Patching over your powder charge …. then patching your ball

[Loyalist Dave]

I was watching Dennis Pritchard over on YouTube and he runs a dry patch down over his main powder charge then a heavily lubed patch with his round ball. Have you all tried this and have you noticed any difference?

I've not done a patch, but I have used cornmeal to form a barrier between the powder and the patched ball, as due to its fine granulation it completely fills lands and grooves in a rifle barrel. It stopped powder from burning or singing any portion of the patch, and were I using a very thin patch, might be a good idea, but it did not solve my accuracy problem

LD

 

[Howard Pippin]

I checked my patches that I had used and had a nice rifling mark around the ball area. As nice as my patches were and the excellent accuracy I was getting I didn't need an over the powder patch. If I was burning through patches I would definitely use an over the powder patch. Check your patches after you shoot! You may be wasteing time and patches by useing over the powder patches?

Some of us have a lot of time.

 

[CZMark]

Some barrels benefit from an overpowder patch, most don't.

 

[Wirehair]

I'm in the correct ball/patch combination does not require an over powder wad camp. But, I'd like to know if powder contamination is a significant concern. Can anyone offer a method to test whether powder contamination is actually affecting velocity after some period of time?

 

[Siringo]

I was watching Dennis Pritchard over on YouTube and he runs a dry patch down over his main powder charge then a heavily lubed patch with his round ball. Have you all tried this and have you noticed any difference?

I’ve done that on occasion. In a 54 caliber Colarain barrel with round bottom grooves it prevents patch burnout. Even with 20 thousands patches a 90 grain charge of swiss 2F will burn. But not 100 grains of Goex 2F. So whenever I used swiss, I used a backer patch. Anytime I had instances of patch burnout in other barrels, the backer patch solved the problem. The backer patch creates a better gas seal. Same thing can be done with wasps nest.

 

[Rebel bull]

I have a kentucky built from a kit that you have to use cream o wheat over the powder or clean after every shot not just one patch but a half dozen. use the cream o wheat and you car shoot all day at a 20-30 target shoot and never have to clean and it will still clover leaf the last 3 shots if I can still hold it

 

[LME]

Some of us have a lot of time.

Howard, you do know you and I are on the down side of the bell curve? I value what little timeI have lef t! LOL!
I do like your style! There is no need to dismount if you are having a good ride!

 

[Mike in FL]

I've used s felt bore size wad since I started many years ago. Mostly lubed wads.

 

[springfield art]

Seems to be taking something relatively simple and making it even more complicated.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

I checked my patches that I had used and had a nice rifling mark around the ball area. As nice as my patches were and the excellent accuracy I was getting I didn't need an over the powder patch. If I was burning through patches I would definitely use an over the powder patch. Check your patches after you shoot! You may be wasteing time and patches by useing over the powder patches?

You are! See Rifleman1776 yesterday 10:40am
Larry

 

[Patched]

I’ve done that on occasion. In a 54 caliber Colarain barrel with round bottom grooves it prevents patch burnout. Even with 20 thousands patches a 90 grain charge of swiss 2F will burn. But not 100 grains of Goex 2F. So whenever I used swiss, I used a backer patch. Anytime I had instances of patch burnout in other barrels, the backer patch solved the problem. The backer patch creates a better gas seal. Same thing can be done with wasps nest.

I have used a dry felt wad over my powder then a tight patched ball for hunting loads…1) 54 cal in a 1:72 twist with 120 gr FFF does 2000 fps. The felt wad protects the patch and
2) The dry felt protects the powder from the lube on the patch when carried for several days without being fired…
Why so much powder?…. I live and hunt in Nevada…that load shoots flat out to 150 yds which is basically the limit of open sights and round ball…accuracy is around 3”@ 100 off the bench ( again limited by the sights) which translates into 6” groups in the field at this max range…
yeah I’ve shot at paper out to 200 yds and this load does fine..but I don’t think it’s equitable shooting at live critters with this setup

 

[PEARL DRUMS]

I put a lubed wad over my powder in my 50 cal. Otherwise, it wont shoot a PRB for crap. 1:48 twist.

 

[okawbow]

I also use an un lubed felt wad under my patched ball. It helps prevent patch burn out, and keeps the powder from being fouled by the bear oil lube I use. Most importantly for me; it allows me to use a looser ball/patch combination that goes down my funneled/coned barrel easily with the wood ramrod and no bullet starter. I see no difference in accuracy between a tight load and the looser load with a wad. Here is this year’s evidence that the load works.

 

[longcruise]

I tend to agree but when you see an 80yr old man doing it with tons of time behind a muzzleloader I begin to wonder if there must be enough benefit to justify doing it

There's plenty of old fools running loose in the world.

 

[waksupi]

That's an old method of keeping from destroying patches in barrels the owner hasn't bothered to find the proper combination of patch, ball size, and lube.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I also use an un lubed felt wad under my patched ball. It helps prevent patch burn out, and keeps the powder from being fouled by the bear oil lube I use. Most importantly for me; it allows me to use a looser ball/patch combination that goes down my funneled/coned barrel easily with the wood ramrod and no bullet starter. I see no difference in accuracy between a tight load and the looser load with a wad. Here is this year’s evidence that the load works.

View attachment 365849

I think since I’m completely new to all this I’m going to go this route … I figure if I do it from the start I won’t ever know any difference. I feel it sure can’t hurt! I’m starting this journey to get away from all the latest and greatest hunting gadgets and step back and slow things down some so I can take it all in better than I was before. It’s no race … one extra little step isn’t going to ruin my experience. Heck I read where they used things like hornets nest, wasp nest, leaves, etc. years ago to do the same thing. It’s not reinventing the wheel if they were doing it a couple hundred years ago. Lol

 

[wiscoaster]

There's plenty of old fools running loose in the world.

I think maybe I'm one.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

co

I also use an un lubed felt wad under my patched ball. It helps prevent patch burn out, and keeps the powder from being fouled by the bear oil lube I use. Most importantly for me; it allows me to use a looser ball/patch combination that goes down my funneled/coned barrel easily with the wood ramrod and no bullet starter. I see no difference in accuracy between a tight load and the looser load with a wad. Here is this year’s evidence that the load works.

View attachment 365849

congrats. nice buck

 

[aussie pete]

I was watching Dennis Pritchard over on YouTube and he runs a dry patch down over his main powder charge then a heavily lubed patch with his round ball. Have you all tried this and have you noticed any difference?

Originally, I didn't use anything over my powder, loading in the traditional method. Then, I got the privilege of watching a European Target Competition where almost all the shooters on the line were using a throw of semolina/polenta over their powder charge - it didn't matter if it was a traditional rifle with roundballs or a rifled musket with a minie. When I asked a few of the lads in the winning circle why they did it the answers I got were: It provides consistent pressures from shot to shot. It protects the patch. It keeps the barrel cleaner for longer. It reduces group size - better accuracy.

I use an overthrow of semolina in all my rifles and muskets and my targets tell me that the practice is worthwhile. Semolina from the supermarket is very cheap.

I suspect the patch over powder combo (and use of a woolen wad) may provide the same advantages?

Cheers, Pete

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Okawbow, congratulations on that fine buck as well!