cigarette paper

[TNsailorman]

Eddie, I really don't know what pound the paper is. It is very hard to read the markings as the sheets are very, very lightly marked. But the best I can read it is marked Four Star , Onion Skin , .001 paper. I still have maybe a hundred sheets of it. james

[K43]

Back in the typewriter days, onion skin was used to make multiple carbon copies of papers. It was also used to write airmail letters to save weight.
I've used the expensive Buffalo Arms cotton paper, but found it too expensive for what it turned out to be.

[brstevns]

Don't do as much patching as I use to. However I did find the curling papers that were use to give perms to the lovely ladies worked great for patching bullets for my 303 Enfield. You can find them at Walmarts, and at some dollar stores.

[Gobeyond]

I’m going to use the 9# onion skin. But the size of the bullets is changing for me. I used to get bullets that were .008 less than groove. Now I’m trying boolits that are .008 less than bore and patch up to equal the lands .4505. Hope it works.

[greyhawk]

Ed Cole drafting paper goes around .0018 onion skin about the same tracing paper can be .0023-.003 cigarette papers are .001 or very close. PAper patching isnt just about the paper thickness but the interaction between bullet dia and the 2 wraps of paper combined.

This will be for a bore dia bullet. you have a .443 dia bullet 2 wraps of ed cole at .0018 = .0072 ( 2 wraps is 4 layers) +.443= .4502. With the thicker tracing paper and same bullet .443 dia it equals .0092+.443 - .4522 or a little to big to fit in the bore.
Wet wrapping will allow paper to stretch and thin a little also.
Templates should be cut so the 2 wraps dont overlap and allow a small gap between the 2 ends this allows for the overlap radius at the joint.

When shooting these paper patched bullets watch and recover the patches. The first layer should come of in a fine confetti the under layer and fold over intact and not burnt or destroyed with rifling showing on it.

The original paper used was a 25% cotton fiber paper that was tough and stretched some.

I have "Inherited" two packs of 'Trucal Paper - Patch' 200 leaves per pack, says Genuine Authentic 100% linen .0011
measuring with a cheap digital caliper I get .0015"(caliper only does half thou accuracy increments tho) ...........80 GSM printer paper gets me .004"
also have some RCBS .448 slick boolits - given your numbers above this would be a good combination ????

No clue what I am doing here but I figure if the right material fell in my lap - must be meant to do it ......................

[Lead pot]

If you want thin paper, try Scott single ply toilet paper. It's thin and strong enough if you cut it in the right direction (as it rolls off) No joke try it.
Southworth has always been my choice. It came in several different types like 409DNR, 29D, copy, and several others. some from 100% cotton down to 25%.
Just remember, if two wraps are less than groove depth you might find lead smear buildup starting. When you find gray streaks show up on a clean dry cotton patch when cleaning, you better do more scrubbing. You don't want to trap the fouling under the lead build up.

[gc45]

Good thread. I once bought an antique 1876 rifle in 45-60, still have it too. When bringing home, I took the side plate off to remove and clean toggles plus clean the barrel. The action was packed pretty well with gooey newspaper. I could only assume someone had used that for cleaning the barrel as these guns were brass cartridge guns not muzzle loaders. As luck would have it, the barrel once lead was removed turn out pristine resulting in a very accurate cast boolit rifle and fun to both shoot and hunt.

[greyhawk]

If you want thin paper, try Scott single ply toilet paper. It's thin and strong enough if you cut it in the right direction (as it rolls off) No joke try it.
Southworth has always been my choice. It came in several different types like 409DNR, 29D, copy, and several others. some from 100% cotton down to 25%.
Just remember, if two wraps are less than groove depth you might find lead smear buildup starting. When you find gray streaks show up on a clean dry cotton patch when cleaning, you better do more scrubbing. You don't want to trap the fouling under the lead build up.

soooo if my barrel is .400 x .408....then I need two wraps at .002"....on a boolit sized at .392" ????? or thats too much?

[Lead pot]

soooo if my barrel is .400 x .408....then I need two wraps at .002"....on a boolit sized at .392" ????? or thats too much?

The best answer I can give you is, use what works best for you. Just clean your rifle good when you're done shooting.
I use paper that runs .0018-.0022" and that works very good for me. I have used 25# printer paper and that put me close to groove diameter or using a 44 caliber bullet in a .45 and I saw no dimmish in accuracy doing this. I know I see a lot of posts to use thin paper so it shreds but I'm more concerned that the paper does not stay on the bullet and find it on the target face or the target backer down range.

[catboat]

Have you read the thread "Paper 101"? Cigarette paper is covered in it..

Cigarette paler has very high levels of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) inorganic filler, 26%+ content. It is there to slow the burn of paper during smoking. Due to the very high level of inorganic material, it is abrasive to the bore.

[country gent]

Paper Is abrasive by its nature some more than others. Want to see it lay a piece of your patching paper on a hard surface and rub a piece of steel brass or aluminum on it for a few minutes, you will see the black trails on the papers surface this is the metal removed. Another is look in an old Paper Patched barrel with a borer scope, there will be no tool marks and a very bright finish. On high round barrels the trailing edge of the rifling will have a radius on its corner.

For a very bright polish in the shop we would work to red crocus cloth then paper towel from the hand dispenser, you could with patience get a distortion free mirror finish.

There is gauge paper for setting cutters that is a measured .001 thickness.

Ink in paper may not be abrasive and may even act as a lube but there is a chance it is corrosive and a bigger worry chance is it may be "sticky making the patch want to stick to the bullet, not releasing it

[challenger_i]

I read, a hundred years ago before Al Gore invented the internet, that using virgin newsprint worked for paper patching but not to use printed paper as the ink would support the formation of corrosion. The publication I read that tidbit from dated to the 1920's and was purported to be the words of an old buffalo hunter.