Blown Patches

[Dphar]

I built a 54 cal about a year ago, probably have 1000 rounds through her. I have run steel wool down the barrel about 200 times.Here's the problem.... I've noticed in the freshly fallen snow that my patches have holes in them around where the ball and patch touch the rifling. I'm using Walmart pillow ticking, measured at .020....washed and dried and a 4:1 ballistol lube. I tried some pillow ticking from quilt store the lady said her's was a tighter weave. Gave it a try.. didn't blow as bad but still had small holes.I measured the wallmart pillow ticking again this morning and it was .020 I've coned the barrel and this combo does not require a short starter. At 25 yrds the groups off hand are 1 inch apart. Do I need thicker patching? A friend suggested that I use cotton drill as it is a tighter weave. I've never had this problem before. Help guys!!!!
Trapper

The small holes are likely from a bad crown.
Take a piece of patching 4"x 6-10" and lube a spot with you patch lube. Seat it flush then use the excess to pull the ball back out. If you have patch damage, even just abrasion its the crown.
crowns need to be carefully done and I like to do 2-3 different angles. It need not be deep and a bad deep crown is just as bad as a bad shallow one.
E-mail sent.
Dan

 

[Trapper]

I checked all 20 patches and not one was cut...not even a nick!!!!!One happy Trapper

 

[paulvallandigham]

Always check your spent patches. If they begin to show burning, find out what is different from what you have been doing. Its not a surprise to find that .018 Pocket drill hold up better than .015" pillow ticking. Generally, pocket drill will have more, and tighter threads to the inch, than does pillow ticking.

If the new patching is working for you, use it.

Move those targets back to 50 yards and shoot some groups. Let us know how it shoots at that distance. Generally, if you have a load combination that shoots well at 50 yards, the same components can be used for longer ranges, but with more powder.

People go from 70 grains FFFg powder to 80 grains FFFg powder for their 100 yd loads. Some guns require more velocity to group better, and some guns work better shooting FFg instead of FFFg powder. The only way to know what you gun shoots well is by testing. Now that you have solved the patch problem I think you will be happy as you do the testing at 50, and 100 yds.

 

[Kelhammer]

In my own experience, cotton drill is tougher than the pillow ticking. From a clean barrel, using pillow ticking, I could get about 5 shots down range before blowing a patch. The fouling becomes to rough, I'm guessing? Using a cotton drill patch, I can shoot dozens of rounds, with no swabbing, and not blow a patch. Using plain Murphy's OS as a lube. :wink: