Patch Thickness

[The Baron]

I have been shooting .600" balls and 0.010" wonder-lubed patches in my .62 smoothie, with good results. I tried 0.595" balls today with the same patches and results were terrible. The groups opened way up and the patches were getting burned badly. This makes me think a move in the other direction might provide good results.

If I stick with the .600" balls, how tough is it to load thicker patches in a smooth bore? My gun is a Caywood and the bore is reportedly a true 0.62". The .600" ball / 0.010" patch fits snugly, but I don't need a short starter. Should I try a 0.015" patch? Should I expect improved groups with a tighter ball/patch?

Also, by the way, why is it that I bought this gun for use mainly with shot charges, and the occasional PRB. But today, all I shot was PRB? Is such a change in priority another symptom of this blackpowder-itis I'm smitten with? :crackup:

 

[Wes/Tex]

You really need to measure your bore to see it's actual diameter. I've had good luck using Bob Spencer's technique of using a ball .020" under actual bore diameter with a lubed .017" patching. Good luck.

 

[musketman]

I have been shooting .600" balls and 0.010" wonder-lubed patches in my .62 smoothie, with good results. I tried 0.595" balls today with the same patches and results were terrible. The groups opened way up and the patches were getting burned badly.

When you dropped in ball size (.005) you should have increased the patch thickness by .0025 to make up for that .005 loss of the ball's diameter...

I'll bet that .595 roundball will shoot a whole lot better with a .012 to .014 patch...

The patches were getting burned badly because the loose patch/ball combination was allowing hot gas to blow by...

 

[musketman]

Also, by the way, why is it that I bought this gun for use mainly with shot charges, and the occasional PRB. But today, all I shot was PRB? Is such a change in priority another symptom of this blackpowder-itis I'm smitten with?

You're doooooooooooomed... :crackup:

As so am I...

 

[arcticap]

I use a mallet to help squeeze patched balls into my .28 guage modified choked bore. It's very snug once past the muzzle, but the results are very satisfying. I've enjoyed becoming more of a ball shooter with it also.

 

[Rat]

Hard to say if a thicker patch will give a better group...but, it's pretty cheap and easy to find out.

My Brown Bess shoots ball very well, 3" at 50 yards and still on the paper plate around 65-70 yards. (on a good day) I also have rifle sights on the gun.

My ball patch combo is pretty tight, I use a short starter, and have to wipe after about three-four shots.

Just what kind of groups are you getting with the .600" ball and .010" patches? If you are in the 3" at 50 yard zone you may be about maxed out, accuracy-wise. But maybe not, if just a size-smaller ball caused such a deterioration in accuracy..??

Rat

 

[The Baron]

Just what kind of groups are you getting with the .600" ball and .010" patches? If you are in the 3" at 50 yard zone you may be about maxed out, accuracy-wise.

Yup - with my .600' / 0.010" combo, I'm at about the 3-4" group size at 50 yards, from the bench. I was quite shocked when the .005" smaller ball changed the groups by at least doubling their size. I fiddled with using a thin felt wad and not using one, but no improvement with the smaller ball. I will be ordering some assorted patch sizes and doing more fiddling. It's all fun, so what the heck!

Thanks for the tips.

 

I've been shooting a.600 round ball with a .020 dry patch with spit for lube. Works great. I do need to use a short starter to get the ball in. I'm also shooting a Caywood (Wilson) .62 smooth bore.

Rio

 

[Rat]

Yes it is fun and the experimentation can be endless. But my Bess seems to really prefer a tight fitting combo, seems more critcal in a smoothie than in a rifle.

Then speaking about patch thickness, think about this for a minute:

In my .612" Jaeger rifle, just on a whim I shot some .570" balls with a .037" denim patch. Put four shots into 2" at 65 yards. ????

Ya just never know! Now I don't think I'm going to shoot .570" balls out of the Jaeger on a regular basis, or for hunting, but who would have thunk that you would get "hunting" accuracy out of a .570" ball from a .612" barrel??

Rat