Shot Patches

[lead chucker]

I would like to get your guys opinion on these patches they came out of a 50 cal 1/48 twist with 70 gr 3f. They are .018 and the ball is .490 real hard to get down the barrel.

[lead chucker]

Three shots ok 4th shot real hard to seat ball. When i got home i cleaned the gun and lapped the boor with 220 grit compound then 600 grit and did a final with 1200 grit. I am hoping this helps. I did the same thing with my 54 and it loads so much better and doesn't fowl that much. Any opinions on this?

[LAGS]

Do you lube the patches before loading ?

[lead chucker]

Yes, home made lube that i use in my 54. I will try the moose milk i have some but didn't have much time after work to experiment. I hade some center fire tests with home made primers i wanted to check for reliability. This rifle is a cheap traditions deerhunter flint haven't shot it in a while since i got my 54 great plains flinter. That is a fun gun but wouldn't want to have to pack it around all day.

[lead chucker]

When i run a patch down the barrel after a few shots about 2/3s the way down it feels kind of crusty hard to explain. I figure its building up fowling more down on that end of the barrel. Does that make sence?

[Rockingkj]

The shot patchs look ok to me, no burn thru so doing the job. Every rifle will be a bit different when it come to fouling. I am guessing the 1st ball down a clean bore it tight but goes fairly easily. And as you mentioned subsequent shots get harder as fouling builds up. How is your accuracy? I have a rifle that loads and shoots best if wiped after each shot. Lick on side of a cleaning patch work it up and down wet side out and then reverse the patch and work it up and down a few times. Seems a lot of work but she likes it that way.

Some rifles foul faster than others and there will be a crud ring build up you can feel when pushing the ball down or wiping. Where that forms varies with the rifle. I make an effort when wiping to clean the out. You can feel it smooth out was you wipe the bore. Might experiment with lube and patch thickness. Bottom line for me is how it groups and figuring out the best combination is part of the fun

[badwolf]

Your lapping should help, my favorite lube is Murphys oil soap mixed 50/50 with alcohol. I put it in a small spry bottle and give the patch 5 or 6 squirts. I can fire 20 shots without cleaning .

[HWooldridge]

Your patches look pretty good.

I used to play around with ball diameter vs patch thickness in my .54 and typically found thicker patch and smaller pill was always easier to load, especially in the field when hunting. I realize finding a .485 ball might be problematic so you may have to go the other way and try a thinner material. I think Ox-Yoke used to sell .010 prelubed patches - or you could just dig around a fabric store with a pair of micrometers and find something thinner.

[waksupi]

If hard to load, I would try some thinner patches.

[waksupi]

When i run a patch down the barrel after a few shots about 2/3s the way down it feels kind of crusty hard to explain. I figure its building up fowling more down on that end of the barrel. Does that make sence?

Try your moose milk.

[Maven]

Yes to a lapped bore, thinner patches (Yours look fine to me!), and Moose Milk, You can also polish the muzzle with 320 grit paper on the ball of your thumb to allow a bit easier seating. Moreover, and this is why I'm writing, there has been considerable discussion of Dawn dishwashing soap either from the bottle or diluted 50-50 or 60-40 (Dawn to water) as a patch lube/bore cleaner: It may relieve the crud ring down your bbl. Caveat: I've not yet yet tried it, but I think you could use as little a 1 part Dawn to 4 parts water and still have an effective patch lube/ bore cleaner.

[Richard66]

Use a .010 patch will load easy

[lead chucker]

I will try some thinner patches. The traditions deerhunter is a cheap gun but what a dream to pack around and i like that it has a short barrel its pretty accurate with the fiber optic sight. My eye sight isn't as good as it used to be. I was able to hit a 12 gauge shotgun shell off a 2 by 4 at fifty yards with it with a rest not sure what size those patches were they are long gone. Thanks for all the advise.

[trapper9260]

Your lapping should help, my favorite lube is Murphys oil soap mixed 50/50 with alcohol. I put it in a small spry bottle and give the patch 5 or 6 squirts. I can fire 20 shots without cleaning .

I use this to clean my rifle . a friend of my told me about it . Dose not take long to clean the gun , just make sure you do not get on the stock. it will take the finish off.

[scattershot]

Those patches look good. I think I would try a thinner patch. My T/C Hawken shoots better with a .495 ball and .10 patches. It has rather shallow rifling, though.

[45workhorse]

Patches look good, nothing cut or burnt thru. All my patches feel crusty, maybe from the heat and lube?
I put the patch in my mouth when shooing matches, and use bore butter for hunting.
My patches are pillow ticking from walmart, buy it by the yard. (made in America)
Thinner patches or different diameter ball. See which combination works best.
If you shoot matches a harder to load "May" give you better accuracy, but easy loading in case of a follow-up shoot in the woods is better!

[triggerhappy243]

When i run a patch down the barrel after a few shots about 2/3s the way down it feels kind of crusty hard to explain. I figure its building up fowling more down on that end of the barrel. Does that make sence?

i USE BORE BUTTER AS A PATCH LUBE. THE RECOVERED PATCHES STILL FEEL "DAMP" WITH THE PATCH LUBE AND THE FOULING IS ALSO A LITTLE DAMP. I SWAB BETWEEN EVERY SHOT.

[lead chucker]

went out and shot some thinner patches and found a few and they were pretty tore up. They were lubed up pretty good too. My thinking is to go smaller ball and thicker patch. Im still going to do more testing. Thank you all for your input.