patch thickness for new gpr

[renoman]

I have just gotten my first muzzel loader,a 50 cal. gpr. flintlock.
I have read volumes on patch thickness,and everyone talks in thousands of an inch.Dont have a micrometer.
When I went to a fabric store and looked at pillow ticking I was shown material that resembled lite cotten T-shirt fabric.Held to the lite you could almost see through it.
Seems pretty thin,at the range guys are using denim from run of the mill Levi's,but noone is shooting a Lyman.
Now Ive bought some .490 hornady round balls,the rifle is the 1 in 60 twist,can anyone give me a sugestion or a referance place to start off with, in regards to a, oh how do I put it,a universally known wieght of cloth?
I.E. if I cut up and old pair of jeans,will that get me going?Im alittle worried about the patch being to tite,and I get it stuck.
There is no black powder supplies at our one gunstore or I would buy some to start.Too impatient to wait on a mailorder as I have everything else.
thanx for any suggestions.

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu can buy micrometers off the internet for reasonable prices. Check Harbor Freight. Also, look for a caliper, as you can use that instead. Both measure in the thousandths, or ten thousandths of an inch.

There are no short cuts. Some tools you are just going to have to borrow or buy. The caliper will measure both inside and outside dimenssion of our barrel and round ball. You can buy them for less than $20.00. Micrometers often cost at least twice that amount, but can be used for many purposes. Own one. Haunt the estate sales, and farm auctions and see if you can pick up a good used one for less. I have a couple that my dad picked up here and there over the years. All are useful tools.

With that .490 ball, you can start with .015 or .020 patches. Buy them from TOTW, LOG CABIN, Dixie, or some other supplier. Check the member resources here for links to suppliers. Take the time to do some comparison shopping. You are going to pay a minimum amount of " shipping and handling " for most suppliers, so fill out your order with other things you need. Mid-South is another supplier, as is Mid-Way.

I also just saw a new catalogue from Cabela's that has a caliper for $19.95 retail plus shipping and handling. I think you can get this for less elsewhere, but even that is a good price. This is a dial caliper, and not a battery run digital caliper. You don't need the digital to store dead batteries. :rotf: Save the money.

 

[jtmattison]

I don't think they showed you real pillow ticking. The real stuff is tightly woven and comes usually in blue or red striped. Denim might be too thick to shoot in your rifle. I cut up some old jeans once but I couldn't even get the ball started with it. Look again at Wal-Mart for ticking. They usually have it. You can also look for cotton drill cloth. It is almost as thick as ticking and makes great patch material.

HD

 

[410-er]

My Lymans like the blue strip pillow tic.Jean mat. was too thick.Experment with .490 and .495 balls.The fun is trying different combo's to find what works for you.Might want to run 0000 steelwool heavly oiled up on a jag to dress up the bore.Really helped the accuracy on all my muzzleloaders.You should get 1 1/2"(max) groups or less at 50 yds.If you get stuck on anything,this is the place to find help.Lots of people with knowledge here.

 

[smokehouseman]

My GPR likes either blue or red pillow ticking from Walmart. Your wife may have a rotary cutting knife and if she doesn't see if you can pick one up. Cut the ticking into squares and save yourself a lot of money by doing so. I put my patches and mix my favorite lube lube in a little bowl and run it through the microwave oven till the patches are saturated then find a little tin to store them in and you're ready to go. :thumbsup:

 

[redwing]

Go to Jo-Anns Fabrics and get some 40 Drill Cotton fabric, some times called pocket liner. It runs about .015 but is heavy will replace .018 Tic and goes down better. I use #9 Black Powder Plus Lube very wet patch but its dry here.
thumbsup

 

[cowpoke1955]

I go to Jo-Anns for my pillow ticking. Also, pick up a couple of yards of cotton flanel for cleaning patches.

 

[410-er]

Also helps to put the mat. thru the washer before soaking in lube and cutting into sq's.

