To patch or not to patch ball in Smoothbore

[Sartana]

New to Smoothbore Shooting. I have been watching videos by Mike Beliveau regarding the loading and shooting process with a smoothbore. I had watched enough of his (and others) to confirm the loading process to be the following: Powder/Tow/Ball/Tow. Yes, there are options for things other than Tow, but for this example you get my point. Anyway, I was watching yet another video of his and in it he stated that he changed to: Powder/Ball/Tow. Stated that was how they did it historically AND that he had better results on the range. Curious as to your thoughts and process in the shooting of a Smoothbore. Thanks!

Here is the video where he mentions it. You can see his comments at the 12:50 point of the clip.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Curious as to your thoughts and process in the shooting of a Smoothbore.

Are you after a historically correct procedure, or accuracy? If you are after the best accuracy your smoothie can obtain I say try both ways Mike shows, and see what works best for your gun. I am one who likes a patch, and don't care if it is or isn't HC. Your choice on which way to go.
Flintlocklar

 

[Murph507]

Are you after a historically correct procedure, or accuracy? If you are after the best accuracy your smoothie can obtain I say try both ways Mike shows, and see what works best for your gun. I am one who likes a patch, and don't care if it is or isn't HC. Your choice on which way to go.
Flintlocklar

The lubricated patches I use make a mess and foul the flint. Any suggestions ?

 

[cositrike]

The lubricated patches I use make a mess and foul the flint. Any suggestions ?

Try a different lubricant?

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

The lubricated patches I use make a mess and foul the flint. Any suggestions ?

This is my lube: 4 oz. NAPA water soluble oil, 4 oz. Lysol concentrate disinfectant, 4 oz. 91 % rubbing alcohol, and 4 oz. of hydrogen peroxide...makes 1 gallon when you add water. I see no reason why your flint is getting fouled by any type of lube. The lube is in front of the powder combustion. All gases emitted from the vent and pan are the product of that combustion. That is the only reason your flint is getting fouled.
Flintlocklar

 

[rich pierce]

I prefer a patched round ball. It’s the more efficient use of powder. I get good accuracy. My patches look perfect. Guess I could try paper cartridges but what I am doing is working.

 

[Runewolf1973]

I find I quite enjoy shooting bare balls out of my NW trade gun. It is a nice change from having to use a ball starter and forcing a tiight ball and patch down the barrel, but yah...the accuracy does lack a bit. So I just purchased a 16" gong of AR-500 plate steel. The 8" gong was a little tough to hit reliably and when you do miss it's hard to tell where the ball went.

I used to have to swab the bore between every other shot with the rifle. Now I can basically shoot all day without needing to swab. It's awesome.

I have some.58 call roundballs that I will be trying out with patches though in my 20 gauge.

 

[tenngun]

Patching a ball goes back to the 1840s that we can prove. It’s written about as if common knowledge, so I’m betting it goes back much further.
Jackson’s Kentucky Rifles lost many of their guns in a boating accident, and many were shooting random smoothies. As they had been shooting PRB all their lives I bet patching would come naturally.
I shoot both styles. I have found a patch a little better at fifty yards but not so much Bambi would fret over the difference.
However I hunt with a PRB as,in my head at least, it’s less likely to move off the powder as I tramp in the woods.
Some folks have had great success with moose milk type concoctions as patch or wad lubes. These are modern concoctions. The old timers used an animal fat or oil or sweet oil, ie: olive oil. Plain old lard or a little more expensive mink oil works great on a patch or a wad in a smoothie. A paste of bees wax and oil too works well.
In my personal experience I find greasy llubes easier to work with then wet lubes

 

[Maven]

Sartana, I've tried Mike's method with tow wads fore & aft, but my gun didn't like it (6"- 8" groups @ 50 yd. usually 8" to the right of my point of aim). I've also tried bore sized RB's roughened between 2 rasps + overpowder and overshot wads, and that same bore sized RB with overpowder and overshot wads, but none were as accurate @ 25 yd. as a patched RB, although the bore sized RB + OP and OS wads came close. Additionally, I've found that RB diameter and patch thickness is less critical in a smoothbore than it is in a rifle. Lastly, as per tenngun's post, for hunting, a greased patch is better than a wet one.

 

[Murph507]

Sounds like grease is the way to got . Thanks .

 

[pat i.]

.600 ball, .010 spit patch, 65 grs of 3f in my .62 cal works good enough for me and I can start the ball with my thumb. Maybe if I hunted with it I'd have to grease the patch.

 

[Cruzatte]

I've tried both ways, traditional, and patched ball. So far, the results are inconclusive in my 62 ga. fusil de chasse. This only means that I need to schedule more time at the range.

 

[Art Caputo]

I get the best accuracy with my 62 cal Fowler using a .60LRB with a .015” patch with Mink Oil....Very close to my rifles using patched LRB. Perhaps not HC, but worth the trade-off when seeking optimized shot and ball versatility with one gun.

 

[mushka]

In my smoothy I use 70 grn 3f with a casted 61 cal round ball and .018 patch. I've never shot a plain round ball yet but might try it to see what happens. I'm never n a hurry and I spit patch between every shot. Sometimes I'll mix round ball shooting with shotgun loads. Interesting concept.

 

[Murph507]

.600 ball, .010 spit patch, 65 grs of 3f in my .62 cal works good enough for me and I can start the ball with my thumb. Maybe if I hunted with it I'd have to grease the patch.

I'm using a pre-lubed .015 patch and a .610 ball in my 64 smooth bore . The store bought patch seems to me to have too much lube . 3 or 4 shots and the pan is awash in lube . Ive been a shooter and hunter a long time . Black powder is new to me . Thanks for the help .

 

[Kev308]

80 gr 3f. .600 rb pillow ticking patch lubed with ballistol and water 3:1
I finally had to put a rear sight on my smoothie
Love shooting this gun

 

[hanshi]

My best smoothbore accuracy comes from patching the ball. The load is not nearly as snug as I load in my rifles. I don't really care what was done 200 years ago; I just want the best performance I can ring out of a gun.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

It seems a bare ball with just a tow Top wad would give low velocity. Probably lower than powder tow ball tow.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

My best smoothbore accuracy comes from patching the ball. The load is not nearly as snug as I load in my rifles. I don't really care what was done 200 years ago; I just want the best performance I can ring out of a gun.

For a lot of youngsters, they are enthralled by the history and original experience. They like to see what the original methods can do. For many others, they are just looking for top accuracy.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

This is my lube: 4 oz. NAPA water soluble oil, 4 oz. Lysol concentrate disinfectant, 4 oz. 91 % rubbing alcohol, and 4 oz. of hydrogen peroxide...makes 1 gallon when you add water. I see no reason why your flint is getting fouled by any type of lube. The lube is in front of the powder combustion. All gases emitted from the vent and pan are the product of that combustion. That is the only reason your flint is getting fouled.
Flintlocklar

Lysol??

My gosh, now I’ve heard it all. What other poisons will be recommended next??