Pillow ticking

[Stumpkiller]

Seriously Stumpy, I am so glad you posted that. Nice to know I'm not the only anal retentive smoke pole shooter around. Do you weigh each ball before loading too?

Yes. :redface: But only for rifles.

When I get done casting a batch I visually inspect and weigh every ball and it either goes into a "best" can, an "OK" can or in a "salvage" can to be recast. My cut-off is the indicator range on my RCBS 5-10 scale when set to 228.2 grains (don't remember the .50 cal weight off the top of my head). If it is +/- 1/2 the scale it's best quality (works out to 227.7 gr to 228.7 gr), if it still floats the beam it's OK for plinking and if it pins it to upper or lower it's toast.

 

[necchi]

That's what I do, +/- .5 grain. All ball are within one grain of average.
Is it nessasary? No.
Does it give me peace of mind and confidence? Yes.
If their not inside that tolerance they go back in the pot.(period)
If I get a high cull rate, I start looking for a problem when I'm casting.

I don't "plink". I want every shot I make to hit exaclty where I want it to go. I don't wanna hit a pop can, I wanna hit the raised tab of the pop can. I wanna put a hole in the "O" of the word Coke on a pop can.
If it doesn't, then I know it's something I've done, and I usually know as soon as I squeeze the trigger.

I get a terrible "peek" when the pressure is on. And controling a slight flinch is always a battle.

 

[paulvallandigham]

.50 caliber lead balls range in the 173-180 gr. range, depending on Ball Cast Diameter.

I suspect that you are shooting .530 cal. Lead balls in a .54 cal. rifle, if the weights are down in the 227-228 range. The heavier .535 balls will sometimes range in the 230-235 grain weight range.

As one should suspect, the larger the diameter of the ball being cast, the greater the difference in weight for every .001" increase in cast diameter.

 

[Macon Due]

Paul
HaHaHa., I thought we weren't going to pull the new guy's legs anymore?....... :rotf:
Macon

 

[SCRUBS]

I have always shot conical s, but have tried p & rb a couple of times with no real accuracy. I`m hoping this works out better.

 

[Swtodd]

We arn't superstitious, just a little stitious.

steve

 

[SCRUBS]

If you have nothing productive to add, please go start your own thread. :thumbsup:

 

[Macon Due]

Scrubs
I suggest you lighten up a bit or......not..as I really could not care less about what you think.
Macon

 

[BrownBear]

I have always shot conical s, but have tried p & rb a couple of times with no real accuracy. I`m hoping this works out better.

Working out an accurate load with RBs can be a little fiddly when it comes to adjusting ball diameter to patch thickness. There's such a thing as too loose, when patches start tearing and accuracy goes south.

As for too tight, that depends on your needs. I've seen guys with combos so tight they have to pound on the short starter with a mallet to get the ball into the bore. Perhaps not coincidentally most of them are match shooters looking for the finest accuracy possible.

Maybe combos that tight would take my accuracy up a good notch, but I'm a hunter and field shooter so the mallet is out. If a combo is tight enough that it takes a fair shove with the palm of my hand on the starter to get it started, odds are good that it will shoot better than I can.

I know I'm rambling, but it's something to keep your eye on as you mess with your new ticking and RBs. If a ball is starting easy, your recovered patches are torn or holed, and your accuracy is poor, that's a fair sign the patch is too thin relative to the ball diameter.

Then it becomes a question of finding thicker patches or jumping up slightly in ball diameter to tighten things up a bit.

Ramble over. I'm turning this thing off and going to bed! :surrender:

 

[MSW]

As many have said, Wal-Mart or Jo-Anne's are two of the best sources for ticking. Just make sure you get the fabric does not have the "plastic" coating on it. Use only the pure cotton, un-coated fabric. Take your micrometer with you to be sure that the fabric that you pick is of the thickness that you want. When I find the fabric that I want, I buy at least 5 yards of it to be sure that I have plenty on hand and don't have to go measuring all of the ticking bolts in the store to find my exact thickness. Also, sew around the raw edges before washing to prevent unraveling. It can make a mess. After washing two times in detergent (no softeners), I press the fabric with an iron to remove the wrinkles. It is then ready to cut into patches.

late to the party, but i couldn't agree more. the sizing they put in the stuff will leave a simply dreadful mess in your bore. (don't ask me how i know)

:redface:

 

[ebiggs1]

I made a trip to Wall-mart with my trusty handy-dandy Starrett digital caliper. My measurements were all over the place on their blue and red pillow ticking material. Ranging from .015 to.025 on the same bolt. Plus a lot of stares from some matriarchal type individuals I bought several yards, after all I had already unrolled it. It shoots as well as any patch material I have used but remember I ain't no super target shooter. I just shoot for fun.

