Round ball patch size and accuracy

[SDSmlf]

OK, what did Daniel do, use pre cut or at the muzzle? Asking honestly.

Don’t believe Daniel ever became a forum member and posted what he used……

 

[Uncle Miltie]

Lots of shooters back then pre-cut patches and carried them in the shooting bag or patchbox. Many old bags have been found with pre-cut patches, some cut square as with scissors or some cut in an octagon shape by snipping the corners off the square. Many also took a needle and thread and stuck it through the middle of the patches making a bundle that would not scatter all over the inside of the bag: when you needed a patch you just pulled one off.

 

[UndeadPoet]

I precut all my patches so size variation is sort of "built in". I do try and keep them on the minimum size but prefer oversize to undersize. I have a chart of patch dia. recommendations for each caliber and try for the best size. But still I sometimes find a patch will work for two "close" calibers. But so far I've never found an effect the patch size might have on accuracy.

hanshi, would you mind sharing your patch size chart? ‘Poet

 

[Sun City]

He used his wife's worn out panty hose!!

 

[david w]

He used his wife's worn out panty hose!!

Nylon and BP barrels are NOT compatible!

 

[Grenadier1758]

PRB

IMG_3565 by Sharps Man, on Flickr

530" 54 cal Hornady swaged RB with .018" thickness pillow tick with Canola lube plus 100 grains KIK 2F BP

Sharps Man, on Flickr

That's the right sized patch. And your lube is working as it should with the correct sized ball.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Use the thinnest patch you can get away with. Excess patching material will hurt nothing, but a patch that is too small will hurt accuracy.

I like patch material with reasonable compression to roughly the groove depth + the windage between the round ball and the lands. Too thin a patch and the material shreds. For easy loading, it is better for a smaller ball and slightly thicker patch material.

 

[Grenadier1758]

OK, what did Daniel do, use pre cut or at the muzzle? Asking honestly.

Fortunately, we have John Audubon's quote.

This may be the earliest and most complete description of loading and firing a flintlock, yet there is no mention of a short or straight starter.

Forum Member Elnathan provided the following quote.

James Audubon, c1810, describing his host preparing to go raccoon hunting:

"… He blows through his rifle to ascertain that it is clear, examines his flint, and thrusts a feather into the touch-hole. To a leathern bag swung at his side is attached a powder-horn; his sheath-knife is there also; below hangs a narrow strip of homespun linen. He takes from his bag a bullet, pulls with his teeth the wooden stopper from his powder-horn, lays the ball in one hand, and with the other pours the powder upon it until it is just overtopped. Raising the horn to his mouth, he again closes it with the stopper, and restores it to its place. He introduces the powder into the tube; springs the box of his gun, greases the "patch" over with some melted tallow, or damps it; then places it on the honey-combed muzzle of his piece. The bullet is placed on the patch over the bore, and pressed with the handle of the knife, which now trims the edge of the linen. The elastic hickory rod, held with both hands, smoothly pushes the ball to its bed; once, twice, thrice has it rebounded. The rifle leaps as it were into the hunters arms, the feather is drawn from the touch-hole, the powder fills the pan, which is closed. “Now I’m ready,” cries the woodsman….

Journals, Vol. 2, (1972 reprint), page 492.

Gus

Linen patch, some have suggested it was 200 count linen, but here the linen is homespun and the thread count is not determined.

 

[Sun City]

Nylon and BP barrels are NOT compatible!

T weren't nylon!!

 

[Frontier's]

I've done plenty of my own testing and will use pre cut.

 

[necchi]

I’ve read where the accepted view is that patch size doesn’t affect accuracy. What say you guys?

If the patch surrounds the balls contact surface with the bore completely, and the lube is consistent, excess material above the ball/bore contact matters not.

 

[tenngun]

OK, what did Daniel do, use pre cut or at the muzzle? Asking honestly.

Audubon records watching Boone load. He was using four hundred count linen and cut at the muzzle.
All the time? Special occasion? As needed? Boone or Audubon didn’t say. Although precut is known back to sixteenth century, and precut was common I’m going to bet Boone cut at the muzzle. And the reason is most folks today don’t skip back and forth.

 

[tenngun]

Audubon records watching Boone load. He was using four hundred count linen and cut at the muzzle.
All the time? Special occasion? As needed? Boone or Audubon didn’t say. Although precut is known back to sixteenth century, and precut was common I’m going to bet Boone cut at the muzzle. And the reason is most folks today don’t skip back and forth.

Sorry posted before I saw it prev posted

 

[LME]

If the patch surrounds the balls contact surface with the bore completely, and the lube is consistent, excess material above the ball/bore contact matters not.

Idaho Lewis uses a .45 patch in his .50 rifles? I will not argue with his success! He has proven that it works fine.

 

[Urban Coyote]

Example target, grouping same load, different patch. .32 TVM Tennessee caplock, 25 yards, still playing with combinations.

 

[oldwood]

Always check the true thickness w/a compression micrometer , not the "bird beak" thickness measuring type. Most pre-cut patching from suppliers , is thinner than advertised. For instance ,...... , my .50 cal barrel , with .490 r/b's likes .012 patching. I have to use advertised , .015 , which is actually comp. mic.ed , at .012. . I know , i know , another m/ling PITA to contend with , but it is what it is. All my rifle barrels have beautifully , hand crowned muzzles , but I still use miced. patching , so the patching isn't cut by the rifling when loading.

 

[Erwan]

Example target, grouping same load, different patch. .32 TVM Tennessee caplock, 25 yards, still playing with combinations.

Don’t take in the bad part of what I’m going to say…
To make a group at 25 yards with a 32 cal. can’t talk and say anything about the patches and the difference between those: at a so short distance the group normally makes only one hole: you can’t see the difference in the intrinsic quality of the patches if those are at the same size, the human factor is the reason.
You certainly did it in support, which is good, it diminishes the importance of the ground/gun interface but doesn’t prove some difference.
If you make two different targets with almost ten shots in each, maybe the comparison could be a bit more talking...

 

[Urban Coyote]

"Still playing with different combinations", or did you miss that part?

Frustration, the Crockett I once owned would do close to one hole at 25. This TVM, 4 plus times what I paid for that Crockett some years back, I'm still trying to get to shoot that well. I'll get there. Regardless, my photo demonstrates patches can make a difference.

 

[doubleset]

"Still playing with different combinations", or did you miss that part?

Frustration, the Crockett I once owned would do close to one hole at 25. ... I'll get there.

Maybe not. Two different rifles, different barrels, different bores, different muzzles But keep trying.

 

[Maxjon]

I buy pre lubed, only because I'm lazy...