Muzzle cut patch or pre cut?

Lots of good experience from posters on this forum. Based on your experience, not what you have read or heard: Do you see an appreciable difference in accuracy between muzzle cut or pre cut patching? I personally have not experienced a difference other than convenience.
Flintlocklar

Same here. I use pre-cut

I make pre-cut, pre-lubed patches and see no difference from when I cut at the muzzle. I find cutting at the muzzle annoying and wasteful of my time and stopped quite some time ago.

Out of 5 rifles, 1 of them actually does group better with muzzle-cut patching. I tried square cut, round cut and a few different sizes in that rifle. It groups ok but seems to always have a flyer out of 5 shots. The groups will be around 3" at 50-yards. For reasons unknown to me, when I use the same material with the same lube cut at the muzzle, the groups are consistent and around 1.5" at 50-yards. I tried to start the ball, pull the patching and ball back out and replicate the patch size and shape. No luck. I cannot figure out exactly why so I quit trying. That rifle needs a muzzle-cut patch.

The issue is not accuracy for me. Pre-cut means extra work to cut up. It is difficult to get the ball and patch centered on the bore and almost requires and extra hand to hold. For economy and consistency I buy large amounts of patch material (pillow ticking) at one time and apply my own lube. For loading I tear strips and cut at the muzzle. Very easy and economical. I can't think of a single reason why pre-cut or at the muzzle would make any difference in accuracy. What you choose is a matter of personal choice.

I use pre-cut and have done so for years. On occasion I will cut at the muzzle, and that if I run out of the pre-cut patches.

I turn on something mindless on the television, and cut my patches. They go into zip lock bags for storage. When I need patches, I grab a bag. There might be a hundred plus patches per bag. It keeps me off the streets...

I tear long strips of patching the right width for patches, and dip them in melted deer tallow and lay them to dry, then with scissors cut them nearly through, so they're joined on one corner. Hang these off the shooting bag on a thin iron hook and I'm all set.
One can be torn off easily as needed.
I keep a roll or 2 in a pouch in the bag, but also tear a few off and fill my loading block/board .

square shoots as well as any other shape in my rifle.
Not saying this is better than cutting at muzzle, but it has worked for me, for maybe the last 30 years.

All the best,
R.

I tried both, now use only pre-cut patches, just a lot easier.

Tried both, can't tell any difference, I use pre-cuts and lube as needed. I can load much, much faster and easier with pre-cuts.

I enjoy the activity of cutting at the muzzle. It looks cool and is more fun. I have a “grease hole” in the stock of my rifle and carry dry strips of ticking rolled up in my shooting pouch. When time, I unfurl a roll and swipe it about the grease hole, then allow it to hang over the mouth of the bag. That way it doesn’t get grease on anything in the bag yet is instantly at hand and I normally grease enough patching at one time for however many shots I plan to take.

I’ve done it both ways, now I Shoot pre cut, pre lubed patches that I cut with a gasket punch.

I fold the material and cut 4 patches at a time, place in a zip lock or tin and apply just enough lube to produce a slightly damp patch.

One of the screw top .177 cal pellet cans make a great storage tin, they’re a lot easier too open than the smaller cap tins I was using for damp patches.

Most often, pre-cut and loading block.

IF I am shooting for a serious target... cut at the muzzle.
Otherwise pre-cut and squares are fine for casual shooting and for hunting.

LD

Its your choice and one must observe the results when shooting one's own rifle.

Most people will not see a difference in accuracy. With that said, most over the log target shooters cut the patch at the muzzle.

Pre cut is easy to center on my .54. So I just use pre cut.

But my recently purchased .32 cal Crockett is painful with such a small patch.
If pre cut too large, the groups open up. Plus you have to fold the patch around so the jag can push it in without the extra patch material up top getting in the way. If I use a "just the right size" patch its painful to center up the patch and then get the sprue pointed up. I spit patch the .32 and I pre cut rectangular oversized patches. Center up the ball, use the small end of the short starter, then cut. Once I started doing this, the groups tightened up.

Now, to cut the patch, I use a really sharp knife. I have a Lansky sharpening system for my hunting knives (including the coarse diamond surface piece). I took a regular folding knife and took it to 20 degree angle so that when I cut, I just have to take it at an angle and give one swipe (no back and forth saw action).

Melnic,
Your way definitely makes sense for small calibres!

Richard.

if you look at the fired patches that are cut off at the muzzle they are of a square shape with the 4 corners slightly knipped off. they are second best, first best is cutting them off at the muzzle. do waht you want, some guns are not fussy. for me it is cut off at the muzzle every shot. im building a 54 for a shooter and when he gets it when im done their will be some linen cloth with it. if he cuts the patch at the muzzle it will shoot very very well.

For club shoots, I use pillow ticking in strips, spit for lube and cut at the muzzle. That's traditional with some of our guys. For hunting, I use precut greased patches. My fun sessions with the grandkids are the most definitive and scientific. I let them use whatever they want. Their consensus has been that precut is easier, the grease smells neat and even better, it makes their mother nauseous. Fits right in with their smelly clothes and dirty hands and faces. I've noticed no appreciable difference in accuracy or efficiency.

If you do cut at the muzzle you must also lick your thumb and wipe the front sight blade.

54ball said:

If you do cut at the muzzle you must also lick your thumb and wipe the front sight blade.

Click to expand...

Of course that goes without saying, plus a I'll throw out a few other helpful rituals I've picked up over the years. First, a palmful of salt over the right shoulder; this is helpful if your stiffest competition is on your right, can be reversed if they are on your left; the salt diffuses the natural light waves and creates a slight haze for a sight picture and a little salt in the eye causes tears to form, lucky feather switch from right to left ear, double squint at the target, quick prayer to the ML gods, close both eyes and yank the trigger. Some of my best work is done in such a fashion,