Sample Wall-mart patches. Cut at the muzzle of coarse! Olive oil.

Sample target.

 

[paulvallandigham]

When I measure ticking- some pillow, and some " mattress"--- at Walmart a couple of years ago, they had 4 different kinds of ticking available. The color of the stripes told me NOTHING. Measurements varied from one bolt to the other. I do remember that two different colored stripe ticking measured the same thickness.

I went to JoAnn Fabrics here, and withstood the stares of the biddies, while I used a micrometer to measure Ticking, denim, linen, and muslin. I think they had two different thicknesses of denim, just one each for the muslin, and linen, and 3 different thicknesses for the ticking. I bought a yard each of Blue and Red striped ticking to try with my new Fowling piece. I still have some pre-cut patches in different thicknesses, and may have some strips of ticking I bought in a box somewhere. I do think I have enough different sizes that I will be headed in the right direction when I test my RBs in this gun.

For new readers, all this sounds like a royal PITA, and it is. But, its part of the FUN of learning what works in a new gun. Sometimes you get lucky in the first test, and you are ready to adjust your sights to zero them at a chosen range. More often, something isn't right, and you have to sleuth it out, fix it, and change components.

If you don't own your own copy, Contact Dutch Schoultz and buy his Blackpowderrifleaccuracysystem for about $20-25.00.
http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/

You will learn to read your spent patches, so that you know what is happening in the barrel every time you pull the trigger. That and an inexpensive Chronograph are the two tools most useful in determining your best loads. Then its up to you to perfect your own SHOOTING SKILLS to shoot small groups on the targets. If you don't understand and have mastered the basic fundamentals of shooting a rifle- particularly off-hand---- then all the accuracy any gun can give you will be wasted.

NEVER pass up the chance to talk to the top shooters wherever you are, or to seek out their advice on what they see you are doing wrong. They may not be right, but you will learn much from such advice, one way or the other. Most shooters WANT TO shoot with other good shooters, as the competition is what makes them even better shooters.

If you have a chance to take shooting lessons with any kind of gun( pistol, shotgun, rifle) take the training. So much of shooting any different kind of gun transfers over to other disciplines very well. Shooting a gun is Not a Natural Thing to do. It takes practice, and training to learn to do it well.

 

[ebiggs1]

NEVER pass up the chance to talk to the top shooters wherever you are, or to seek out their advice on what they see you are doing wrong.

That is exactly why I ask you. :grin: :bow:
But I just want it to be fun. I don't want to work at it. :thumbsup:

 

[catman]

Olive oil is good, as you have found.
I use it for my huntin loads, never a problem.

I made a trip to Wall-mart with my trusty handy-dandy Starrett digital caliper. My measurements were all over the place on their blue and red pillow ticking material. Ranging from .015 to.025 on the same bolt. Plus a lot of stares from some matriarchal type individuals I bought several yards, after all I had already unrolled it. It shoots as well as any patch material I have used but remember I ain't no super target shooter. I just shoot for fun.

Sample Wall-mart patches. Cut at the muzzle of coarse! Olive oil.

Sample target.

 

[SCRUBS]

Didn`t mean to hurt your sensitive feelers :wink:

 

[SCRUBS]

With the store bought patches i tried in the past, loading was fairly easy. I never retrieved any of the spent patches so i couldn`t tell ya if they were ripped.....

The ticking i bought is substantially thicker than the store bought patches, so i`m sure they will tighten things up.

Thanks for taking the time type all the info, and help educate a rookie :thumbsup:

 

[SCRUBS]

Doesn`t sound like a PITA to me, i love testing new things out. It`s the main reason i took up reloading center fires.

Thanks for link (and the other info), i will be purchasing the book.

For new readers, all this sounds like a royal PITA, and it is. But, its part of the FUN of learning what works in a new gun. Sometimes you get lucky in the first test, and you are ready to adjust your sights to zero them at a chosen range. More often, something isn't right, and you have to sleuth it out, fix it, and change components.

 

[MSW]

Scrubs, just so you don't expect some sort of textbook thing in the mail, it's more a pamphlet or monograph than a 'book,' but, having said that, the writing is clear and concise, the instructions are easy to follow, everything is laid out in a logical order, and the steps, if followed, will not only make sense but will work.

I think i paid twenty dollars for mine, but that was a while ago and the price may have gone up. Now, if folks complain that that's way too much for a little pamphlet, let them check out what an hour's coaching would set them back, assuming that you can find a shooting coach in your particular neck of the woods.

What i learned from Dutch Schoultz was worth a boatload more than what i paid!

 

[tg]

Drill cloth or pocket drill also works well if it is the proper thickness and most fabric shops carry it.