Just curious about using a patch with a mini?

[Larry (Omaha)]

My 58 Zouave shoots decent with a .580 mini. My mind wandered the other day and was curious if a patch on a mini would be a plus or a minus idea. I know the mini skirt is taking the place of the patch for rotating the mini in the rifling. Would a patch on a mini help keep fouling down and or better the performance? All replies are encouraged, but really looking for a physics or experience answer more so than someone's logic.
Thanks

 

[deermanok]

No, trying to use a patch for a mini ball won't help you. Keeping the powder charge lower will help with fouling. The standard infantry load during the civil war was 60 grains of powder.

 

[SDSmlf]

Don’t see a cloth patch in the traditional sense working well, but sized right, the Minie can work with paperpatching, though I don’t know what advantage it would ultimately bring. I’ve tried it with a few Lee Modern Minies, but nothing remarkable was observed in my limited tests and I moved on.

 

[tenngun]

Never tried it so this is just thinking.
Minnie has a hollow base. The explosion of the powder blows the skirt out to fill the rifleing. With a patch over that space one would think the explosion would blow the patch apart. As the skirt expands it would tear up the sides
I have never shot a paper patched anything, but I understand these go on solid base bullets
A maxie or real type bullet engraves at the muzzle as you load

 

[SDSmlf]

I have never shot a paper patched anything, but I understand these go on solid base bullets

I’ve tucked the paper patch up into the hollow base, instead of against the flat base.

 

[tenngun]

Have you, as said I never shot one, is there an air space or does your patching fill the void?

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Never tried it so this is just thinking.
Minnie has a hollow base. The explosion of the powder blows the skirt out to fill the rifleing. With a patch over that space one would think the explosion would blow the patch apart. As the skirt expands it would tear up the sides
I have never shot a paper patched anything, but I understand these go on solid base bullets
A maxie or real type bullet engraves at the muzzle as you load

I would tend to agree with that thought. The patch would most likely still be on the sides wiping the bore. So again would a patch help fouling?
Thanks

 

[SDSmlf]

Have you, as said I never shot one, is there an air space or does your patching fill the void?

Paper patch material, at least at I used it, tucks in neatly and takes on the shape of the void. We are talking about two wraps around the bullet of .002” thick 9lb cotton onion skin. Tried in 45 and 54 caliber fast twist bores that have been proven to be accurate conical shooters. Both in limited testing shot the Lee Modern Minie quite well (hard to tell if there was any real difference) with or with out the paper. It was just something I tried (have the molds, sizing dies, paper and guns, so why not?), but most all of the paper patch shooting I do is done with flat based conicals in fast twist 45 caliber guns. Only brought paper patching for a different perspective to the OP’s question about using cloth patches with Minies, something I believe would be problematic, but have not tried. Don’t see it practical to reduce the Minie diameter .030” or .040” to allow loading with .015” or .020” patch material, but that is just my opinion. Nothing stopping someone from trying.

 

[SDSmlf]

I would tend to agree with that thought. The patch would most likely still be on the sides wiping the bore. So again would a patch help fouling?
Thanks

Believe the idea of the Minie is a well lubed undersized slug so it loads, with the lube helping to keep the fouling soft. Without reducing the size of the Minie, loading could be very difficult when you add in the thickness of your patch material, though it should push the fouling down the bore as you hammer the patched Minie home.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Believe the idea of the Minie is a well lubed undersized slug so it loads, with the lube helping to keep the fouling soft. Without reducing the size of the Minie, loading could be very difficult when you add in the thickness of your patch material, though it should push the fouling down the bore as you hammer the patched Minie home.

The intent of my original post was to compensate mini size for a patch.
Thanks

 

[Maven]

If you have an undersized Minie, paper patching may help accuracy. I did this with a Lee Minie Ball in my .50cal. unmentionable rifle (1:28 twist) and it certainly reduced dispersion @ 50 yd. Today, I'd just experiment with beagling the mould until you get a diameter that works with your rifle.

 

[MajStorm]

The British used a paper patched enfield, Paper Cartridges on YouTube has plenty of videos.