Square Shooting Patches

[roundball]

Since there always seems to be a lot of threads about round vs. square patches, for what its worth I started out with store bought round patches years ago, and have now used square patches for a number of years in various calibers & gauges...simple / quick to make, 100% reliable.
Picked these up after my final Turkey season range tune-up session a couple days ago.

Rice 42" x .54cal Smoothbore barrel
90grns Goex 3F
.028" x 1+3/8" patches from Jo-Aann Fabric
Natural Lube 1000
Eddie May .520" cast balls

 

[coloradoclyde]

I am glad to see that you are environmentally conscious and pick up your trash. :thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[Zonie]

I suspect you've got your tongue in your cheek but for you newbies, picking up those patches can give you a wealth of information about what's happening inside your barrel when you shoot.

Notice there are no cuts, burn thru's or rips where the ball meets the bore.

The tattered outside edges are common and are to be expected when a piece of cloth meets a supersonic blast of air.

I know. I know. This has nothing to do with shooting square patches but I couldn't help but comment when we have such a nice picture of good patches.

OK. I'll get back on topic.
I shoot round patches but that's because I went to the trouble and expense of buying and modifying some "hole saws" so I figure I might as well use my investment.

Had I not spent the money for those cutters I would be shooting square patches like Roundballs.

The only warning I'll give about using square patches or round patches that are way bigger than they need to be is that extra material at the corners can get lodged between the ramrod tip and the bore. If that happens, the trapped material can drag the patched ball back up the bore when you remove the ramrod.

To keep this from happening, just fold the corners over the top of the ball after it is first started into the muzzle.
Then, with the ramrod pushing on the folded material on the top of the ball rather than getting down inside it to push directly on the ball, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I suspect you've got your tongue in your cheek

Nope! not at all, I truly despise range litter. I applaud those who police their trash. Plus, like you said those patches provide a wealth of information.

 

[azmntman]

Since there always seems to be a lot of threads about round vs. square patches, for what its worth I started out with store bought round patches years ago, and have now used square patches for a number of years in various calibers & gauges...simple / quick to make, 100% reliable.
Picked these up after my final Turkey season range tune-up session a couple days ago.

Rice 42" x .54cal Smoothbore barrel
90grns Goex 3F
.028" x 1+3/8" patches from Jo-Aann Fabric
Natural Lube 1000
Eddie May .520" cast balls

Some of those look eggs shaped where the (marble) print is seen. Marbles for turkey? :blah:

 

[Jim C]

I have exactly zero experience with smooth bores neither solid RB, or shot. Are they actually accurate enough to hit a turkey in the head at any range? Reason for asking is that I've watched a youtube video of a guy demonstrating the difference between the accuracy of the British Brown Bess and the Kentucky styled long rifle just to show the disadvantage the British had v our minutemen in the revolutionary war. The BB musket was spraying shots all over a man sized silhouette at fifty yds, it even completely missed once or twice, v the Kentucky long rifle hitting the silhouette in the heart with every shot

BTW, I do have experience with round v square patches and have never found one iota of difference.

 

[roundball]

Are they actually accurate enough to hit a turkey in the head at any range?

I wouldn't say "any range" but out to about 50yds, yes...my Early Virgina keeps them all in a 3" circle at 50yds from a seated hunting position at the range, and would be better from a bench.
But in the reality of various lighting / hunting conditions with a turkey twitching its head up/down/around, my ego isn't big enough to try a turkey head shot with a PRB.
This is 20 shots at 35yds from a seated hunting position, leaning back against a post at the range as if it was a tree:
(PS: the paper target doesn't move around :wink: )

 

[Jim C]

"(PS: the paper target doesn't move around )"

LOL!..........That's pretty dog gone impressive with a smoothie......At fifty yds you could give me a run for my money with my best shooting rifle!.....Maybe the guy I was watching on the youtube video just didn't know what he was doing or maybe his results were just indicative of the performance expected from a Brown Bess SB? :idunno:

 

[roundball]

What I've learned shooting PRBs out of various 28 and 20ga smoothbores over the years is there's a direct correlation between velocity & accuracy...disproportionally more so than with a rifle.

My conclusion being since there's no rifling to impart spin stabilization, if I drive the PRB fast enough out of the smoothbore it won't slow down enough to start getting a knuckle-ball effect and I'll get darn near rifle like accuracy to 50yds.

By contrast, I think the service loads on those military muskets are down pretty low, only like 60grns powder, whereas I drive my 28ga at 90grns 3F and the 20ga at 110grns 2F.

 

[Jim C]

Thanks for the explanation RB, it really makes a lot of sense. This is what I dearly love the most about BP guns and burning the stuff, finding out the almost endless unknowns. To me, nothing is more fun than that.

 

[Billnpatti]

Absolutely gorgeous rifle....and it can obviously shoot, too. That's a very impressive group from a smoothbore at 50 yards. Yeah, I know the nut on the trigger had a lot to do with it. :haha: Good shooting, buddy, real good shooting!! :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Absolutely gorgeous rifle....and it can obviously shoot, too. That's a very impressive group from a smoothbore at 50 yards. Yeah, I know the nut on the trigger had a lot to do with it. Good shooting, buddy, real good shooting!! :thumbsup:

To be clear, I mentioned that the target in the photo was at 35yds...

 

[daniel collums]

we can't use a rifle in mississippi, only shotguns with #2 shot or smaller, or bows. i wish we could use a prb.

 

[Coot]

The military was focused on obtaining a large volume of fire - accuracy was not hitting a man sized target but rather a platoon or company sized target. A high volume of fire increased the odds of taking out a number of enemy soldiers - which ones that might be hit was not considered important. Using an undersized loose ball gives a fast load but at the expense of accuracy. A tightly fitting patched ball on the other hand is much slower to load but delivers much better accuracy. Consider the application & choose accordingly.

 

[Billnpatti]

Oops, my bad :idunno: Still, darned good shooting with a gorgeous rifle.