Patching

[encorepete]

I've got some T/C pillow ticking patches with the yellow lube on them. They appear to be old but in sealed packs. I've got 4 packs. They are for .58 caliber .015 thickness. Will I be able to use these effectively out of a .54 rifle using roundballs?

 

[JeffS]

As long as your ball/bore combination is happy with a .015 patch, I'm confident that the little extra cloth for the .58 VS .54 will not make any accuracy difference you will notice.

At least in my experience, some of my home made pre-cut patches are a bit small, others are bigger and I have to tuck them into the barrel before ramming. Extra patch material has never made the slightest difference in accuracy that I have noticed. Im sure that if you went to an extreme with patch cloth volume, it would be noticable, but what you are talking about I personally would not worry about.

(stay tuned though, sombody could show up and blow me out of the water) :results:

Good Luck, Jeff

 

[CoyoteJoe]

This is a great learning opportunity! Get yourself a sharp patch knife and cut those oversize patches on the muzzle just like real muzzleloaders do. Then you may discover that you can buy a yard of cloth, enough for thousands of patches for the price of 100 precut. Then you will also discover that cloth comes in many weaves and thicknesses not available precut. Whole new worlds will open before your eyes my son! (oops, the preacher side just slips out now and then.) But really, I find it wierd that people want to get into the bother of making their own shotgun wads but think they can't fire a rifle without patches that come in a plastic bag. Cutting patches on the muzzle is not only "the-way-it-was-done", it is also best for accuracy and it gives one an excuse to buy another accessory, A Patch Knife!! :m2c:

 

[roundball]

I've got some T/C pillow ticking patches with the yellow lube on them. They appear to be old but in sealed packs. I've got 4 packs. They are for .58 caliber .015 thickness. Will I be able to use these effectively out of a .54 rifle using roundballs?

Absolutely you can...I use TC's prelubed patches, and in fact I use the .58cal for both .58 & 54...has always worked perfectly

 

[Tahquamenon]

Yep they should work just fine with 54.
Even if they are really old. If they are a little dried out, just dab some fresh bore butter or the like on them and they will work just fine.

I'd go with .530 roundball and the .015 patch. (I use an .018 Ox-Yoke PT patch with excellent results)

:m2c:

 

[cayugad]

I cut my own patch now, but when I used to buy them I always used the next larger size then recommended. I would use a .58 caliber for a .54 and like said, tuck the remaining material around the top of the ball and ram that home. I always thought that protected the roundball from the ramrod and also make the patch come off the ball faster because the patch would spread out faster.

Even now when I cut them I always cut them a little long. I have never seen a decrease in accuracy from doing this.

 

[Big John]

No problem with your patch size as long as your rifle likes them and there not too dry.

 

[Zonie]

Quote: "...
I've got some T/C pillow ticking patches with the yellow lube on them. They appear to be old but in sealed packs...."

IMO, size wise there will be no problem.
Because they appear to be old, they may not be worth a dam.

I will be the first to admit that different lubes affect cloth differently, but some (home made) lubes like "Moosemilk" have been proven to break down the cotton fibers over time. The "Moosemilk" uses a water soluable cutting oil designed for machining metal.
It should not to be confused with Stumpys "Moose Snot" formula which uses Caster Oil. The jury is still out on whether his stuff breaks down cloth over time.

(It's too bad you don't know exactly how old your patches are because it would give us an opportunity to learn if TC1000 Bore Butter breaks down cotton.)

This doesn't mean your patches are no good.
It means go ahead and use them! :: Have someone watch where the shot patches are landing while your shooting.
Retrieve the shot patches and examine them to see if they are badly torn or cut in the center area where the ball contacts the bore. This does not include the outter edges which are always shreaded.
If they are torn, they are junk :cry:. Your wasting powder and ball if you keep on using them.

If they are not cut or torn in the middle, have a great time shooting them and making smoke!! :thumbsup:

 

[crmyers]

I'm using TC prelubed patches that are at least 12 years old and they work just as good as when I bought them.

 

[roundball]

I'm using TC prelubed patches that are at least 12 years old and they work just as good as when I bought them.

A few years ago I bought a lone bag of TC's .018" prelubed pillow ticking patches off a table at a gun show...had their original advertising label on it and the patches were dark orange color instead of yellow...worked fine

 

[Bob J]

Roundball- I ordered some Ox-Yoke Wonder Ticking precut patches a couple of years ago from Dixie. They too were "orange". Shot great! These were the first "wonder-lubed" patches I ever used. Then I bought a tub of Wonder Lube and lubed my own Ox-Yoke dry pre-cut pillow ticking patches. These are YELLOW! :shocking: Thought maybe they changed the formula. :hmm: So you're saying the orange color was from age? The orange patches were a little dry, but again, accuracy was fine.

 

[roundball]

Roundball- I ordered some Ox-Yoke Wonder Ticking precut patches a couple of years ago from Dixie. They too were "orange". Shot great! These were the first "wonder-lubed" patches I ever used. Then I bought a tub of Wonder Lube and lubed my own Ox-Yoke dry pre-cut pillow ticking patches. These are YELLOW! :shocking: Thought maybe they changed the formula. :hmm: So you're saying the orange color was from age? The orange patches were a little dry, but again, accuracy was fine.

Age was my assumption...and now that you mention it, I recall that they too seemed drier compared to current production...the packaging, the color, etc, all made me think they were years and years old, compared to the new ones I've been buying and using for 15+ years which have always been yellow.

For me personally, precut, prelubed pillow ticking patches are one of those modern conveniences that I like...use 1000+ a year and order a couple thousand at a time (1000 .45/.50 size, 1000 .54/.58 size)