new at this

[runfiverun]

i know how a regular cast boolit needs to fit a bbl BUT?
what is the relationship between a cast round ball to a b/p bbl?
i have a t/c 50 cal with 501 land height and 511 grooves
but the rb's i have are 490. too small?
how does the patch affect this?
am i looking for a rb that is land size or just under?
and fill the grooves with the patch.
or do i add the patch to the rb to fill the lands?
not sure here.
and of course i'll cast my own, but need to know what i'm looking for.
thanks.

[frontier gander]

.490 round ball with .015 patch.

[1874Sharps]

Runfiverun,

The total diameter of the patched RB is actually the diameter of the RB plus TWO times the patch diameter (you have a thickness of patch to the left and right of the ball). A standard 0.490 ball with either a 0.015 or 0.016 inch patch ought to work just fine in your TC, just as it has for me in mine. Good luck with it and let us know how it does!

[docone31]

Pillow ticking.
Wash it, cut it into 1" squares, fire. Should do well.

[rob45]

The patch takes up the slack between the ball and bore diameter. When measuring the thickness of your patches, remember that patch thickness refers to an uncompressed reading. Do not turn the mic as far as it will go, because then you have a compressed reading. Slight to almost no compression is the proper way to mic your patch material, and just like a good machinist, may take some time to develop the proper "feel" when measuring. Upon compression, the patch will fill the grooves.

The "proper" procedure for optimum accuracy is first a tight ball fit, then the patch. But such is not the case if you are loading a hunting gun, because you have to worry about ease of loading.

The .490 ball is fine. Use patch thickness to compensate. Vary the patch thickness to see what works best in your barrel. .015" pillow ticking material should be a good start.

A .495" ball is usually better, and is the next step if you can't make the .490" work by varying patches, but loading is more difficult and patch material (durability) becomes even more important.

The tighter the ball to bore, the more important it is to have the correct durable patch material, along with a smooth bore so as not to have the rifling cut into the patch. A patch that is cut by sharp rifling will create all sorts of headaches. Accuracy is usually better with a tighter ball, but ease of loading is always compromised. Some of the target shooters actually use a bore-size ball, but have to literally hammer it down the bore.

One other thing: Before you start changing patches, be sure to run the entire range of powder charges with that particular patch and ball combination. A patched ball combo can be very finicky as to what it likes. I have seen a 10 grain powder change mean the difference between excellent and horrible.

[mooman76]

Good info here, I agree with it all. You have a little more leway with this because the patch compresses and you can change loads in the field to suit you and your gun. Take a veriaty of patches with you so you can try different thicknesses and materials. No synthetics. Cotten or linen is usually used. If you are just plinking you can use a slightly thinner patch for ease of loading and for hunting too for quick reloads if you are lucky enough to get one. I'd start with a .440 ball. It's esier to start there and go to a thicker patch if you need than to go with a toght ball and then you have less choices for patches. After your first shot and you have a fouled barrel the loads will tighten a little.

[Maven]

".490 round ball with .015 patch." ...Frontier Gander

What Frontier Gander said. Btw, the T/C .50cal. (.490") RB mold is excellent and can be obtained at a decent price from your favorite auction site. Also, T/C patches #7030 may still be available from gunshops that specialize in traditional BP firearms. However, before you commit to a mold, try a box of .490" Hornady or Speer RB's v. .495" RB's with the .015" patch. Lastly, 100% cotton pocket drill is another excellent patching material.

[runfiverun]

thanks guys. it seems i am on the right track i measured and cut some cotton patches today that are almost ,015.
i will compare to the thinner ones i have, and try maybe to find a slightly larger ball for the thinner ones.
it seemed that i was getting better accuracy after about 10 shots with the combo i have and it wasn't any harder to ram the ball down.
i'll keep at it, and i'm sure i'll have about 50 more q's....thaanks a bunch.

[dualsport]

Is your TC a traditional style with slow twist or is it a modern inline or Hawkwn with fast twist barrel? If it's a 1/48" twist it was made to shoot conicals more than patched round balls. Runfive, once you go down that BP muzzleloader road you may never come back. Next you'll want a smoothbore. Launching huge round balls from a 12 ga. is a riot. Then there's the pistols, and muskets, and....

[waksupi]

Wouldn't you really rather have a flintlock?[smilie=s:

[runfiverun]

raditional style with the slow twist.
i lookes at another with a g-mountain 1-28 twist bbl but it was a bit much for carrying around.

ric i would rather have a flinter but....
i have already looked at a bp shotgun too, but i think the model 94 in 32 ws is next.

[Dean D.]

Welcome to the madness Lamar! I am relatively new to muzzle loading myself but I've been fortunate to have Ric, Steve and Scott to bug incessantly for advice in chat. :roll:

One thing I've learned is you have to try different patch/ball/LUBE combo's to see what your gun likes best. It seems each gun has a preference of its own.

Ric showed me how to make and use Moose Milk and I love the stuff for target shooting. I'm still messing with my new Lyman GPR .54 flintlock to see what it prefers for a hunting load. I bought some TC patches that are pre-lubed with Bore Butter. It seemed to tip over the doe we got earlier this season with no problem. I have not had time to set down and group it with them as well as I would like tho.

You did not say, are you planning on hunting or just target shooting? That could make a difference in your lube choice.

Gotta love the smell of BP smoke! :mrgreen: