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Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Messages
1,702
Reaction score
3,447
Location
THE WOODS OF S.C.
I am fairly new here, but I am not a new shooter. I am 62 an have been hunting the woods of SC from the time I could walk. my daddy always had me in the woods. I started shooting BP in the early 70s when I traded something? to a friend for a cap and ball revolver a pound of powder and a double handful of 36 cal. balls. when the balls ran out I started cutting open daddy's 00 buckshot shells and using that. I got out of BP until the late 80s when my wife bought me a CVA Hawkin cap lock rifle kit. I put that off for a wile and now am back wide open with flintlocks. anyway the folks here have been helpful and kind. I thought I would share something I thought of the other day. ya'll might already be doing something like this I don't know, I know it works good for me. I went to the hardware store and took a 45 cal. patch with me. I found a hole saw about the same size, I cut the teeth off with a bench grinder then tapered the edge with a sanding belt and then sharpened it with a file. hit it with hammer a few whacks and it cuts perfect size .40 cal. patches from ticking like a charm! I hope this is a help if you care to try it, it sure beats slicing at the muzzle,,,,,,,,,,
9Fto6xNl.jpg
b4ptkNFl.jpg
zzBS5HKl.jpg
MrbVTq4l.jpg
ZVzaOwcl.jpg
GDGklktl.jpg
MrbVTq4l.jpg
 
I am fairly new here, but I am not a new shooter. I am 62 an have been hunting the woods of SC from the time I could walk. my daddy always had me in the woods. I started shooting BP in the early 70s when I traded something? to a friend for a cap and ball revolver a pound of powder and a double handful of 36 cal. balls. when the balls ran out I started cutting open daddy's 00 buckshot shells and using that. I got out of BP until the late 80s when my wife bought me a CVA Hawkin cap lock rifle kit. I put that off for a wile and now am back wide open with flintlocks. anyway the folks here have been helpful and kind. I thought I would share something I thought of the other day. ya'll might already be doing something like this I don't know, I know it works good for me. I went to the hardware store and took a 45 cal. patch with me. I found a hole saw about the same size, I cut the teeth off with a bench grinder then tapered the edge with a sanding belt and then sharpened it with a file. hit it with hammer a few whacks and it cuts perfect size .40 cal. patches from ticking like a charm! I hope this is a help if you care to try it, it sure beats slicing at the muzzle,,,,,,,,,,
9Fto6xNl.jpg
b4ptkNFl.jpg
zzBS5HKl.jpg
MrbVTq4l.jpg
ZVzaOwcl.jpg
GDGklktl.jpg
MrbVTq4l.jpg

Olskool, great idea. I wished I had thought of this before buying a punch for my 62 caliber.
 
well there is nothing new under the sun, It just came to me the other day I have never saw it done before but I figured it had been. I will have to try it in a drill press,,,,,,,,,,
 
I am fairly new here, but I am not a new shooter. I am 62 an have been hunting the woods of SC from the time I could walk. my daddy always had me in the woods. I started shooting BP in the early 70s when I traded something? to a friend for a cap and ball revolver a pound of powder and a double handful of 36 cal. balls. when the balls ran out I started cutting open daddy's 00 buckshot shells and using that. I got out of BP until the late 80s when my wife bought me a CVA Hawkin cap lock rifle kit. I put that off for a wile and now am back wide open with flintlocks. anyway the folks here have been helpful and kind. I thought I would share something I thought of the other day. ya'll might already be doing something like this I don't know, I know it works good for me. I went to the hardware store and took a 45 cal. patch with me. I found a hole saw about the same size, I cut the teeth off with a bench grinder then tapered the edge with a sanding belt and then sharpened it with a file. hit it with hammer a few whacks and it cuts perfect size .40 cal. patches from ticking like a charm! I hope this is a help if you care to try it, it sure beats slicing at the muzzle,,,,,,,,,,

I use a similar one, but instead of hitting it with a hammer I spin it in a drill press. I can cut patches as fast as I can run the press up and down.
 
I have been doing this for years. I have a set of hole saws that i modified to cut patches from 3/4" for my .32 up to 1.5" for the .58 with several in between. It's the slickest way I know to make your own "pre-cut" patches. I have used some of the larger hole saws to make cleaning patches from old flannel sheets.
 
I have been doing this for years. I have a set of hole saws that i modified to cut patches from 3/4" for my .32 up to 1.5" for the .58 with several in between. It's the slickest way I know to make your own "pre-cut" patches. I have used some of the larger hole saws to make cleaning patches from old flannel sheets.

Curious, do you spin or pound ?
 
I tried the punch method but it was too much waste. I just a cut strip then cut the patches square with a rolling cutter and mat. If I am really bored that day, I trim the corners to make an octagon patch.
 
Curious, do you spin or pound ?
I chuck the modified hole saw in my drill press on slow speed. I usually cut 6-8 layers at a time. Yes, ther is some waste between the cuts, but the number of patches produced by this method, and the time it takes to make them, more than makes up for the small waste.
 
Serious question....does it matter if the patch is round or square? I just made a bunch of square cut patches, did the "soak them in a 6:1 Ballistol and water solution and let them dry." Did this twice, got a round prelubed patch and cut my strips into squares of the same size.

Of course, the precut, commercially prelubed patches one can buy are round. Is there a legit reason for this? If one cuts pillow ticking at the muzzle with a patch knife, the patches are kinda round, kinda square. I can trim my squares into circles with scissors, but, does it REALLY matter? Again, serious question, I dont know the answer.
 
Square patches work fine for shooting, but they can catch on the short starter sometimes depending on gun caliber and ramrod diameters. No biggie- but it can be annoying.

The punch and especially the drill press method work great. But it is also quite easy to just cut them with a pair of scissors too. You can fold strips to make a square, pinch between thumb and forefinger and easily cut out 6 or 8 at once. A precut patch, or a .50 cent piece or quarter or dollar etc pinched under the thumb work as a cutting pattern . It doesn't take long to make a hundred or so, and you can change diameters instantly. Boring but simple.
 
I think round patches are easier to orient/center. I think they are also easier to lube.
 
Round or square, does not matter. I prefer to cut at the muzzle, but do have some punched and preloaded into a wooden block for a quick follow up shot. It is what you find best suits yourself. I use the 6 to 1 water ballistol in my .72 bore rifle, but load it with a greased felt wad over powder.
 
Round or square, does not matter. I prefer to cut at the muzzle, but do have some punched and preloaded into a wooden block for a quick follow up shot. It is what you find best suits yourself. I use the 6 to 1 water ballistol in my .72 bore rifle, but load it with a greased felt wad over powder.
Great idea by the way of modifying a hole saw into a punch.
 

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