Need to Change Patch Material?

[Rifleman1776]

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.

Yes, I know that well. Have done it. But somebody coming on the market with a new product containing grinding compound that is shot at high speed out of your/my rifle with high temps sends up a big red flag for me. I would rather be cautious than cry.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I agree, but unmentionable target shooters often use special bullets with a compound to smooth out new barrels. It may be a good product, but I too would probably use methods already described on this forum.

 

[PeteDavis]

I hope your bore isn't pitted from corrosion. It can happen really easily.

Over powder wads can help if that's the case.

PD

 

[Dr5x]

THE ONLY WAY TO JUDGE PATCHING IS BY THE RESULTS YOU GET ON TARGET.. YOUR OLIVE OIL/BEESWAX LUBE SEEMS AWFULLY SLICK TO ME. ALLOWING THE PATCHES BALL TOSTART MOVINGAND BEING ON ITS WAY OUT OF THE BARREL BEFORE THE POWDER HAS DONE ITS THING. BUT IF YOU ARE GETTING SATIFACTORY GROUPS, STICK WITH IT.
IF YOU ARE SEEING CUTS IN YOUR EXPENDED PATCHES THAT SHOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AS LONG AS THAT "BELT" AROUND THE BALL IS SECURE THROUGH THE FIRING SEQUENCE..

SOMEONE ON THE FRUM REPORTED REUSING SPENT PATCHES WHICH SEEMS EXTREMELY FRUGAL, BUT AGAIN, IF THEY ARE GIVING YOU TIGHT GROUPS STICK WITH IT. (SWI)

DR5X

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

 

[Loyalist Dave]

IF YOU ARE SEEING CUTS IN YOUR EXPENDED PATCHES THAT SHOULD MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AS LONG AS THAT "BELT" AROUND THE BALL IS SECURE THROUGH THE FIRING SEQUENCE..

Thanks for the reply. It seems the cuts are where the lands and the patch and the side of the ball meet at the "belt"....
I think my short starter is acting like scissors when I shove the ball below the edge of the muzzle. When they open up the range after the water drains, I should be able to test.

LD

 

[burlesontom]

I agree, but unmentionable target shooters often use special bullets with a compound to smooth out new barrels. It may be a good product, but I too would probably use methods already described on this forum.

You mean like using sandpaper and Scotch Bright pads?

 

[Noah Hathorne]

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).

Fire lapping! I was thinking of doing this myself while reading the thread. I have a Great Plains rifle that is doing this. How is the accuracy of your rifle? Improved?

 

[Noah Hathorne]

Also see the thread on "patches disappear". It's related to this one.

 

[FlinterNick]

Yes, I know that well. Have done it. But somebody coming on the market with a new product containing grinding compound that is shot at high speed out of your/my rifle with high temps sends up a big red flag for me. I would rather be cautious than cry.

Hi Dave

In the past I've had this issue with the Colerain barrels. Paper patches tend to work best and I've used a variety of things for lube, chapstick and Burts bees hand balm are the two I think work best.

Regarding the paper what I've used, coffee filter paper and baking parchment.

To cleanup the rifling after soaping I send down a blank round with a high grit sandpaper (5,000 -7,000 grit) black wet dry sand paper with a tight ball shaped wad of flax tow (for friction), with a regular charge, I might do this a few times. Subsequent shots hold more accuracy for me.