Need to Change Patch Material?

[Loyalist Dave]

So the problem I'm having now with my flintlock hunting rifle is the patches are being cut. I'm getting six nice, neat, symmetric holes in some but not all of my pillow ticking patches. This happens every time when I use spit patch, but when using a bullet lube of 60/40 olive oil and beeswax, sometimes it doesn't happen at all, or I only get a few holes, not all six. When it doesn't happen... I get a nice, tight group at 75 yards from a bench. I even tried a thin piece of greased leather, and got 6 nice, tiny holes. Not only does accuracy suffer, but the barrel didn't cut patches in the past....

It's a round bottom rifled, Colerain barrel, ten years old. Should I try to polish the barrel some way? How does one do that?

LD

 

[Grimord]

I would try some JB pore paste on a tight fitting jagged patch and run it up and down the barrel at least a couple of dozen times. Clean the bore, and see if this solved the problem. Sometimes a "Scotch Bright" patch on a jag will smooth out any rough spots and remove small pitted areas. It sounds to me that you have some minor pitting in the bore that is cutting the patch, the lubed patches are filling the pits, but the spit patches don't. If you have access to a bore scope, you should be able to determine what is causing the problem.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Did you happen to change your loading technique or method? Are you using strips cut at the muzzle? Did you change your short starter? Maybe you’re pounding way too hard on the short starter and making the cuts whilst the patch is still on the crown?

FYI, there are various ways online for DIY ‘how to’ videos to recrown using lapping compound, marbles or ball bearings, and or soft brass roundhead bolts, for the tool.

 

[Kansas Jake]

One other question, is the patch material old. It is unusual for material to deteriorate if it isn't lubed, but I suppose it is possible. I'm using some mattress ticking that is 30+ years old and it is fine, but aging is possible. Just throwing that out there.

Also, you mention the barrel is ten years old, but not how much it has been shot. I tend to agree that using a something to smooth it might be the answer.

 

[Rabbit Ears]

With my .58 cal Hopkins & Allen, I do use bed ticking and saliva lube my patches... if I'm in a hurry, of course. However, I use bacon tallow to lube my patches (I deal with my patches the night before with some saved tallow saved from several breakfasts before). I personally use Pyrodex RS for my large bore .58.... far cleans easier and less fouling than Dupont FF.

 

[Zonie]

Most likely the crown is OK but the lands of the rifling are still sharp, where they meet the crown.

Using some black (wet/dry) sandpaper and your thumb to rotate it back and forth while pressing the sandpaper into the mouth of the muzzle will round off the sharp edges and eliminate the problem.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Use more spit(?)

 

[hanshi]

The muzzle could be too sharp where the lands meet the crown. I agree with Zonie recommendation. With a smoother crown you could try thicker patching material and test that.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

OK so ALL good ideas, get new material, look into the short starter, get a bore scope [inspection camera] for the rifle and I noticed one can find small ones online that work off the phone (I have one for my muskets but it's too fat for the rifle) and see what may be seen, clean out with JB paste (cant hurt) and maybe emory cloth the lands at the muzzle.

THANKS



LD

 

[Rat]

FYI, my Jeager (.62", Colerain barrel) will do the exact same thing with one wad under the ball, with two wads the patch comes out perfect. I swear this is true. !!! ?? But I'm not sure why.

 

[Greenjoytj]

When my Lyman GPR was new it cut patches, most recovered patches had several clean cuts. So for quite a few shots I used JB bore paste as a patch lube and swabed the barrel with it.
The rifle doesn’t cut patches anymore.
The oil based lube in the JB just needed Hoppe’s #9 to remove then the usual soapy water (Dawn detergent) clean and oil (EEZOX).

 

[Rifleman1776]

Grimrold suggestions are good. I would add, stick with one lube. The oo/beeswax should be fine. Feel with your finger around the muzzle for possible sharp edges. Other than that, just keep shooting with loads that work for you. I suspect the barrel will self-polish and be just fine.

 

[burlesontom]

Maybe try some of this lube and bore polish.

https://www.frontiermuzzleloading.com/t9546-new-frontier-s-shoot-out-patch-lube-bore-enhancer

 

[burlesontom]

FYI, my Jeager (.62", Colerain barrel) will do the exact same thing with one wad under the ball, with two wads the patch comes out perfect. I swear this is true. !!! ?? But I'm not sure why.

I use this double patch method any time I shoot 70grs or more powder in a 50 and 54 or 60grs in a 45 caliber. The first patch acts like a firewall and protects the ball patch. When I do this my ball patches look good enough to reuse. But the firewall patch is usually burned up pretty bad.

If the OPs barrel has some pitting he could pour a lead bore lap and and use super fine valve lapping compound to polish the bore. I have done it before and its not hard to do.

I have also cut new and deeper crowns on barrels by using an RCBS case mouth prep tool. Just turn it by hand and you can cut a very pretty crown and do it much faster than the brass bolt and lapping compound.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Maybe try some of this lube and bore polish.

https://www.frontiermuzzleloading.com/t9546-new-frontier-s-shoot-out-patch-lube-bore-enhancer

That is a new product. Personally, I would be skeptical of shooting a compound lube/grind through my rifle.

 

[burlesontom]

That is a new product. Personally, I would be skeptical of shooting a compound lube/grind through my rifle.

I think you will find that the "Grind" is a super fine polish not much courser than the Polish in your toothpaste. And if you read a bit it has good reports on its use. But its no matter to me.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I don't know where those "good reports" are coming from. Just a couple days ago the maker/seller said on another forum he hadn't shipped any yet.

 

[burlesontom]

I have no control over what he writes and reports. But he did state he had it in stock and was shipping so your guess is as good as mine. And he did post some before and after pics and it looks like it works.

Don't like it. don't buy it.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have no control over what he writes and reports. But he did state he had it in stock and was shipping so your guess is as good as mine. And he did post some before and after pics and it looks like it works.

Don't like it. don't buy it.

" looks like it works. "
His test, his pics. Could be just before and after routine cleaning. Not accusing him but just saying I don't know. I'm still very leery of shooting grinding compound out of my rifles. If he has developed a new miracle stuff, I might change my mind later down the road if it proves out OK.

 

[burlesontom]

Hi rifleman. You know custom barrel makers use "grinding compounds" in their barrels to lap the bore and send them out and add a charge in the price of the barrels to do this? And remember the David Tubb barrel lapping kit that has 3 different lap compounds in it to smooth your barrel?

Smoothing the bore with a grit type material ha been around for a long time. Ned Roberts mentions it being done by old time rifle makers in the late 1800s for smoothing and adding a choke to their long range target rifle barrels in his book on Cap Lock MuzzleLoading Rifles.