Lubing patching at the muzzle

[ky_man]

Hey All, I'm going to try a few new things this weekend at the range, so I'd like to know the proper technique for cutting patches at the muzzle and also lubrication.

I've seen guys do it a couple different ways:
-Place a peanut-sized ball of lube (e.g., bore butter) on the back of the patching material, center over muzzle, then seat ball down flush with muzzle. Cut patching material
-Grease (again, bore butter) both sides of the patching material by hand, place over muzzle with ball centered, seat flush with muzzle, then cut patching flush.

Which is best? I use pre-lubed patches now, but I'm not getting the groups I want. I think I'm not lining up the patch the same way everytime I load, and accuracy is suffering because of this. Also, how much bore butter or similar lube to use on the patch? There's not a lot of lube in the pre-lubed patches, perhaps a pea-sized amount would be OK?

When applying the lube to the back of the patching, does it do a good job of coating the bore this way? Is there a technique to ensuring that the lube is coating the walls of the barrel (I'm not looking down in there!)

 

[boar]

I use deer tallow rubbed in on both sides of patch meteral. I want it greased, don't worry about losing a frew grains of powder as 5grs is not going to matter in a muzzle loader. If I have it loaded for a few days I will run a greased patch down it. Dilly

 

[Blizzard of '93]

Might try a felt or fiber overpowder wad - some of the fellas have been kicking around bees nest and corn meal for overpowder also. I found noticeable smaller groups using slightly lubed felt overpowder. I use Go-Jo white hand cleaner in a squeeze tube to lube wads & patches, not dripping wet just damp. My .50 shoots tighter that way. If really wet groups open up some. I get 2" inch groups usually better all day at 50 yds.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Lube our patches a couple of days in advance, or if you have to do it the same day you go to the range, then zap the lubed patches in your microwave for about 10 seconds- not enough to burn anything, OR raise a stink, literally- so that the lube penetrates completely through the fabric, evenly. just lube on side of a patch, put it on wax paper, or in a container, lube side up, put another patch on top of it, lube the up side, put another patch on that lubed one, lube the top side, and continue to make a sandwich lubing the top side of each patch. When you get a stack, you can squeeze them between your fingers, to get the lube into the fabric, but 10 seconds in the Microwave oven works faster and cleaner.

If you are using the right fabric, and patch thickness, and the patches are oversize enough that you are allowed a little leeway in centering the ball before you cause problems in the barrel with one side of the ball not protected by patching, you should have no problems due to your patch or lube. Always check your patches to see if any new problem has arisen since you last checked them. Sometimes you will find that you are getting cutting on one land or another. Almost always this is due to some damage, minor, at the muzzle. Go to work with emery cloth and a butt of a file handle, and round off that burr and recrown the barrel to eliminate the cutting. Sometimes rust has developed in the barrel on a flat or two, and you will get tearing of your patches, and lousy accuracy. Get out the steel wool, and burnish off that rust. then finish with a lapping compound like JB bore cleaner. A good, tight fitting lubed patch on a jag slowly pushed down the barrel will let you feel for any rough spots, and go after them. Then, to keep it from happening again, change how you lube the barrel after cleaning it.

 

[renovato]

I've never had any luck with factory lubed patches. I used to lube my own in the field with Hoppe's black powder lube and it worked really well, and didn't grease up my hands and everything in sight. I have tried a few other lubes and just wasn't satisfied. I still have a big tube of Bore Butter that I guess I'll use to lube wads or something.

Lately, I've switched to using the Ballistol "dry lube" method and it's by far the most accurate system I've found yet.

If you don't want to go to the trouble of cutting patches at the muzzle (I'm too lazy for that), I suggest you buy some precut, unlubed patches, or make your own. Then lube them at home with your lube of choice. It's sure faster to just grab a lubed patch and load.

 

[Stumpkiller]

-Place a peanut-sized ball of lube (e.g., bore butter) on the back of the patching material, center over muzzle, then seat ball down flush with muzzle. Cut patching material

If I'm picturing this correctly they're lubing the ball but not the barrel??

I wipe my patch strip across the tin of lube and then set it over the muzzle. Thumb start the ball flush, slice off the patch around the ball (my strips are wide enough that the patch leaves a hole on the strip). I them use the rammer to seat the ball on the powder. I don't put any lube on the ball side of the patch when using a grease lube.

Just enough lube to fill the weave is all you need . . . if it's a good lube.

I also use strips of cotton dipped in a liquid lube and allowed to dry flat on waxed paper overnight, then dipped again, dried, and folded up and stored in Baggies or waxed paper until needed.

Search on Moose Juice or Moose Snot for my recipes.

 

[Celt]

I don't put any lube on the ball side of the patch when using a grease lube.

Nor do I...my feeling is that one of the patch's duties is to transfer the spin of the rifling to the ball, by gripping the lead with the weave. If you lube the ball side of a patch, (1) what are you trying to acomplish and (2) would that not decrease the ability of the weave to hold the ball?
Would be interested in thoughts on this.....

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Nor do I...my feeling is that one of the patch's duties is to transfer the spin of the rifling to the ball, by gripping the lead with the weave. If you lube the ball side of a patch, (1) what are you trying to acomplish and (2) would that not decrease the ability of the weave to hold the ball?
Would be interested in thoughts on this.....

If ball is sized correctly as to patch and bore, the lead ball will be well engraved by the rifling lands trans the patching material.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I agree with Tans. If lube on a patch would ever decrease the grip of the patch on the ball, then all prelubed patches would give poor results. If the patching is the right thickness for the ball/bore/rifling depth combination, the weave of the patching will be pressed into the lead of the ball when its loaded, and there is no problem with the ball " slipping " in the patch inside the barrel. Maybe if you are shooting Steel Ball Bearings, you might have a problem, but not with a soft lead ball.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Here's the only round ball I've ever recovered from an animal - a full-length frontal shot that ended up lodged beneath the skin of the buck's hip.

It shows the patch weave and the rifling flats, and was only slightly deformed from 0.490" to 0.520". Cast from not quite pure lead (old lead pipe with some tin from the solder). The buck reared up and collapsed without moving his hind legs.