I've been making smoke with my T/C Hawken .50 cal that I got earlier this month. I've been having trouble with accuracy and finally found a patch and figured out why it was so difficult to find them”¦they're shredded and burnt. I've been using 80g of Pyrodex, a .490 ball and .015 pre-lubed patches. I'm figuring I've got to go up a size in patches but am having trouble finding a good source of .018" patches, but can get .020" pre-lubed patches. My question is: will these be too thick or should I stick to .018"?
-
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Patches
- Thread starter Ctavano
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
jamesthomas
70 Cal.
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 4,111
- Reaction score
- 14
IMHO, Pre-lubed patches are not the deal they seem to be, How long ago were they pre-lubed? 2 or 3 years ago? Go to Jo-Anns Fabric an buy 1/3 of a yard of some .018 or .020 pillow ticking or mattress ticking an lube them yourself.
gunner69skmc
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2012
- Messages
- 172
- Reaction score
- 0
You may also try using a fiber wad over the powder. That protects the patch and may work for you.
Only your gun can tell you what will work. Like stated get some material of different sizes and try. Just get half a yard or each and if .020 is too thick it becomes cleaning patches. I don't care for the prelubed either. You don't know how old it is and sometimes what they lubed it with or the conditions it was stored in.
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
Remember quality control???
You don't get it with prelubed patches...Buy and cut your own patches and make your own lube, then you know how long they have been lubed...
It may not be the thickness either...I had a gun that shot great with .015-.018 patches, move to .020 and she didn't shoot so great....
You don't get it with prelubed patches...Buy and cut your own patches and make your own lube, then you know how long they have been lubed...
It may not be the thickness either...I had a gun that shot great with .015-.018 patches, move to .020 and she didn't shoot so great....
For what it is worth If I need to go to .020 I go up .005 in ball size. 490 to 495 I have a 58 musket that really works over the .015 patches but shoots near as well as it does with the .018's and loads a lot easier. Each rifle has it's own combination that works better than others do. That is the fun of finding the sweet spot.
Geo. T.
Geo. T.
Bottom line is, How's the accuracy?
Geo T makes a good point, could be your rifle will like 495 ball with your assortment of patch.
And I must agree with other's, factory pre-cut and pre-lubed patches don't have the quality control that you have when making your own from your own fabric.
It's a good idea to experiment, :wink:
Geo T makes a good point, could be your rifle will like 495 ball with your assortment of patch.
And I must agree with other's, factory pre-cut and pre-lubed patches don't have the quality control that you have when making your own from your own fabric.
It's a good idea to experiment, :wink:
You did the right thing. 
Finding your shot patches (or pieces of them) is the first step in figuring out what the problem is.
Torn/fragmented patches are undoubtedly what the problem is. There may be other problems but until you fix the patch problem you won't be able to find them.
Like the others said, pre-lubed patches can cause problems.
I'm not talking about pre-lubed patches that were made a few months ago but it's been tested and proven that over time, the lube causes the cotton fibers to weaken.
If the pre-lubed patches have been sitting on your dealers shelf for a year or more they probably aren't worth having even if they are free.
The real problem with pre-lubed patches is there is no easy way of telling the old ones from the new ones unless you buy directly from the factory that makes them.
Finding your shot patches (or pieces of them) is the first step in figuring out what the problem is.
Torn/fragmented patches are undoubtedly what the problem is. There may be other problems but until you fix the patch problem you won't be able to find them.
Like the others said, pre-lubed patches can cause problems.
I'm not talking about pre-lubed patches that were made a few months ago but it's been tested and proven that over time, the lube causes the cotton fibers to weaken.
If the pre-lubed patches have been sitting on your dealers shelf for a year or more they probably aren't worth having even if they are free.
The real problem with pre-lubed patches is there is no easy way of telling the old ones from the new ones unless you buy directly from the factory that makes them.
Ctvano You might have a rough spot in the bore that is shreddin your patch .Take a thin oiled patch and fold it 2 or 3 times or until it is real tight and run it in and out of the bore then check for tiny holes in the patch.If there are any you might need a bore cleanin with J B bore paste.Keep pickin up your patchs and readin them.Curt
