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Centered patch question

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Joined
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I've only been shooting PRBs out .50-cal. rifles for less than a year after nearly 40 years shooting hunting conicals, so I'm still learning. I know things like powder load and quality, ball quality, wind, patch and lube are all variables in shooting -- without factoring in the variable of aim from the shooter. For you gentlemen who have been shooting PRBs for many years, my question is this: How much will an off-center patch affect your shot? Right now, I use pre-cut patches and I noticed at my last range session I was taking my time more to get my patch exactly centered under the ball. And, it reflected in quality target hits. But I found two patches a little off center. Is the effect of an off-center patch great or just making a target shot slightly off.
I realize cutting my patch at the muzzle would alleviate this variable for me. So, what are your thoughts on getting a perfectly centered pre-cut patch? I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on this.
 
As long as you have patching material around the circumference of the ball, being slightly off center should not harm your accuracy. There are examples of shooters using square patches with excellent accuracy. If the patch is engaging the ball and the rifling all around the ball and falls off as the ball clears the muzzle, you should be just fine.
 
Grenadier1758 said:
As long as you have patching material around the circumference of the ball, being slightly off center should not harm your accuracy. There are examples of shooters using square patches with excellent accuracy. If the patch is engaging the ball and the rifling all around the ball and falls off as the ball clears the muzzle, you should be just fine.

That is all correct.
But, note the key word is "slightly". Use of an oversized patch will give the whole-ball wrap you need. Or, like many/most of us, cutting at the muzzle eliminates the concern completely. And is less expensive.
 
Sgt.
Major.
The purpose of the patch is to provide a nice seal around the "Belt" of the ball where it bears on the rifling. A Little off center would have little or no effect. Whe problem with precuts, (ben there, done that) is when the patch is too big and when enough off center to allow some of the excess patching to get in front or just partially in front of the that you will begging to notice difficulties.. The excess fabric will have a tendency to deflect the balls course as it leaves the muzzle.

The only guaranteed excellent shooting patch is cut at the muzzle.

Do that for an experiment and if you can pickup the expended patches you will see the black smudge wi;; be dead centered in all cases..

When I first saw someone doing the cut at muzzle routine,I thought they were just trying to look old timer. ThenI got to thinking that the old timers always had a patch knife, which is a small short bladed very sharp knife for only one purpose, To cut the patching at the muzzle.

Risk doing iy, The other newbies will think you are being old timer and actually, you will be.

Dutch Schoultz
 
I've used pre-cut patches my whole life, and I won quite a few matches.

If a person can't center a patch over the muzzle, I doubt they can center their sights on a target so accuracy becomes irrelevant.

I've shot a lot of weird combinations and the biggest accuracy factor always remains the guy behind the gun.
 
Colorado Clyde said:
I've used pre-cut patches my whole life, and I won quite a few matches.

If a person can't center a patch over the muzzle, I doubt they can center their sights on a target so accuracy becomes irrelevant.

I've shot a lot of weird combinations and the biggest accuracy factor always remains the guy behind the gun.

I'd have to agree with this, and I just can't believe some of those old timer mountain boys didn't at least carry a pocket full of pre cut square patches.
 
Clyde,
You present a mystery.
When I was using pre cur patch which I centered on the muzzle, Placed the round ball, dead center and whacked it into the bore, 0 times out of ten the whole schemer would go in dead center,
Noproblem,
However that one time ouof ten would for no reason I could ever determine would go inwaay off center almost to the point of opening that seal around the ball,
I would get flyers from that a couple times on a bad day.

Cutting at the muzzle,, using a dry patch lube with exact patch thickness I had NO flyers the last three years I was able to continue shooting..

Dutch
 
Small knifes are known but nothing used as a “patch knife”.What few references we have of a knife used in loading the knife in question was the belt knife.
So it seems the knife used to cut patched was the same one used to cut venison, onion, and Indians.
We know that precut patches were known in Europe both in square and round before the first rifle was built in America.
I swab between shots, and that slows down the loading but I find it a pia to cut at the muzzle... go figure
 
Colorado Clyde has trouble understanding why I had some trouble with off center pre cut patches.
As he never has flyer I can understand why this is so.

Flyers are caused usually by off-balance balls and occasionally by of center too large shooting patches.



Dutch
 
I was taught to cut patches at the muzzle but then also tried pre-cut patches I made myself and could tell no difference. I now use nothing but pre-cut patches soaked in all season windshield wash with no peroxide additive. They work perfectly in hot or cold weather.
Any fliers are my fault far as I can tell as the ball seems to go where the shot was called.
I think I will revisit the muzzle cut patches again and see if I still get the same result as last time.
 
I've wondered about the centering of the ball on the patch too. Most of the time mine aren't really centered but the patch is always covering the sides of the ball all the way around. Doesn't seem to make a difference to me. A question I would have asked down the road has been answered for me. Thank you.
 
As a kid in the summertime when it was good and hot and sultry outside, did you ever take a long stick and poke one of those under-the-eave nests loaded with yellowjackets, and then run away as fast as you could without getting stung? That's where I learned to run like the wind when I was younger.
I was hoping to get a lot of differing opinions from you gentlemen, and I really appreciate the responses thus far. Hope to get some more. I never want to stop learning. There are no new ideas, only good stolen ones. I'm always willing to pilfer good ideas. :wink:
 
I guess my question is what do you consider accurate? Are you doing competitive shooting or primarily hunting? I'm a hunter, so accurate for me is MOPP (minute of pie plate) at 75-100 yards from hunting positions, usually sitting with elbows on knees.

I might see where having a perfectly centered patch might impact the former, but can't imagine it would effect hunting accuracy. Like others have said, just make sure the ball is covered and the biggest factor influencing accuracy is the Jackwagon pulling the trigger.
 
Dutch Schoultz said:
Colorado Clyde has trouble understanding why I had some trouble with off center pre cut patches.
As he never has flyer I can understand why this is so.

Flyers are caused usually by off-balance balls and occasionally by of center too large shooting patches.



Dutch

I understand perfectly Dutch....
Loading a pre-cut patch incorrectly can cause a problem...so can incorrectly cutting at the muzzle...

I've screwed up more than one patch at the muzzle using a dull knife, trying to load in a hurry, or in cold weather....

With pre-cut patches I can usually correct any misalignment before seating it deeper.....I can't do that when I cut at the muzzle.

Also, muzzle cut patches end up square, and that's just not "hip" .... :haha:

Do your own thing...... :v
 
dsayer said:
I guess my question is what do you consider accurate? Are you doing competitive shooting or primarily hunting? ...

Just talking about run-of-the-mill bench target shooting, not competitive. I no longer deer hunt, so I'm just talking in general. I just want to get the best out of the procedure, and leave the variables as me aiming correctly and pulling the double-set trigger.
 
The only advice I can offer is stop poking the nests loaded with yellowjackets.





William Alexander
 
CC,

How do you end up with square patches cut at the muzzle?
BTW, everyone else, I have shot thousands of patched balls. For serious bench, cut at the muzzle and the same with standard round ball off hand, however primitive type shoots pre cut patches and loading blocks.
Michael
 
meanmike said:
CC,

How do you end up with square patches cut at the muzzle?


FNmtScz.jpg


Good question.....
I suspect it has something to do with the way I cut them....However, even the powder rings are square-ish....

I suppose if you wanted to get technical, they are not squares...more like squircles or truncated circles.
 
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