What is the purpose of paper patching?

[Reddot]

Inquiring minds want to know.

[docone31]

You will get a lot of answers here.
To me, paper patching is insulating lead from direct contact with steel. This eliminates the shock of going from linear to rotational without smearing the lead on the rifleing. It provides what jacketeds try to do.
Example,
My .303 British is the most miserable targeting rifle in standard jacketed diameter. Cast some lead, patch to .314, and I get a 1" group at 100yds. I run my loads full tilt rather than soft loads as with cast loads.
Essentially, I can push cast boolittts at jacketed velocities without leading or losing accuracy.
It also polishes the bore, deleading as it goes..

[Bullshop]

I think its so you kin shoost yer 25 cal boolits in yer 264 or yer 270 boolits in yer 7mm or maybe they is for shoostin yer 348 cal boolits in yer 35 cal or maybe yer 9.3mm's in yer 375 or yer 43's in yer 44's or yer 44's in yer 45 or ect ect ect.
Get the idea?

[Reddot]

Soooo... if you had a gun who's barrel was a tad larger than your sizing die one could compensate for that by wrapping the bullet in paper? Can you direct me to an article on this process?

[405]

Well, there is a ton in this section and archives (Paper Patching) of the castboolits site. Here
Also, a good reference is Matthew's book The Paper Jacket
and Mike Venturino's book Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West has a chapter devoted to PP.
And, posts by KW aka the Lunger and others are a good source, here and on the Shiloh forum.
And, here's a link to Brent D's paper on PP. http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Ejessie/PPB/PPB.htm

Oughta keep you busy for a while

[Bullshop]

Yes Sir yer catchin on. I think the most comonly patched caliber is 45.
Reason being 45 cal tools both pistol and rifle are so comonly available.
What I am tryin ta say but not doin so well is every gun nut either has or has access to a 45 pistol boolit sizer die ( .451"/.452") and a 45 rifle die (.458"/.459" and if so can make thier 45 rifle molds serve double duty as both lubed greese groove or paper patch.
Get the idea? Of cource at the point at which you are enlightened to patching your .451's to .459" andother light will go off and you will wander down a new path of patching to bore diameter. You must crawl before you can walk grasshopper.
Here is a sneak preview into bore diameter patching aimed at sparking the interest.
How about muzzle loading the boolit for perfect alignment or breach seating for same with the boolit fully in the barrel and no transition from chamber to barrel upon firing. Ah the good old days! So much forgotten thanks to progress.
Learn well grasshopper!
BIC/BS

[BrentD]

I see no one has posted the most important reason which is:

To look and feel your best when addressing the target in a formal situation.

[Bullshop]

Well sure but that just goes without saying.

[WildmanJack]

Bullshop,
I've been thinkin of paperpatching some boolets for my new .45-70 Sharps. The only moulds I have all have grease grooves. Will that cause a problem in the paper patching, or shoul I just go for it??? Thanks,
Jack

[docone31]

Read the thread I started on Paper Patching the .303 British.
I have also read of others that have done this in the larger calibers.
I would do it to try, and get a furly shurly paper mold if you like it. I stayed with useing conventional castings and sizing them down. I found, in my case, the sized lands looked like they held the paper through the bore.
I got excellent results with mine.

[P Patcher]

Bullshop,
I couldn't have said it better, you truly can be a master at communication. Only thing you left out was the pushing pure lead fast without leading.
Addison

[NSP64]

Wildman, I have paperpatched for my .270 win using as cast boolits(.278) patched and sized. The trick is to get the right combination of paper thickness and wraps to give your boolit bore diameter (+.001) after sizing.

[docone31]

I donno.
I think, if the patch is close, that meaning within .005, the die also does some final sizing on the casting as well.
I have stuffed some fat patches through the die and gotten good results.

[montana_charlie]

I might like to buy a furly shurly paper mold, but I'm not certain I would recognize it if I saw one...
CM

[Bullshop]

P Patcher
Me a master at comunication?!? OH I am flatered!! But not naive enough to agree.
What I have found is that even with a PP pure lead still has a velocity limit and the quicker the twist the greater the limit.
For really hot loads in something like a 30 cal with a 1/10" I would prefer acww.
Wildmanjack
Say didnt you used to be a DJ back east in the late 70's early 80's?
Dont you worry none about them grooves. I have some NEI molds that are specifically for PP and they are grooved.
Docone31
Depends on how hard the casting is. If its too hard it will likely just tear the patch.
BIC/BS

[pdawg_shooter]

Bullshop,
I've been thinkin of paperpatching some boolets for my new .45-70 Sharps. The only moulds I have all have grease grooves. Will that cause a problem in the paper patching, or shoul I just go for it??? Thanks,
Jack

Jack, my best loads for my 45-70 are all with grease groove bullets. I size them .4515 in a Lee push through die, wrap with 2 wraps of 16# paper, and lube with BAC. Load them ocer a powder that will give me as close as possible to 100% load density and go shooting.

[RMulhern]

Bullshop,
I've been thinkin of paperpatching some boolets for my new .45-70 Sharps. The only moulds I have all have grease grooves. Will that cause a problem in the paper patching, or shoul I just go for it??? Thanks,
Jack

[montana_charlie]

Hang in there, Pard. It can't keep happening forever...I hope
CM

[45 2.1]

FPMIII & MC, you guys need to remember this is the PP forum, NOT the BP forum. Remember that and you'll get along good here..........................

[montana_charlie]

Sounds kinda like a warning, doesn't it?