling badly stuck balls.
MikeChapin
58 Cal.
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Most of my rifles need a slap on the short starter to get it in the barrel. Once it is in, they go down with little effort. One rifle likes a snugger ball. It takes a rap with the short starter to get it in the barrel. It is tighter going down but still loads easily enough.
If I was using a greasy lube, all my rifles would need cleaning between shots. I use spit and very rarely have to clean between shots.
I don't think tight is a problem. As long as the ball will go down the barrel and rest on the charge there should be no problem. The problem with a too tight load is that the ball may not get down on the powder properly especially if the barrel gets a little gunky.
If I was using a greasy lube, all my rifles would need cleaning between shots. I use spit and very rarely have to clean between shots.
I don't think tight is a problem. As long as the ball will go down the barrel and rest on the charge there should be no problem. The problem with a too tight load is that the ball may not get down on the powder properly especially if the barrel gets a little gunky.
Actually, the really serious accuracy buffs are more likely loading a .500" or .501" ball with .015" to .018" patches. If you've ever "slugged a barrel" for measurement you likely started with a .54 ball to slug a .50 caliber barrel. You would then have to really whack it with a dowel rod and mallet to drive that oversize slug into the muzzle, but once started you would find that it takes very little effort to push the slug on through the bore. This being so because lead is not elastic and once sized to the bore it retains that size. The cloth patch however, is elastic, compresses and springs back, and that, "spring back" keeps it tight in the bore. How hard it may be to load a certain patch & ball combination depends greatly on the groove depth, shallow groove barrels like T/C's .005" grooves, call for a thin patch while deeper grooves, like the .012" Green Mountain grooves require a thicker patch for the same ball. Thus it is not sufficient to say "I shoot a .490 ball with .015 patch" without also mentioning the groove depth.
longcruise
70 Cal.
As long as I can load a patch ball combo without a mallet and without injury to my hand, then it's not too tight! :haha:
