I get cotton flannel sheets from Salvation Army and cut my own. Sheets are woven, t-shirts are knitted. Woven performs better as the t-shirt will stretch as it goes through a barrel
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I get cotton flannel sheets from Salvation Army and cut my own. Sheets are woven, t-shirts are knitted. Woven performs better as the t-shirt will stretch as it goes through a barrel
have big bags of cleaning patches really gotten that expensive. its been like 20 years since filling my cleaning box with a bunch of big bags of different size cotton patches and I think the real big bags were like $3.50 for like 500.
I use old Tee shirts and flannel shirts, cut up for cleaning patches, like most have posted here.
I use brass jags and patch for most of my gun cleaning...and I like a tight fit.
Sometimes the jag size to barrel varies, where I'd need to double patch for best fit.
For those instances, I use sweatshirt material...much easier that two patches.
You can make a lot of patches from a set of old sheets.
I cleaned out my Tee shirt and underwear drawer , 40 years of stuff in there .
I pulled out everything worn out , full of holes and too small .... I cut out only any material that could be cut into a cleaning patch ... threw everything else away .
I now have a lifetime supply of patch material .
If you haven't cleaned out your underwear drawer (and your wife refuses ) in the last 25 years , you probably have a goodly supply of patch material . Old underwear makes the best / cheapest source .
Gary
Anything big enough, I cut into strips about two inches wide. I cut them down to appropriate size for whatever I am cleaning.
Anyone ever use denim from an old pair of pants? I've been thinking about doing that........
--Wag--
Back in 91 was assigned to VII Corps in FRG, and we were being de-activted after Desert Storm. For some reason was in the arms room and our armorer was cleaning up. Was tossing a lot of stuff including cleaning supplies. Managed to snag eight sealed packs of 30 cal patches, two boxes of 5.56 patches, 45 and 30 cal brushes and some other stuff out of the trash can. Cleaning supplies have not been an issue since then.
I have a whole bolt of mattress ticking that my brother bought years ago that I make cleaning patches out of.
ACC
Linen sheets that wore out. Guess how many 2in patches a set of queen sized sheets has
It takes me 5 years to wear out a good set of sheets and I just had to replace a set. Now I'm in a quandary. Do I want to make little patches or have some nice polishing cloths? Fortunately last year I bought a big package of patches on sale so I won't have to make that decision for a few years.
Wag
I use thin denim for muzzle loading round ball patches I like a tight ball patch combination but it is a bit thick and not the best color for cleaning a guns bore. I like to see when the bore is clean better then a darker material will show. There is lighter colors and the inside can (lighter color) work depending on your jag size absorbency may be an issue too Denim does not seem to soak up solvent as well as some cotton cloth does .
There are different types of denim one is thick and has a thread going one way and seven threads going the other the thinner material had a thread going each way and is less likely to tear out or shred in use as a patch for loading a round ball .
I do use the thicker denim to make char for flint and steel fire starting it is not quite as good as flannel at catching a spark but works and gives lots of heat to be blown into a fire in the tinder.
Ah. Good thoughts, firefly.
I just have a stack of old pants I need to get rid of. Trash can it will be!
--Wag--
Following a suggestion made here, I made sand bags(actually, bean bags) using soy beans that a friend at church gave me last fall. Used my worn out jeans. As 45 Colt said, the lower legs show little wear.
To prevent moisture from getting to the beans, I also used plastic bread wrappers to bag the beans inside the denim. Had to eat some of the more expensive bread to get heavier bags.