Paper Patch help

[Johnny bravo]

Hi all,
I bought some .458in diameter PP bullets from a custom supplier recently. These were obviously wrapped to my bore diameter.

I tested a dozen of them in my 45-70 Sharps. The accuracy was on par with my grease grooved bullets.

However, one issue struck me as uncommon. Not once did I see any evidence of paper shredding at the muzzle. There was no paper residue of any kind anywhere near the firing point either. My spotter also confirmed that he saw no trace of any paper from the muzzle end after the shots. Now this is a strange phenomenon. Do you think the patches went with the bullets?

Upon checking some of the unfired new bullets, I find that the patches though tightly wrapped can be easily unravelled.

Can any of you shed any light as to what may have happened?

Regards,
JB

[RMulhern]

.458" is GROOVE DIAMETER!! Bore diameter is .450"!!

Obviously your spotter DIDN'T LOOK FAST ENOUGH!!

[docone31]

I didn't see any confetti untill I had fired lots of shots. Might have been my eyes, or when I used my scope.
It wasn't untill my wife fired her Ishapore patched, that I saw the confetti.
It is there, sometimes it is hard to see.

[montana_charlie]

I have bever seen a burst of confetti, but it would be hard to see in a cloud of black powder smoke, anyway.
But, when I'm done shooting I start searching the grass for patch particles. You need to consider any wind that's blowing to know where to look.

On my last shooting session, the wind was from 4 o'clock and over 12 mph. The patch shreds were all forward and to the left...and between ten and twenty feet away from the bench.


So, you are shooting bullets patched to groove diameter, huh? Are you burning black powder, too?

CM

[Lead pot]

Now guys; You cant see the confetti if you shoot in the dark :groner: by the time you open those peepers the wind has the confetti blown away :p

[Johnny bravo]

Thank you gentlemen. Your replies seem to be on a positive note.


.458" is GROOVE DIAMETER!! Bore diameter is .450"!!

Obviously your spotter DIDN'T LOOK FAST ENOUGH!!

RM, my mistake. I did mean to say bullet was wrapped to groove diameter of .458.:oops:

MC, yes, I am firing the bullets with Swiss 3. And there was indeed a 10-12mph wind blowing right from behind. It's higly possible that the patches may have been blown well toward the target.

So, I am safe to assume that the patches did unravel at some point? This is my first ever attempt with PP bullets and I wanted to be sure what is going on before I load more of them for next time.

Thanks again.

ATB,
JB

[montana_charlie]

If a new one unrolls easily, as you said, you can probably trust the patch to come off at exit from the muzzle. 'How' it comes off is a question that begs for an answer, and that is why we examine patch pieces.

If you find something that resembles half of a patch (like the entire inner wrap), you can assume your patch is not being cut completely through by the rifling.
This could be a bullet not bumping up enough to fill the grooves, or a patch that is thicker than the rifling depth.

When a patch comes off that way, you have to wonder if it gave the bullet's base a little nudge to one side as it turned loose.

If you are not finding any 'big pieces', and accuracy is satisfactory, you are probably safe in assuming all is well.
CM

[1874Sharps]

JohnyBravo,

I am sure your patches came off just fine. You could, I suppose, check the berm and see if there are any bullets with paper on them, but the fact that they flew true indicates to me they worked as advertised.

[martinibelgian]

Who cares if the accuracy is there? Unless your GG accuracy is lousy too :-)

[Johnny bravo]

Thanks lads. That’s weight off my shoulder:)


Who cares if the accuracy is there? Unless your GG accuracy is lousy too :-) :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

ATB