Cleaning patches

[Vann]

What brand cleaning of patches do you like. I won't buy Hoppes because they are made in China, Pro shot do good but they aren't cheap. I really like Butch's but the they are really tight sometimes, so mainly I've been using cut up flannel and tshirts. The other day I picked up a bag of Birchwood Cassey patches and I was really impressed. They are cheap and have a nice scrubbing surface. I think that i may have found my go to patch. What do you perfer?

[Idz]

I've been using paper towels. Can't get much cheaper than that.

[country gent]

Good Patches can be hard to find. What you want is absobancy, a good knap, toughness, and a soft surface. Absorbancy is the ability to soak up solvent and cleaning soulutions to carry completly thru bore, this is important when using chemical cleaners as they have to get from muzzle to breech in a consistant layer. Knap is important with mechanical cleaners ( JB bore cleaner, Iosso, and most pastes) as this fuzzy side holds the cleaner and allows it to do its job when "scrubbing". The smooth side and fuzzy side can be used for diffrent chores. Soft surfaces help lower scratching and other issues. The jags you use also play a big part in patch size needed a "wrap" jag may be tight or loose with a patch for push jags or one on the thin side. A push jag may bind with to big of a patch. You need the correct combination of patch and jag. I have been using the pro shots patches and cutting bigger ones down to get fit with wrap jags. I really liked the old military cotton flannel patches when they were available, good tough patch didnt unravel, good knap that held crud and cleaning materials well, and very absorbant so they carried solvents good.

[kentuckyshooter]

Im using the bulk cotton patches from the walyworld. I think they might be the Birchwood Caseys but im not shure. All i know are their cheap and work lol

[Nueces]

For use with a jag tip, I use Brownells round patches:

http://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/patches-mops/bore-patches/3-round-1-3-4-270-38-357-cal--sku084268003-1267-4513.aspx

They are as described above by country gent. For wiping patches, I get flannel sheets from the thrift shops and cut them up.

In shotgun bores, again with a jag tip, I use cotton makeup pads. These are also great when cleaning revolver chambers. Fold them tightly and grasp with a straight forceps. They hold a lot of solvent and crud.

[jmort]

I like and use these
http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Bloomer-Cotton-Cleaning-Patches/dp/B002E6X8BG/ref=pd_sim_200_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=03WJGZ5N0AXWS26456HA&dpID=41Ir683piRL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR119%2C160_

[pertnear]

.... I really liked the old military cotton flannel patches when they were available, good tough patch didnt unravel, good knap that held crud and cleaning materials well, and very absorbent so they carried solvents good.
I've been using Midway patches & they are OK...kind of a patch is a patch mentality. I do have some Army surplus patches that I got from who knows where & I really like them. I agree with country gent for sure, but I wish I knew of a good supply once they are used up!

[Bazoo]

I like to cut up old cotton t shirts.

[redriverhunter]

"I really like Butch's but the they are really tight". I agree tight so I use a smaller jag I use a 6mm jag in my 7mm. The patches i use are butch's 270-35.
rrh

[country gent]

If you really want the good old fashioned cotton flannel patches. The material can be bought by the yard at almost all fabric stores and cut into the sizes of patches wanted. One thing to do before cutting is to wash the material to remove the sizing and starches from it. Look for cotton flannel with one side smooth and one fuzzy. a yard of it makes alot of patches.

[JWFilips]

My wife likes to wear cotton flannel Jammies in the winter.....I got a 38 year supply of worn outs:bigsmyl2:

[Petrol & Powder]

I like to cut up old cotton t shirts.

Bingo

A pair of scissors will "make" whatever patch you desire.

I do like the off-white twill patches that are packaged in bulk and found at some gun shows. The overpriced small bags of patches generally sold in gun stores are just too much money for a scrap of cloth that I'm going to throw away shortly after use.

[smoked turkey]

I use one of those roller cutters on a heavy vinyl cutting board to cut up old flannel shirts. When I get the size right they work great.. Otherwise they are sometimes a little too tight or too lose. Hard to get just right doing it my way.

[w5pv]

I use cotton tee shirts anf if they are too loose I just add another patch or if too large I keep a pair of sissors handy to trim a bit what ever it takes.

[Teddy (punchie)]

I'm cleaning a sewing room so for me the supply is what I find in trash.

[bangerjim]

Who cares where the cotton flannel is made! I buy 5-10K bulk boxes at gun shows. No "ingredients" label, just a price on the bag. Have always worked perfect for me! My time is too valuable to spend cutting little squares out of old used underwear!

banger

[duckey]

I am also using paper towels and they work great, cut em to your needed size. I learned this trick off of a competition bench rest shooter's website...some tips and tricks he had posted. Cheep and cheerful!

[Rockastr]

Try going to a fabric store and buy a yard or so of flannel. You can usually buy the weight(thickness) that meets you needs and will have more patches for your money.
Cut the fabric to make the size you want...

[Hawks Feather]

I have used the Brownell patches for many years and have always been pleased with them. There are several thicknesses, but the standard ones work very well for me. I have both the round and the square. If the patch is too tight (for whatever reason) you can spear the patch off center and it should work fine.

[DW475]

I buy the pro shot patches in bulk when they are on sale so i always have plenty on hand. Also cut up my old T-shirts and use them as well.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Unless its out of necessity (hasn't happened yet) i'm too lazy to cut up my own or would rather do something else. I just buy the Pro Shot's, and dump them in a doctor/dentist office cotton ball jar and keep them on the reloading bench.

[Boolit_Head]

Been using the prepackaged patches and after the last batch I think I am going to try some scrap fabric off the bargain table at the fabric store.

[snglstack]

I have one word: Bore Snake.

[StrawHat]

While I still use the occasional patch, most of my bore chores are done using plain old cotton balls. They go on sale and I pick up a bag or two. As is, they work great in my large bores and cut down, they work in the smaller bores.

Kevin

[Teddy (punchie)]

Well I cut my to fit. Not to often do the pre-cut patches fit, for the jag or loose enough to be used to coat a barrel.

Used for years a heavy industrial paper towel, dad got for me from work. But we only had a couple little stacks and after many years they are all but gone. He said it was a shame to see them waste them at work, about 50 in a stack. He would watch our workers use the whole stack, just to clean up a spill that a few would have worked on. They wasted everything, wish we had a chance to work for say 50.00/ hr. that what in comparison in today money would be.

[lefty o]

I have one word: Bore Snake.
not in a good barrel!

[Le Loup Solitaire]

Just go into Walmart's sewing section and buy a yard of flannel..then cut it into whatever size squares or rounds that you want or need. No need to worry about whether it was made in China or wherever....if it cleans your gun and does it well then move on to some more important things in life. LLS

[Maven]

Just go into Walmart's sewing section and buy a yard of flannel..then cut it into whatever size squares or rounds that you want or need. No need to worry about whether it was made in China or wherever....if it cleans your gun and does it well then move on to some more important things in life. LLS

Amen to this! Don't forget Jo-Ann Fabrics also has flannel yard goods.

[Pipefitter]

I use curtain liner material, think heavyweight cotton t-shirt material. Lay the cloth out on a table and roll it up, cut with a razor sharp knife into 1 1/2 to 2" wide rolls, then unroll each roll and stack the strips and cut into squares. A couple of yards of material will make more patches than even a die hard muzzle loader can go through in a year.

[bedbugbilly]

I don't buy patches - I make my own. I go to a fabric store, find a bolt of decent flannel on their bargain table and buy a few yards. Wash it to take the "sizing" out - then dry. I cut them with a modified "hole saw". I get a hole saw the diameter of the patch I want, grind the teeth off and bevel the edge to sharpen it - put it on the hole saw arbor minus the drill. Fold the material in to about 5 or 6 layers - put the cutter in the drill press and use a scrap piece of pine for a baker. You can cut a lot of patches in a hurry. The hole saws usually have a slot in the sides - after several cuts I stop the drill press and use a small screw driver to push the cut patches out the bottom - toss them in a baggie. You cold do he same thing with an old flannel sheet or flannel PJs, etc. I cut my patches for my round ball muzzle loaders the same way.

[oldfart1956]

I'm shocked....shocked I tell you, to read that men who would stop traffic to pick up a wheelweight from a busy road would actually buy patches! :) The same men that would re-purpose bits and pieces of hardware from the dump to build things! Anyways, a yard of flannel produces a lot of clean patching material. Make it easy, don't cut each individual patch. Grab the material about an inch (depending on patch size) and rip the whole length of material in a long strip. Length depends on how long the fabric is. Now fold it. Fold it again. Fold it again. Now take good shears or scissors and cut it into pieces. You're cutting through several thickness' of material so you need good shears/scissors. Not the junky $2 ones. I use a pair of Cutco scissors and swear I could cut a crocodile in half with these things. Utility shears or tin snips will work. Audie...the frugal Oldfart

[waksupi]

Gosh, I always have some kind of old rags around I can cut up to use. I even used a pair of my heirloom long underwear last time. I can't imagine buying any, either.

[MBTcustom]

Just me, I like pillow ticking. Same stuff you use to load your muzzle loader. It's nice because it has the blue stripes that give you a line to cut by, and the absorbency and texture is just about right.

[Tom W.]

Gauze does extremely well. Just don't use the eye patches that have cotton and some sort of plastic sandwiched inside them. I use Gauze to clean my muzzleloader, too.

[TXGunNut]

Store bought patches are getting expensive, will be making my own soon. I can't find a decent patch for my 17HMR so I took another member's advice and used cotton balls. I had a wad of cotton from some pill bottles a few feet away from where I was cleaning and I was worried about bending (another) jag when I decided to try a few dozen strands of cotton. A little pinch of cotton wrapped around the jag worked great and cost me nothing! Does it get any better than that?