custom round ball or patch supplier?

Hi guys,

I've got a rifle that shoots really well with a .010 patch and a .440 ball, but you can push the ball into the barrel with your finger. However if I use a .015 patch it's extremely tight, so much so that I think I would snap a hardwood ramrod (I use a brass rod). I would like to get either a .442 ball or a .012 patch to try out.

Does anyone know of a vendor that sells either of those items or can provide a custom ball mould in a .442 size?

Thanks!

Take your .010 patch and .015 patch to Joannes Fabrics or a Walmart and try to find a sample cotton fabric that feels about half way in between in thickness. If you have a micrometer or even a caliper take it and measure the fabric. Measure your patches that you currently use to get a comparison. That way you should be able to find a material that is in between. I always wash my patch material before using it. A half hard shouldn't cost more than a few dollars to try to find something that works. I like ticking. It is the material with blue or red stripes.

Also, you didn't mention whether you were using prelubed patches or what you used as a patch lube. That will make a difference in loading difficulty.

shoots really well

Click to expand...

You can get custom molds in any size. But, really why mess with success? Dance with wat brung ya.

Eddie May in Georgia casts & sells round balls in many many sizes. I always try some of his before spending money on a mold that casts a size that may not be best for a given gun.

That said, many shooters would be very happy with a gun/ball/patch combo that both loaded easily and shot well. Experiment if you want to but you already seem to have a sweet spot that many never get.

Yes, the thicker patches will make it hard to start the ball into the muzzle.
Often, they shoot more accuretly so the difficulty is worth the trouble.

If you want to try the thicker patches again, you will need a short starter, a small block of wood or a small plastic or rubber mallet.

The short starter is what most of us use.
It's a round wooden ball about 2" to 2 1/2" in diameter with two 3/8" wooden dowels sticking out of it. One is about 1/4" long and one is about 2" long.

To use it, the short dowel is placed on top of the ball as it is sitting on the patch which is covering the muzzle.
A light whack on the ball with the hand that's not holding the ball will start the patched ball into the bore.
Changing the starters position so that the longer dowel now rests on the ball, a good push on the starters ball will shove the patch and the ball down the bore.

Once this is done, the patch will have thinned and the ball will have deformed slightly making the job of ramming the ball/patch down the bore fairly easy.

If you use just a small board or a mallet you'll need to ram the ball down the bore just using the ramrod.
Just getting the patched ball started into the bore usually makes it fairly easy to ram it down to the powder charge.

You can try adding a paper patch to your load. The thinnest is the cigarette papers used to roll cigarettes from loose tobacco. Nest is the papers used for women's home permanent rollers. You may be able to still find onion paper at an office supply store. These thin papers are about 0.002" thick. The process is lightly lubricated cloth patch, paper and then ball. Either cut at the muzzle or cut the patch to size.

In dealing with .002, I would definitely be looking at patch material!

But...you could try some combos with .445 balls, also.

And my best loads are quite tight!

You can add a little tin to your lead and it will increase the size of the RB. Mine usually drop at about .442 anyway with Lee moulds. Have you measured yours to see what they actually do drop. I agree though, increasing patch size would be easiest. .010 isn't that thick anyway.

If using pure soft lead almost any sized ball (within reasonable limits) will go down yer bore. In my .45s I have used balls from .437 to .457". You can jam the lead down without damage to your barrel. But, what you want is what works best. Right now, your .440" seems to do what you are looking for.

Thanks for the information guys. I might try the paper on top of the patch. Other than that, I guess I'll just have to keep using the patch and ball combo I now have. It really isn't too bad as the photo below shows. That's 10 rounds at 30 yards, offhand