Polyester fact or fiction?

[1sthound]

Just curious about patches containing a percentage of polyester. I ask because way back before the internet was around I used that stuff all the time in a T/C Hawken, Still use that rifle today. Keep in mind that I lived in a small town of 1200 folks and learned the hard way by trial and error. I saw the Mountain men and thought I was a free trapper by gawd! The old t/c is still accurate. So what is the answer? Now that I am old and know better thanks to the net I wont do it anymore. Just wondering if anyone actually ruined a barrel? Keep in mind this was way back when I was just starting in these voodoo rifles.

 

[Flintlock_bob]

Like anything it probably varies depending on the % of polyester and how "hot" the load and what you are using for lube and how tight of a combination you are using.

 

[Zonie]

I've never heard that it "ruined the barrel" but I have read that it can deposit vaporized polyester in the bore making it hard to clean it.

I've never tried shooting synthetic material patches in my guns so I don't know from first hand experience.

 

[Danny Ross]

May also depend on what lube you are using and how much, as to whether the polyester melts enough to build up in the barrel. :idunno: DANNY

 

[Grenadier1758]

If you cleaned using a brass bristled brush, you may have removed any of the polyester material from your bore. Even in the shallow grooved T/C barrels, it will take a lot of shooting to add that much polyester to the bore. Accumulation of fouling will have an adverse effect on accuracy first requiring cleaning.

None the less you have made a good decision to stay away from polyester material for your patches.

 

[BrownBear]

I'm betting it's a sincere test of lubes, with failure resulting in a mess in your bore. I say that based on using various plastic wads in muzzleloading shotguns over the years. With the right lube I've had zero fouling. With the wrong lube or no lube, there are plastic deposits in my bores.

Purely guessing, but I'm guessing the friction, heat and pressures can be quite a bit higher in rifles than shotguns, making it even more challenging for lubes. Good all-cotton patch material is cheap or free and I can't imagine any advantage to synthetics in patches, so I've just never experimented with it though.

 

[Vaino]

About 10 yrs ago I was sighting in a build and a young man cam over w/ his .45 TC Seneca because he saw me shooting a MLer and was having trouble sighting in his rifle.

Asked to see a patch he was using and it was from an old shirt and I suspected it was polyester. We cleaned his bore and then reloaded w/ one of my .018 thick pillow ticking patches. We then moved to the 50 yd range and shortly the rifle was sighted in. Evidently, the .45 Seneca is a very accurate rifle seeing the groups at 50 yds were well w/in 1-1/2".

Explained to him that polyester shirt mat'l wasn't the way to go and he should visit a cloth goods store and by some pillow ticking. He thanked me and left. I had given him my tel. no but didn't hear from him again.....Fred

 

[Billnpatti]

The ignition temperature of black powder is about 800 deg. I don't know what temperature is finally reached by burning black powder but I assume it is a good bit over 1,000 deg. F., probably approaching 2,000 deg. F. The melting point of polyester is around 480 deg. F. Given these facts, it is reasonable to assume that you would get some melted polyester and the products of its combustion deposited in your bore. While I have used only pure cotton for my patching, I have never experienced the results of using polyester for patches but it is my understanding that whatever polyester deposits in the bore, it is rather difficult to scrub out. As others have said, how much "stuff" you get in your bore from using patching material that contains polyester will depend on the several factors that they listed.

 

[tenngun]

My very first cloth "Mountain man" shirt I bought in '75 was sold to me as a linen shirt. Years later it was worn out and I cut it in to cleaning patchs. I tried a few to shoot, but they were too thin I thought but I never found any shot patches. They leaned well though.
Later I took a hand full to make some rag tinder.... when I opened the tin I knew 1) I had been ripped off when I bought the linen shirt, 2) I found out why I couldn't find any patches after I shot. My tinder tin was full little melted plastic ashes.

 

[54ball]

Let me put this way. I would not use 1970s gran paw and gran maw polyester slacks up to and including Leisure Suits as patching material but....
Your results may vary.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Wife threw out a pair of jeans....The thickness and weave was perfect for patches ....Upon firing the first shots and examining the fired patches I threw the jeans away....and they were only 10 or 15% synthetic.

 

[Golfswithwolves]

If you are concerned at all about Historical Correctness, then you should be made aware that research suggests that no polyester material was available to the earlier muzzleloader shooters. I hope this helps- GWW.

 

[hanshi]

I honestly don't know if I've ever used a patching material containing polyester; but probably have at some point. You see, I use to cut up old t-shirts or abscond with scraps of unknown material from the wife's sewing stuff. I do not do it intentionally and have for a long time bought my material verified as cotton.

Just thinking, here; but maybe if it's well lubed with the right lube, it might make it out of the bore without melting??

 

[coloradoclyde]

I

Just thinking, here; but maybe if it's well lubed with the right lube, it might make it out of the bore without melting??

That might take a lot of lube....

 

[1sthound]

Never said it was intentional, Just ignorance before I knew any better when I was a pup, I may have gooped on the lube too boot who knows? I don't recall that far back anymore, I did recover many patches back then that looked ok to my unknowing eyeballs. I do recall the barrel being hard to get spotless a few times though. I just assumed it was part of the game.
Was almost more carefree and fun before years later that I found out that I was all wrong, I don't plan on doing it again and sure as heck do not suggest anyone else try it. But I must admit that I am tempted to take one shot with that same material and eyeball the patch. Calm down just joking :rotf:

 

[hanshi]

18th century polyester was a much higher quality than what we're use to.

 

[tenngun]

Today's polyester is made of oil. Back then it was made of mogalnigi flies hand caught one at a time in the Punjab and only secreted the oil needed to make the polyester if it stung a naga. There was something in the naga skin that reacted with the sting of the mogalnigi flies. They couldn't kill the naga or the mogalnigi flies, and large numbers died being stung or trampled by an enraged naga. It made the cloth too expensive to be used for patching.
I think Kipling wrote a poem about the fly catching noga herdsme of the Punjab. :hmm:

 

[Zonie]

I heard the naga really hated to be stung by those fly's.

When the beasts saw the swarm coming, many people could see the naga hide.

(Just a little pun-jab. :grin: )

 

[cynthialee]

:haha:

:shake:

Never once occurred to me to put polyester down my gun barrel. The stuff melts. Guns operate via fire.
No brainer.

 

[tenngun]

:rotf: