does patch shape make a difference?

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

wondering if any one here has tested , does patch shape , round vs square vs cut after the ball is in the barrel with a sharp knife or razor

is there an accuracy difference?

I have heard some say cut at the barrel is best most even


but i wondered if any here had tested it

I am thinking of testing it at 50 yards from sand bags to see if i can even tell the difference

[johnson1942]

you have a very very good question greencountrypete. i can only offer you what i found out when i tested what you have stated. first when i shoot round ball i only use linen cloth. it used to be hard to get but with the internet now you can get it fairly easy. linen is so tough that a patch could be relubed and used over if you a mind to. i use a short starter that wont cut the cloth patch in any way,too big a diam. ones will, i put the ball 1/8 of a inch below the muzzle then cut it off clean and smooth with a straight razor. place patched ball on your powder but dont tamp. tamping can ruin accuracy. you are correct, if you were to use a pen to mark the cut line at the muzzle surface and pull the cloth and ball out the patch would be square and not round. i have cut patches this shape but i never get quite the accuracy i get when i cut the patch off at the muzzle. again the starter has to be slightly under size because if it is too big diam. it will cut the patch when you put the ball 1/8 below the muzzle. i use a small rubber mallet to tap on the end of the short starter. i also found i like rooster paper patch lube rubbed into and let dry over night as a good lube for my linen pieces. the razors i got for about 10 or 12 dollars a flea markets. if you have a faster twist barrel use less powder if it is a real slow twist use a fair amount. the is a shooter who call him self oldracer who belongs to this site. i know for a fact he can make round balls shoot better than any one ive seen. ask him to contribute to your questions. he has a lot of knowledge in this area. one point of history that might interest you. the first shot fired in the battle of new orleans was a 216 yard shot, and it was a head shot and took out a troublesome british officer. the gun was a souther mountain rifled long gun. if they could do it then we can shoot that accurate now, if we load right. they used a lot of linen in those days to patch bullets and ive seen pictures of square patches from those days. have fun you will get good results.

[johnson1942]

sorry for the type 0s i didnt proof read it.

[nhrifle]

I bought a yard of pillow ticking from Walmart and cut it into 1-1/4" strips then into squares. Then I soaked them in melted SPG and stored in a ziploc bag. I havn't noticed any difference between round and square patches. I started using those as I couldn't justify the cost of commercially cut patches. I got the yard of cloth for about the same cost as a package of 100 patches and I have already cut a couple thousand patches from it and it's not even close to being used up.

[Maven]

wondering if any one here has tested , does patch shape , round vs square vs cut after the ball is in the barrel with a sharp knife or razor

is there an accuracy difference?

I have heard some say cut at the barrel is best most even


but i wondered if any here had tested it

I am thinking of testing it at 50 yards from sand bags to see if i can even tell the difference


While a lubed patch cut at the muzzle is perfectly centered, it is no more accurate than a perfectly centered, pre-lube, pre-cut one. This has been tested many times, e.g., by The Bevel Bro's. (in "Muzzle Blasts"), Sam Fadala, et. al., with essentially the same results, namely no difference.

[Hanshi]

Makes no difference whatsoever.

[waksupi]

Now, whatcha gotta watch out for, is that striped pillow ticking. You need to be sure the stripes are lined up right. Get them turned off to one side, they can make your rifle shoot left or right.
I've won two world championships shooting square ones. I'd be afraid to try a round patch.

[nhrifle]

Hey Waksupi, how bout if'n I just bleach the lines out?

[oldracer]

The patch makes a difference "if you think it does, then it will"! As told to me by a muzzle loader that has been doing this for over 50 years.

[waksupi]

Hey Waksupi, how bout if'n I just bleach the lines out?

If you do that, you end up with a batch of unsorted lines, and they are so faint they are hard to re-install if you find out it didn't work out good.

[Beagle333]

My cousin's Hawken was shootin' off to the right and he didn't want to tap on his German Silver sight any, so I drew some extra lines in on one side of some of his patches with a magic marker and now it shoots straight as long as he starts em with the new lines on the left. I think the extra lines grab the rifling better, kinda like having more tread on one side of a tire.

[Maven]

You guys are very funny. Thanks for a good laugh!

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Good Will and Salvation Army are good places to get nice pre-washed linen "slacks" from the ladies. Large sizes will not cost any more than those little ones.
And never turn your patch upside down.
Merry Christmas. Mike in ILL

[rhbrink]

Let's see if I can remember all of this, keep the lines running the same direction, more lines on the direction you want to shoot, don't turn the patch upside down. Did I miss anything? I don't remember Dutch Schultz saying any of this maybe he was keeping a few secrets for himself?

RB

[nhrifle]

Let's don't forget percussion cap orientaion also!

[waksupi]

What's a percussion cap? Some kind of hat?

[Hellgate]

I would not recommend using clothing from the Goodwill, etc. for a patch material source. As clothes wear they get thinner so the fabric from the seat, knees or thighs rubbing could be thinner than that on the sides of the legs or shin area. Inconsistant patch thickness will muck up your accuracy.

[Boerrancher]

What's a percussion cap? Some kind of hat?

Ric, I think it is a hat for some of those new modern guns that is not very dependable in inclement weather.

Best wishes,

Joe

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

thank you every one for your input

[oldracer]

As mentioned earlier by several, I bought a couple of yards of pillow ticking at the super Walmart near here and cut them into strips then squares and finally trimmed off the corners so they are "sort of round". I got several thousand patches that way and did them all one evening after dinner. I put some lube into zip lock bags and squished them all around and have several years worth now. When I bought my custom target muzzle loader from Roger Johnson he included a beautiful piece of linen and an antique straight razor to cut the patch with. I see several of the shooters at our monthly matches do this but as I get tired near the end I am afraid of what I would do to my fingers or thumb with that razor! So I just show everyone and they think it is pretty!

The very experienced shooters say the most important part is having the patch fit snugly around the backside of the ball and fill the rifling space snugly for a good seal. Any that is in front of the ball is not to be worried about they say!

[Hanshi]

Wanna have a belly laugh? Then get some ticking, or similar material, with squares or circles on it. You can shoot around corners and even shoot yourself in the butt.

[fouronesix]

The very experienced shooters say the most important part is having the patch fit snugly around the backside of the ball and fill the rifling space snugly for a good seal. Any that is in front of the ball is not to be worried about they say!

I think that is pretty much it. Except (quote in bold), I also think that at some point a badly off center patch with a bunch of material out in front or off to one side would have to affect accuracy. Kind of thinking out loud here and may be an easy experiment for my next ML range session- if this stinking weather would cooperate :)