I have gone back and redone one of my .54s. I found that the dry patch test is not the same as starting a patch that is heavily lubed, the heavy lubed patch with be thicker and you may not be able to thumb start it past the crown. I used 2 more pieces of 220 and one each 320 and 400 grit paper to get the proper relief for a .530 ball and a heavily lubed .18 patch. I also changed from ticking to pocket drill for my patching which might have made a difference in the fit.
