I am trying to get the best groups from my .54 halfstock Pennsylvania rifle. I shoot a .530 round ball and a .016 patch over 80 grains of 2F bp. I get groups that are fine at 50 yards, so I am shooting to point of aim with about a 4" group 2 inches high at 50 yds, measuring furthest shots from each other in the group. The group is about the size of a baseball. I started with a .520 ball, and group size was not acceptable. With a .530 I think the group is acceptable, only limited by the open sights and my eyes. I recovered two patches, and they show where the grooves engraved the patch/ball, and the patch is very thin (but not cut) where the ball engaged the rifling. There is a black circle on the breech side of the patch that I assume is from the powder ignition. What is a recovered proper fitting patch supposed to look like?
I am dipping the patches in melted beeswax/crisco mix and letting dry, then put them into a small ziplock ready for use. The lube on the fired patch is mostly gone, but the patch still feels a little bit slick, so I assume it did its job, as follow-on loading was not difficult.