watched ,read ,learned,did it

[bandit7.5]

I have been watching this forum from the first time I logged on, paper patching boolits what a interesting idea.
So, I get out the trace paper and play with the concept and figure out the angles and really messup a lot of paper.
TIL THIS PAST SATURDAY. Sucsess YEEEEEHAAAAAAA
Went to our local range and setup my 1911 schmidt-rubin and a old 336 marlin 30-30 w/cut rifling. Over iron sights, after 5 sightin rounds each, tore the heart out of a 12 inch target, final hole dia. 2.5 in. from each rifle at 110yds YEEEHAAAAA.
I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT AND ALL IS GOOD
LEE 170gr FNw/oGC imr3031 standard large rifle primer for both rifles

[Buckshot]

.....................HA, you're patching up skinny boolits. I'd been patching up slugs for the 577-450 and the 45-70 & 45-90 for some time, then got a $39 Finn pickup M91/30. It didn't seem to want to shoot anything at all. It was also counterbored, but I figured the Finnish armory folks probably did a good job, or so I hoped.

A a kind of last resort I paper patched some 218gr Lyman 311284's. I used dress pattern paper at .001", so the dry diameter was about .315". I lubed the slugs and sent them up through a Lee .314" sizer. Loaded and shot them and danged if that rifle didn't produce a group you could cover with a quarter at 50 yards.

However, paper patching 30 cal boolits after the big 45's was tedious. They seemed so small and hard to handle!!!

..............Buckshot

[pdawg_shooter]

Sure makes it easy to get good groups and good velocity. Kind of hard to explain NOT using paper. You can also use a soft alloy for hunting without giving up accuracy or velocity. Ya gotta love it !!!!

[bandit7.5]

I read where someone had tried to patch 224. SO gave it a shot and it wern't pretty.YET.
I have a 222 that don't like anything on the market today gotta figure this could be the thing.
Also tried a 312 cast 95gr pistol boolit for my 1894 O-riginal 32-20 Marlin, it'll do it but I think it wants something heavier.
Has anyone tried phonebook paper?

Oh and I have a 43 mauser to try this on But no sizer in that cal.
Thatt ain't skinny.

[Digital Dan]

Good on ya buddy! If inclined you can patch about anything your fingers and manipulate...NO! Not THAT thing! All the rest works OK though.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

The really tiny boolitos patch very nicely with LLA. BvT

[Molly]

... I have a 43 mauser to try this on But no sizer in that cal.

Bandit,

I used to shoot the 11mm Mauser quite a bit. 11mm molds are sorta hard to come by too. I used bullets for my 45-70's, and they worked fine if you prepared them right. Here's how:

Take the 'as cast' 45 bullet (mine dropped at 0.460") and size and lube it normally to about 0.458". Make sure the lube grooves are filled. If they aren't full of lube, they will collapse when being sized down to 0.445.

Then simply run it through a Lyman 0.445" sizer. Lyman used to make just such a sizer for the explicit purpose of swaging .458 lead slugs for the 11 mm. It had a funnel shaped mouth that you had to see to believe, but it worked just fine. I don't think Lyman makes it any more, but it won't cost anything to ask them. If not, just sacrifice a smaller sizer and bore / drill / lap / polish it to size. You can also make a push sizer from an old, unused 7/8x14 die body too.

This works fine with gas checked bullets too. The results will shoot alongside factory ammo all day long, or beat it more often than not. Good luck.

Molly

[Molly]

.....However, paper patching 30 cal boolits after the big 45's was tedious. They seemed so small and hard to handle!!!...Buckshot

Hey Buckshot,

Why don't you quit fighting the paper patch roll-on battle. I'm so sausage-fingered that I found it really rough until I got smart. Remember those old cigarette rolling machines that used a roller under a sheet of rubber, and had a handle that flipped back and forth? They still make them, and you never saw anything better designed for paper wrapping small cylinders. It works just as fast and well for lead bullets as it does for tobacco.

Buy a kit and toss or give the tobacco away. Put the damp paper patch into the trough just like you would a piece of cigarette paper. Then lay the bullet in it where the tobacco would go. Flip the handle, and presto, you've got a tightly patched bullet in just a couple of seconds. Then just twist the tail and snip it to length.

The front could be a problem, but I figured out a slick way to 'adjust' that too: Just take a single edged razor blade (or a sharp knife) and use it to roll the freshly patched bullet across a hard surface. The edge will cut through the patch and give you a perfect leading edge. If you place the razor blade at one of the lube grooves, it will also leave the leading edge of the patch neatly tucked down so it can enter the throat without tearing.

The roller machine works fine "as is" for anything approaching a cigarette in diameter. If you need something a lot smaller, you can just keep tension on the rubberized sheet with a finger while rolling the patch on. If you need anything for a much larger caliber, I guess you'll have to make a larger sheet.

Try it, you'll liiike it.

Molly