Ticking too thick?

[jderrick]

I just got some of the pillow ticking I hear folks talking about as patch material. Lubed some up and tried it in my .50 cal with a .490 ball and it was massivly too tight. I was applying as much force as I thought wise and starting to carve into the ball and it just wouldn't go.

Do I have to specialy treat the ticking or something? Use an even smaller ball? Beat it with a hammer?

Didn't see this elsewhere, please redirect me as needed... Thanks!

 

[dlemaster]

jderrick
Did you mike the material? With a .495 ball it may be too thick. Try a .490 ball. I like to use a smaller ball with a thick patch to hold more lube and lessen the chance for burn through.
In my 20 gauge smooth bore which mikes out at .614 I use a .595 dia ball. I use the same dia ball in my .60 cal rifle but have to use a thinner patch. I'm looking for a .590 dia mould in something other than aluminum blocks for the rifle.

Regards, Dave

 

[Roy]

You can buy different types of pillow ticking at different thicknesses too.

 

[2172]

When I switched to ticking I had the same problem..ticking that miked at .017 or + required me to use a mallet to seat the ball. I found a kind of 'imitation' ticking..striped only on one side, pure cotton, that miked at .010...takes a good load of wonderlube, and I can thumb seat the ball...recovered patches show no burn or cut..Hank

 

[Roy]

I have some that measures .022 and some thats .018 (after being washed) here for different guns, I have to mark them so I don't grab the wrong stuff.

 

[bwhoffman]

I had the same issue. used .017 walmart ticking, 490 rb which is actualy .488 on the swaged balls, 491 on my home rolleds. Very tight. I went to a .010 and an old cotton shirt that mic'd .008, had great results.
What I found was the diffewrent specs on the guns!
the cva is tighter than others.

Curious to know what you are shooting.
I am having really good results with the .008 shirt material and olive oil/ murphy's and the .010 linen type stuff is pretty decent.

Brett

 

[dmills]

Did you wash it first? Ticking does vary from batch to batch, but most Wal-Mart ticking has measured for me at .018 from store to store.

The Lyman owners manual (available on-line free at Lyman) gives a good general discussion on measuring the barrel and then using the right combination of ball and patch. This will apply equally to other MLs.

For target shooting, you will want a tight ball/patch combination, but you will want to use a short starter and be careful if you use the hickory ram rod that came with the rifle. Best to use a stout range rod instead.

For hunting, you will want a ball/patch combination that you can thumb start and "easily" seat with the ram rod.

 

[bob1961]

i called T/C to find out what the bore dia was and to what the rifling was deep wise....to match it with conicals..........bob

 

[Arrowstorm]

wow.

i use .018 ticking with spit an a .490 ball. I have no problem ramming that combo to the end of the breech. In fact, I even have some .495 rb that I sometimes use for an extra tight fit, but even then..it's not all that difficult to ram home.

I wonder if the problem lies in the barrel of yer gun. might be bored a slight bit smaller than thought.

Also.. washing the ticking might have something to do with it. It tends to be really stiff and tight when first bought, but kind of gets "softer" maybe after it's washed. Or is that just my imagination?

 

[davy]

I allus wash my new patch material twice first thing I get it ... make sit much more pliable and ... gets rid of the "sizing" chemicals in the material as well.

Davy

 

[jderrick]

I was using unwashed Walmart ticking with a .50 Traditions Kentucky I kit-built over last winter.... I've also used cut up cotton cleaning patches from walmart (T-shirt style fabric) and pre-lubed Ox-Yoke .010's....

I'll try washing some of the ticking and seeing if Wally-World sells different thicknesses....

 

[Arrowstorm]

oh, deffinitely try washing it.

my rifle is also a traditions .50 cal. I have no problems with ticking patches at all.

 

[fatboy]

You will find that CVA bores are tighter then others not sure about the Tradition barrels but you should wash your ticking first and maybe twice before using with your favorite lube

 

[Landngroove]

I was using unwashed Walmart ticking

Was it the red, or blue stripped ticking? I have bought both, from Wal-Mart, and find that the red measures about .018". The blue was about .022". I have good results with the red. Either way, be sure to wash, and rinse thoroughly to get the sizing out.

 

[jderrick]

I was using the blue... I dunno, just liked the color and didn't realize the difference....

 

[Swampman]

Smaller ball, and thicker patch is always better.

 

[musketman]

Ticking too thick?

Being one to take the less travailed path, there is such things as fabric shavers... :hmm:

One could shave off a few thousandths with such a devise...

 

[Walker357]

Tried some cut at the muzzle ticking from Wal Mart. It miked at .018. With wonder lube it was extremely tight, had to use a hammer to get a couple seated. With moose juice the same ticking loaded much easier. I'm still going to look for some thinner material. Too lazy to fight for every shot.

 

[Rebel]

You might check out the #40 Drill cloth at JoAnns. Not sure what it mics, but it works good for patching.

 

[jimeckersley]

I'll try washing some of the ticking and seeing if Wally-World sells different thicknesses....

Like Davy said, wash the fabric, 2x is best. This gets out the starch and chemicals. The cloth shrinks up a little and is more pliable. The fibers will accept the lube better too.

Here's a tip for keeping your cloth from turning into a pile of threads: Run a light bead of water proof white wood glue around the edges. After the glue dries, you can wash and dry without the cloth falling apart.