Making Pre-Cut Patches?

[Eterry]

I started using pillow case cloth i cut into SQUARES and spit lube... simply put about a dozen patches where you'd put a 'chaw of backy' and use accordingly. A few years later i bought a pack of pre lubed patches... what a waste... they were old, stiff, and fell apart while loading.
Went back to cutting squares of cloth while bored, watching tv,etc.
I've never placed at Friendship, but almost always hit what im aiming at.

 

[Eterry]

Pre cut patches, like a lot of shooting supplies, have really gone up in price over the past year or so. I do enjoy saving money, but i also like casting my own balls, building my own guns, processing my own game, making my own sausage, smoking meat in the smoker i built and cooking my own meals.
I think it's that independent spirit that sets us apart from others.

 

[Eterry]

Shooting patches are not the only place to save money. You can save money on all your shooting and cleaning supplies.

Calculate your per shot cost.

My old boss, a millionaire who owned a heavy equipment construction company he built from the ground up used to say, "watch out for the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. "
Maybe he was right.

 

[stink koat]

I think you meant to say .010. .1 is almost 1/8 thick. Not being critical but if a "newby" misread this he would be pounding that ball/patch combo in. "NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING"

 

[Enfield58]

 

[Pete G]

View attachment 27504

You otta try sailing......

 

[Enfield58]

You otta try sailing......

I got that idea from a meme about boating. I hate to inform you but that was not an original thought but still true; isn't it?

 

[Carbon 6]

A boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into.
-Pawn Stars

 

[Kansas Jake]

I agree about money and muzzleloaders, but that it true of almost any hobby. One can do a lot of shooting and have a bunch of fun without spending a great deal of money with muzzleloaders. The problem comes when we find that just one more that we need. Then the accouterments that go along with it. Of course then if you want to do living history or rondevoos etc. the price goes up exponentially.

 

[Carbon 6]

Muzzleloading can be expensive or it can be cheap, the choice is yours.

You can still find a used gun for $100.00 if you look hard enough.
You can make all your own accouterments.
You can cast your own balls make your own patches, and knap your own flints.
You can make your own lube for pennies or just use spit.
The only real expense is powder and caps.
There are a lot of places to save money, and that money adds up big time.

Save money in one area and you have more to spend in another.
Mountain Men, Longhunters, Frontiersmen, Pioneers, none of those people were rich.

 

[mooman76]

You can make your own powder and caps too if you really want to go cheap.

 

[Zonie]

The forum rules say we don't discuss making black powder.

As for "Tap a Cap", the thing that people are supposed to be able to use to make their own percussion caps, maybe back in the days when old fashioned paper caps were sold, it might have worked.
After mothers decided those caps made much to much noise and the paper cap makers made them less noisy, IMO, they don't work well at all for making your own caps.
Dixie Gun Works thinks those Tap a Cap things are worth $54.95 + postage. I suggest, folks should save their money for some real caps made by the big factories who know what their doing.

 

[smo]

Well Guys, while reading all 112 Post I’ve managed to gnaw out 1654 patches with my teeth....

Oh! I saved the strings too, I’m gonna’ pull em’ thru bees wax and make HC/PC dental floss..

Now that’s what I call savings!

EAFJ


Early April Fools Joke .. lol

 

[BrianL]

I think you meant to say .010. .1 is almost 1/8 thick. Not being critical but if a "newby" misread this he would be pounding that ball/patch combo in. "NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING"

If a 'newby ' can find 1/8" material, I want to see his patch knife

 

[BrianL]

Muzzleloading can be expensive or it can be cheap, the choice is yours.

You can still find a used gun for $100.00 if you look hard enough.
You can make all your own accouterments.
You can cast your own balls make your own patches, and knap your own flints.
You can make your own lube for pennies or just use spit.
The only real expense is powder and caps.
There are a lot of places to save money, and that money adds up big time.

Save money in one area and you have more to spend in another.
Mountain Men, Longhunters, Frontiersmen, Pioneers, none of those people were rich.

I found a new, unfired TC Hawken on the wall of a gun shop a couple years ago. I noticed that the Ramrod end was broken off so he knocked off $25 on a gun he had priced at $110. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough.
Balls are cheap to cast with a lee mold @ $19.00 (even better if you can recover the lead)
Cloth for patches can be had for 3-4 $ a yard (and if you have the ball/patch combo correct, you CAN reuse them.....did I mention that I am chee..frugal?)
Buy caps in bulk (I have actually had good luck firing those caps for toy guns but had to modify a dedicated nipple)
Lube is cheeeeep as I use olive oil and it actually tastes ok (compared to Balistl)
I bought a lot of powder in bulk fro Powder valley.
When things get tight, I will be making smoke till I expire

 

[BrianL]

The forum rules say we don't discuss making black powder.

As for "Tap a Cap", the thing that people are supposed to be able to use to make their own percussion caps, maybe back in the days when old fashioned paper caps were sold, it might have worked.
After mothers decided those caps made much to much noise and the paper cap makers made them less noisy, IMO, they don't work well at all for making your own caps.
Dixie Gun Works thinks those Tap a Cap things are worth $54.95 + postage. I suggest, folks should save their money for some real caps made by the big factories who know what their doing.

Find the red plastic caps in a strip or even in the rounds, for revolvers. Buy a spare nipple and adjust it till you get the geometry that works. I will warn you though that at least TC locks have enough slap to pierce them occasionally.