Round patches

[Gus]

Do round ball patches really need to be round like the ones in the store? Or can I just make square ones? I don't see why it should matter.

Also, anyone gotta good recipe or brand for patch lube? I'm shooting a .69 caliber smooth bore Charleville.

Thanks.

gus

 

[jtmattison]

Square patches shoot just as good as round.

Check the members resource section for Stumpy's Moose Milk and Moose Snot. Both are great lubes.

HD

 

[feyx0006]

Ditto. :grin: I precut all of mine sqaure w/ good results. You can still have a few in your mouth at a time to have a ready supply of spit patches. A number of good lubes are available (everyone has his favorite--spit, bore butter, olive oil, Moose juice or snot, ballistol, etc.), and they can be applied either at home or in the field. Have fun!

 

[Many Klatch]

Square patches work as well as round in a smoothbore. I only use spit patches because I'm cheap and lazy. A friend let me use some of his prelubed patches at a shoot recently. He was using Murphy's Oil Soap and I have to say it kept my Bess cleaner than the spit would have. He soaks the patches in the Oil Soap overnight and then puts them between a couple blocks of wood and tightens the whole thing in a vise. That squeezes out a lot of the excess soap. The patches are kept in a tin box that he carries in his pouch.

Many Klatch

 

[jdixon]

In theory, the placement of the patch in relation to the ball i.e., having the patch "off center" to the ball when it is started, would have an effect on your shot placement. Like I said, in theory, I don't know if anyone has proven this yet. Regardless it seems to have merit to me. I cut all of my patches at the muzzle from a larger piece of patching material. A ball starter I use seats the ball and patch at a uniform depth each time, the patch is then cut flush with the muzzle. Using this method produces a patch that is uniform in size and attitude to the ball each and every time. Added bonus, it is cheaper and easier to use the larger hunks of material.

 

[shmrck1]

Gus,
I've used both,and to be honest, I am not
a target shooter. But when I do shoot targets
there is little if any difference between the
two.IMHO I must say however that my shooting
is only done as a prelude to deer hunting.I do
not spend hours at the range trying to shoot
clovers.If I can put 3 shots in a 6" circle
at 50yds,offhand, then I am ready to go deer
hunting.
Most of the deer I have harvested with my
M/L have been inside of 50yds.Longest maybe
being 70/75 yards.I remember one that was
harvested at 30 feet. A very nice,2/3 year old
6pt that was uninformed.
snake-eyes

 

[Ohio Joe]

Square patches work just fine. I have never found any difference in the results of using either or...

I would agree that a more uniform patch can be had by cutting at the muzzle after short starting the ball, but to be honest I've never seen any difference in accuracy.

The key IMHO is to make sure the patch is covering the axis of the ball in the bore of a rifled or smoothbore - bore... This will stop blow-by of gasses in both, and help to impart spin of the ball in a rifled bore.

I use a 1 1/4 inch round patch in all my calibers, .40 through .54 with good results. Of course I only have a 1 1/4 inch patch cutter punch. I normally only cut at the muzzle when at Rendezvous, and/or load from a bullet block that I use pre-cut patches in. :hatsoff:

 

[billk]

I cut my patches on the barrel. They always come out round. However, a lot of members here say there is no difference between square and round patches.
Billk

 

[roundball]

I agree with OJ....as long as material comes up high enough all around it make no difference that I've ever seen. On this very note, I tried an experiment at the range one summer a few years ago...had a few of those 2.5" TC prelubed cleaning & seasoning patches laying on the bench...shooting a .50cal, used one of them for a patch...started the ball 1/2" in past the muzzle, then folded all that sticky lubed excess material back and forth over the ball (like a coin wrapper) and seated it down.

The huge patch flared out like a parachute and fluttered down a few feet in front of the bench, and the ball center shot a coke can off the 50 yard line like I'd already been doing.

IMO, the several hundred mph wind blast that hits the patch at muzzle exit takes care of any concerns about excess patch size, patches being off center, etc.

I use 1+1/8 for .40/.45
1+3/8 for .50/.54/.58
And I think the .60-.70cal patches for the .62cal are 1+5/8

 

[Claude Mathis]

I cut my patches on the barrel. They always come out round. However, a lot of members here say there is no difference between square and round patches.
Billk

It's been my experience that patches cut at the muzzle will come out square, with rounded corners, not round.

Here's a previous thread about round and square patches.
[url] http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showpost.php?post/446806[/url]/

 

[redwing]

I use a small drill press to cut my patches. Cut the teeth off the size hole saw you need for your patch.
Run the hole saw in the press and hold a mill file to its edge until its sharp.

Use a small board with a hole in it for a guide. Place the cloth 5 or 6 layers on the drill table with a small sheet of plastic to protect the table. Place the wooden guide on top of the cloth. Run the press hole saw down. You can cut piles of nice round patches in a very short time :thumbsup:

 

[xbowman]

The other day I got ready to shoot my 45cal Flinter and grabbed a box of 440 balls. I always use .015 ticking with 440's, but grabbed the .010 patch material soaked with Ballistol. It shot a clover leaf/3 shots in a row that were touching each other. It sure surprised me. I cut at the muzzle most of the time now.

xbowman

 

[410-er]

I guess it is how you hold them but I cut "Diamond" patches not square. :rotf:

 

[catman]

I got to have round patches, so I cut mine round. Hey I'm a Contractor, square is for buildings and round is for shooting.

 

[tg]

As most have said it won't matter much in your smoothbore, you will probably find that you can shoot a rather small ball with a larger patch or even the small patch after the barrel fouls, I have used .530 balls with a .012in my .58 after the barrel fouls a bit from the .562 loads with the same patch and it shoots well. I have not been able to ever tell any difference between the sq. and rd. patches