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Thread: What Do Shredded Patches Indicate?

  1. #1
    Boolit Mold
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    What Do Shredded Patches Indicate?

    My fired patches are always shredded almost beyond recognition. Not burned, but frayed almost down to nothing.
    What does this mean? How can it be changed?

  2. #2
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    not thick enuf, not lubed enuf, not pure cotton or linen.

  3. #3
    Boolit Master
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    You don't mention caliber, ball size, powder charge, patch thickness and material or lube. As rfd mentioned, it could be any or all the above.
    "In general, the art of government is to take as much money as possible from one class of citizens and give it to another class of citizens" Voltaire'

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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by rfd View Post
    not thick enuf, not lubed enuf, not pure cotton or linen.
    Also can be caused my too loose a weave in the material. ie tee shirt material. If the patch material can be stretched by pulling on the edges, it is not suitable.

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    sharp edges or rough spots in the riflin' can also play a part.

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    What are you using for patches? Blue striped pillow ticking is the standard.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master

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    One more thing not mentioned is prelubed patches that are getting old. The lube sometimes can deteriorate the patches. Best thing to do is to try a few more different patches/material. If they don't hold up either, we can go from there but need more info than just tearing up patches. Also gun new or broken in? New guns sometimes have sharp lands until broken in.

    I bought a used 36 cal rifle a couple years ago. It was literally destroying patches. Although used I believe the gun was not even broke in yet. Maybe because accuracy was not there and that was mostly due to destroying patches. The more I shot it the better it got. I ran a scotch bright pad up and down the bore, took fine emory cloth to the sharp crown and then lapped the bore. Big, big improvement.
    Aim small, miss small!

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    if you use medium weight tight weave pure 100 percent linen patches there wont be a problem. as mentioned, some rifles have very sharp edges on the rifling but it doesnt sound like that. pure linen patches of tight weave and medium weight can be picked up and relubed and used again a lot of the times, they are that tough. if you can find medium weight tight weave hemp cloth that would be good also. last of all the pillow ticking waksupi mentioned in a well made rifle barrel works also. i prefer linen.it a no fuss or mess around good patching material.

  9. #9
    Boolit Mold
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    Oops! Sorry about that! I was heading off to work this morning and was in a hurry when I dashed off the original post.
    Lyman .50 caliber Deerstalker, .495" ball, new store-bought T/C cotton blue & yellow pillow ticking .018" pre-lubed patches, and 70gr. of fff real black powder.
    There. Got enough to go on?

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    My guess is sharp edges or burrs on rifling and/or too tight patching.

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    Quote Originally Posted by johnson1942 View Post
    if you use medium weight tight weave pure 100 percent linen patches there wont be a problem. as mentioned, some rifles have very sharp edges on the rifling but it doesnt sound like that. pure linen patches of tight weave and medium weight can be picked up and relubed and used again a lot of the times, they are that tough. if you can find medium weight tight weave hemp cloth that would be good also. last of all the pillow ticking waksupi mentioned in a well made rifle barrel works also. i prefer linen.it a no fuss or mess around good patching material.
    I was surprised Joanne's Fabric does not carry ANY linen!
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


  12. #12
    Boolit Master
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    Maybe. Should be a good load if perhaps a little tight and the rifling still has some rough edges. Pretty much what others have said. Could be cutting on ramming the ball down, opening up slits to blow by. Has the rifle been shot much? How does it load?

    I'd try a .490 ball with your .018 patch. If no improvement then I'd try .022-.025 for patches and the .490 ball.
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  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Just because they were new store bought doesn't mean they are new. Who knows how long they set in storage or on shelves. Not saying they are or aren't new but it happens. Allot cheaper to make your own and you have more control over them.
    Aim small, miss small!

  14. #14
    Boolit Master Toymaker's Avatar
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    A while back the same thing was happening to me. I always score my range rods to show 1) nothing in the barrel; 2) powder only in the barrel; 3) powder, patch and ball loaded. So I loaded a patched ball with no powder and pushed it down to where it would normally sit. Then I stuck the muzzle into a box full of packing peanuts and blew the patch and ball out with a CO2 discharger. The patch was cut in several places as if with a razor blade. A couple of swipes with some valve compound on a tight patch followed by a blast or two of carburetor cleaner and a good cleaning took care of the issue.
    Not saying that's your problem, just what happened with me. I don't think your patch/ball combination is too tight. I see more issues from loose combinations than I do from tight ones. My .54 uses a .535 ball and 0.018 patch lubed with 7:1 water/machinist oil and dried. The .40 uses a .400 ball and the same patch and lube. I buy my material and make my own patch strips. I save my hand and use a hammer with the short starter, but the range rod pushes the patched ball smoothly down the barrel. Takes some power, but I don't bang the rod against the ball and deform it.
    Could be old patching gone to rot. Get some material and lube your own. Or find a paper-wasp nest and stuff a bit of the nest material down the bore on top of the powder before seating the patched bullet.

  15. #15
    Boolit Master Maven's Avatar
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    In case you need linen patching, here's a link: http://www.joann.com/search?q=100%25%20Linen

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    Quote Originally Posted by Fiddleharp View Post
    Oops! Sorry about that! I was heading off to work this morning and was in a hurry when I dashed off the original post.
    Lyman .50 caliber Deerstalker, .495" ball, new store-bought T/C cotton blue & yellow pillow ticking .018" pre-lubed patches, and 70gr. of fff real black powder.
    There. Got enough to go on?
    the defacto .50 standard for offshore button cut rifled guns is a .490" lead ball and .015" well lubed (grease) patch and 70gr 3f bp. use that as a starting point then mess with ball and patch sizes ... IF need be.

  17. #17
    Boolit Master
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    Joannes fabric is where I buy my 100 percent linen in the peoples republic of Yorkastan

  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master pietro's Avatar
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    I bought a BUNCH (several yards) of both blue/white & red/white (different thickness') from my local WallyWorld's fabric department a few years ago, and have barely made a dent in the supply.

    After buying, and before using, any new store-bought patch material, be sure to wash it several times to remove the sizing that the manufacturer applies to the material.


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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Edward View Post
    Joannes fabric is where I buy my 100 percent linen in the peoples republic of Yorkastan
    I don't see me getting to the peoples republic of Yorkastan any time soon

  20. #20
    Moderator Emeritus / Trusted loob groove dealer

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    Quote Originally Posted by Edward View Post
    Joannes fabric is where I buy my 100 percent linen in the peoples republic of Yorkastan
    I'm in the sticks, so they don't have the selection of a larger area.

    What I DID see at the local Joanne's, was fabric LABELED linen, but when you check the actual content, none were 100% linen.
    The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
    John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"

    Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!


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