got my american fowler done, time to go make some smoke this afternoon. sounds like I am in the same boat as matts, trying to find a patch ball combo. I have .600 balls, using a .010 patch, it loads way too tight. my bore measures .614, if I am doing my math right I am compressing the patch .006, which is obviously too much. I am gonna get a bag mold and trying to figure out which size to get. so, the question is how much compression of the patch to get it to load easy? flinch
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patched ball in smoothbore?
- Thread starter chuck-ia
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This might be a weird thought... You dont need a really tight patch. There is no rifling so patch fit is not really inportant, all you have to do is protect and center the ball. I assume you use a wad. Take your micrometer to the fabric store and ask to see some tough, thin, pure cotton cloth. There is a lot of it out there.
You might try the .600's with no patch. I seat an over powder wad, then half a lubed fiber cushion wad started just below the muzzle, then place the ball on it sprue up or down, then a thin overshot card wad and seat it all on top of the overpowder wad. Just be sure that the thin overshot wad is a tight fit to prevent the ball from moving forward. You can also use the wads with a very thin patch, (just enough to hold the ball in). The wads will protect the thin patch from burning and you don't need the thin overshot wad this way.
just got back from the range. I shot approx. 25 shots, using a .600 ball,(no patch) the first few shots I just used a thin over powder wad over the powder and dropped the ball on top of that, fowling was terrible. I then added half a cushion wad on top of the over powder wad and dropped the ball down, fowling all but dissapeared, accuracy was about the same. I think I will order some .595 balls to try with a patch, I just think a patched round ball will be more accurate than a bare ball. Once I find the right combo. I will get a bag mold. accuracy was ok for a new gun, (for me anyway) could pretty much keep the shots in 8", I know, not great for most of you, but for a new gun I am satisfied. This is an american fowler, parts from tip curtis. colerain 44" barrel, english fowler lock from jim chambers. The gun never miss fired once. I was using 3f goex, vent drilled to 1/16". I started out using 2f goex and lock time was a tad bit slower than with the 3f. flinch
As long as i use the lubed cushion wad i can shoot all day without having to wipe the bore because of fouling. My Jackie Brown fowler does pretty good with the bare ball. You said you dropped the ball down on the wad? I have found that by seating the cushion wad just below the muzzle, then placing the ball on it with the sprue up and centered and the overshot card wad on top, and then ramming it all down on the overpowder wad at once, i get better accuracy. It may be because the sprue is in the same location each time, as opposed to just dropping the ball down where you don't have any idea where the sprue is.
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In my .615 smoothbore I use .595 and a .017 pillow tick patch with good results with 70grs. of 2 F Goex. I use spit or bore butter. Which ever is handy. The bore butter patches I dampen on my tongue before loading. So, I guess I may as well use spit all the time in this gun. I have used as small a ball as .575 from a Lyman mold with the thick pillow tick patch. The groups do open up a little bit and they tend to spin on the patch as I push them down. I prefer the .595 with the thick patch. Your mileage may vary and most likely will. You might want to try it though.
I think wechlo and tg are right on about using smaller balls and thick patch to merely center the ball in the bore.
I use this rule of thumb to select patch thickness/ball diameter for use in smoothbores.
Mic you bore, then select a ball diameter, say, .590.
Assuming that you have a .625 bore, and you might not, subtract the ball diameter from bore diameter, and divide that number by two to get a beginning patch thickness.
For example, .625-.590=.035/2=.0175 patch thickness. Patches as thick as .020 should provide good accuracy and still start with thumb pressure.
If you feel that fouling is too bad, loading an over powder wad will often reduce fouling. Many feel that an over powder wad under a patched ball gives better accuracy than patched ball alone. However, each gun is different, so you need to experiment with various load combinations to find what works best in your gun.
J.D.
I use this rule of thumb to select patch thickness/ball diameter for use in smoothbores.
Mic you bore, then select a ball diameter, say, .590.
Assuming that you have a .625 bore, and you might not, subtract the ball diameter from bore diameter, and divide that number by two to get a beginning patch thickness.
For example, .625-.590=.035/2=.0175 patch thickness. Patches as thick as .020 should provide good accuracy and still start with thumb pressure.
If you feel that fouling is too bad, loading an over powder wad will often reduce fouling. Many feel that an over powder wad under a patched ball gives better accuracy than patched ball alone. However, each gun is different, so you need to experiment with various load combinations to find what works best in your gun.
J.D.
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