 

[2172]

I have the same rifle, same caliber. I find all of the tickings too thick. I did as Paul suggests you do, and I bought a micrometer...they are not expensive. I go to a fabric store and mike what looks like pillow ticking, except the stripe is not woven in, but printed, so it shows only on one side. It is .010 in thickness...washed, and prepared with either Balistol or Wonderlube, it works well. I came across an overlooked pkge of already lubed .010 patches and could see no difference in accuracy vs. the ticking. I can start a ball with heavy thumb pressure, and don't need a mallet to seat it. If I go to a .015, I must use a short starter and a mallet...best, Hank

 

[paulvallandigham]

With some guns you can get away using that thinner patching. You have to check each fired patch to see if there is evidence of burning, or holes cut into it by some sharp edge on rifling, or a burr on a land. You also need to know that whatever lube you are using is doing its jobs.

Try pocket drilling, denim( it now comes in all kinds of thicknesses) and canvas to see if you can find some material that is the correct thickness for your particular gun. The ladies in the fabric department at Walmart, or at the faric store may think its odd that you pull out a caliper or micrometer, but don't worry: They thought it odd that a man would ever shop for fabric, and had their little heart attack when they saw you opening the door! :rotf:

 

[renoman]

Thanx for the info,your replies have really helped me get my head around this patch sizing thing.
I think Im about ready to actually go shooting now,I'll let you know how it goes :thumbsup:

 

[boar]

I have a mike but don't use it much. Most of my molds are .10under bore. I have some drill cloth from Jo Ann's that will patch almost all of my guns. I have used the pillow ticking and it works, just a little thinner then the drill. Have some pants pockets that work good. I cut at muzzle and use a small starting stick . if ball dosen't bumb in the first time its too tight for me.I mostly hunt and like a snug fit,not one you have to hammer down the bore.I clean between each shot.Most denim are a little heavy but I have used some that were just right. I lube with deer tallow. You will have to try different ones till you get the right one. Dilly

 

[Twisted_1in66]

I have just gotten my first muzzel loader,a 50 cal. gpr. flintlock.
**SNIP***
There is no black powder supplies at our one gunstore or I would buy some to start.Too impatient to wait on a mailorder as I have everything else.
thanx for any suggestions.

Hey renoman,

I notice that you said you bought the flintlock but are too impatient to mail order balckpowder. DON'T buy the substitutes or you'll never get your flintlock to fire reliably. Pyrodex, 777, and all those others have a much higher flashpoint than real blackpowder and will drive you crazy trying to get it to work in your flintlock.

If you can't find black powder locally, you can order 10 lbs. at a time and get a reasonable price. Split it with a friend and you don't have to put out quite so much at once.

Another option is to see if there is are any muzzleloading clubs in your area. They often will make it available for sale to their members, or have someone selling it at their shoots. Getting involved with a club is a great way to get started anyhow.

You realize of course, that once you use a flintlock, there is no going back...

Welcome to our neighborhood!

Twisted_1in66 :hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

I agree! ABsolutely do not try to use a substitute powder in your new flintlock. The Subs ALL require a much higher flashpoint to ignite, and you just don't get it in a flintlock. Use only Real Black Powder. If you don't know a local club, contact the NMLRA. They can give you the name of the nearest Charter Club in your state or area. ( Or send me a PM with your town, and I will look it up for you.) Contact Goex to find the Distributor for your area. You can get their names, and phone numbers on line, by getting the Goex link under Member Resources at the top of the index page here. Some have an email address listed, too. They will tell you the nearest retailer. Always call the retailer FIRST before driving miles to buy the powder, to check on availability. Sometimes the Distributor does not know that a retailer has decided to stop carrying the powder. There are new regulations being floated that would stop the shipping of all powder in interstate commerce, if allowed to go into effect. The comment period is in progress, after which the final regulations will be announced, and suits filed.

This is what Congress does when its too chicken to take the voters on directly. They have the bureaucrats develop regulations that terminate rights and let them take the heat, particularly before a big election. The Regs. are controlled by the Congress, and not the President, even though he technically hires and fires the executives for most government agencies. So thank Nancy Pelosi and her Gang of 5 for this little back stabbing attack on your rights.

Order the powder from Graf and Sons, or Powder, Inc. if you can't find a retailer close by. With the gasoline prices being so high, you need to consider that cost as a factor in buying powder in lesser quantities.