Paper Patching Pistol Slugs For Fun

[Good Cheer]

Been using .454 pistol boolits paper patched in a TC New Englander that had the barrel sleeved to have .458 bore diameter. It's a fun shooter.
http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy192/SNARGLEFLERK/RCBS45-255_zps6d51c77e.jpg (http://s791.photobucket.com/user/SNARGLEFLERK/media/RCBS45-255_zps6d51c77e.jpg.html)
Got me to wondering if others are doing it with .38, .40, .41 or .45 molds.
I'd really like to get a medium twist .36 caliber barrel to use all those .38 molds running loose in the world.

[johnson1942]

give use more specs on the barrel and the bullet and the paper. also groups, distance ect. yes their are a lot of us who paperpatch and are sold on it. thanks for the post.also lube.

[Good Cheer]

The barrel has a 24" twist. The usual boolit is Lyman's 457124 shot as cast and finger lubed. The paper patched in the picture is the RCBS 45Colt SWC with 9# 25% rag bond. Been shooting them dry in a cleaned barrel with half inch punched egg carton wads. The holes touch at 50 yards. I'd like to try the RCBS 45-225 that looks about like a maxi. Also the Lyman 454424 SWC that is coming in the mail. It might be a good one to have altered to make a heavier PP.

[johnson1942]

are they going down tight, you will have to pardon me but i cant quite put it together. what is the top of the lands diam and what is the diam of you patched bullet with the paper on. the bullets look great. im going to hunt deer in dec with a .45 paperpatched gun. i find the .45 is the easiest for me to work up a load on. to tell the truth mine shoots anything from 400 grains to 620 grains dead on. the 400 grain just shoot a little higher. their is getting to be more paperpatch shooters out their. they are easy and accurate.

[Good Cheer]

The 9# paper double wrap makes a thumb pressure loading fit into the .458 bored barrel. It's a friction fit but not too tight to load. I don't remember what the mold casts at with straight lead.
Gotta say though that for hunting I's staying with my 457124 for the weight of lead and should try patching it. Would need to find a .458 push through die.

Happen to have an old 445599 minie mold that's missing the plug. Got to thinking about it, that maybe having it altered to cast a straight sided boolit with a shallow cup base might be a good paper patch design.

[johnson1942]

thanks and try the minnie mould, ive always thought they looked perfect for patching.

[mikeym1a]

I've recently tried patching for my rifles, and am slowly getting things sorted out, on my table and in my mind. Just for chuckles, I took a .32 pistol boolit, and put several through a .309 sizer, and then wrapped it in 9# paper. It came out to about .315. I lubed them and put them through a .314 sizing die. So, I might try them in my .32S&WL revolter, and maybe as a popgun load in my Mod '09 Argentine. Now, if I can only get to the range.....................

[Nobade]

I have a Cherokee 45 cal. that refused to shoot accurately with anything. Then I tried Lee 452-230-TC tumble lube boolits in it. Sized to .442" and patched up to .449", loaded over a LDPE wad and a lubed felt wad. One ragged hole at 50 yds, and easily fire 20 shots before wiping. Gotta love those PP boolits! BTW, tried the same thing in my 32 cal. Cherokee with the 90gr. Lee TL boolit. No joy with that yet. I think it's too light to consistently bump up. 4 or 5 will go into a little group and the next will be a foot away.

-Nobade

[johnson1942]

norbade, just as a thought try lubeing the paper with lee/alox. let dry over night. also when your ready to put the bullet down take a sharp little knife and cut through both layers of paper along the seam line about 1/2 way down the bullet. it is a old trick they used on 1800/s paperpatch bullets in muzzle loaders. it could possibly stop that flier.