Patched balls in '42 .69?

[tree]

Wanted to try patched balls in my Armi Sport .69
Model 1842. I ordered some .672 balls from TOTW.
Any suggestions on patching material? Thought I would staart with 70grains of GOEX 2F. I'll be
shooting paper at 25yd and 50ys.

Thanks for any pointers--bare .678 balls are great at 25yd but iffy at 50(or maybe I'm iffy at 50).

 

[paulvallandigham]

Have you measure the ACTUAL bore diameter of your gun? Don't rely on what the factory stamps on the barrel as your caliber or gauge.

I would think you might want to buy something a little smaller in diameter, like a 16 gauge .662" diameter ball for this gun, so that you could use thicker patching. Talk to the staff of suppliers by phone( most have an 800 number) in person, and tell them the make and model as well as the ACTUAL BORE diameter of your barrel. They will know what ball to recommend you use. Always check the back of the Dixie GunWorks catalogue which contains a wealth of timeless information when you have questions like this. Most mail order suppliers fill orders for thes guns from all over the country, and are much more likely to know what size ball the gun should shoot than a clerk at your local gun store, UNLESS he/she is a member of a local BP club, and happens to shoot the same make and model gun.

 

[varsity07840]

I use a .672 with a .015 patch in my 1816 with 80 gr. of 2F. I used .010 patches for quite a while, but recently switched to .015 which gives better groups. My relined bore measures .687. .678 balls
and a .010 patch shot well but were very hard to load, especially after a couple of shots. Shooting patched balls in a military smoothbore requires a compromise between group size and ease of loading, especially if you're going to hunt with it. Reloading with that thin metal ramrod can be tough. I drilled a hole in the ball of my short starter that fits the tip of the ramrod to use when I seat the patched ball. Otherwise it's pretty rough on the palm of your hand. For target work I use a hefty range rod.

 

[J.D.]

Wanted to try patched balls in my Armi Sport .69

I assume this is a smooth bore?

Mic the bore and select a ball diameter about .030 smaller than bore diameter. Use a .015-.020 patch.

bore diameter minus ball diameter /2 should give a beginning patch thickness.

.69-.66=.030/2 = .015 patch thickness.
.69-.65=.040/2 = .020 patch

Either of these combinations should thumb start and provide excellent accuracy.