Patch diameter for a .50?

[Regulis7]

Whats a good diameter for .50cal pre-cut round ball patch?

Regulis7

 

[roundball]

Whats a good diameter for .50cal pre-cut round ball patch?

Regulis7

As one reference, I use T/C's .018" precut, prelubed pillow ticking...

.45/.50 = 1+1/8"
.54/.58 = 1+3/8"

Perfect

 

[pcrum]

Just shoot it with a muzzle cut one, then recover the patch and see. (it's a good idea to examine your fired patches anyway on occasion) Or you can use an oversize one, seat the ball- trace the muzzle with a pencil, than pull out the patch and see.

 

[RussB]

Whats a good diameter for .50cal pre-cut round ball patch?

Regulis7

This is one less concern for those who do "cut at the muzzle".
However, many find it clumsy / akward to cut at the muzzle, and just use one size patch for everything from .50 to .58.

I think it would be hard to get a patch too big. I have often shoved a ball down the bore of my smoothbore a good 3 inches before cutting the patch.....thinking Oh manure! I don't want to have to pull that ball...but after cutting and seating, the shot proved just as accurate as anything else I shot.

Looked like a mattress going down range!

Now too small...that's a whole "nuther hoss".

Russ

 

[Stumpkiller]

You really don't need the barrel or a spent patch. Just poke the ball into a rag, close the ball into the material then choke up as close as you can with a pair of scissors and snip the ball loose. The material that comes off with the ball will be the mimimum patch size you should use. If you add a tad, say 1/8", it will compensate for being a little off center.

 

[jtmattison]

I use 1 1/4 inch patches for .50 and .54.

Huntin

 

[jaybeach]

Hmmmm - I've been using a quarter (25 cent piece) to trace and cut patches for a long time now. I just measured one, and it's just 1" - a bit smaller than most of you feel is right. I'll have to try going a little larger and see if it makes a difference in accuracy - - gotta try to hit that card, you know!
:thumbsup:

 

[Tahquamenon]

OxYoke precut .018 Pillow Tick here.

Excellent!

 

jaybe
with a patch of 1" dia you have to be very careful in haveing the ball exactly centered over it when you stuff it in the barrel and for a .54 i would go to at least a patch of 1 3/8 ".... 1' for a .50 is on the small side IMO
it may like you mention increase the accuracy beter .
try it and let us know.

Woody

 

[IronMan]

I use Oxyoke pre-lubed 1-1/8x.015 for my .50 CVA Bobcat

IronMan

 

[Regulis7]

Thanks for all the feedback concerning the patch size. I found an empty pill bottle that is slightly larger than 1 1/8" and used it as a guide to trace and cut out some round patches with. The ones I have been using are 1 1/8" square patches and about half my recovered patches were imprinted off center even though I loaded them on center at the muzzle. When I use round pre cut patched every recovered patch has a perfect centered ball imprint.

Regulis7

 

[DanWalker]

Currently cutting at the muzzle. However, I used to trace and cut my patches using the cap of a GOEX can. worked real well for both my .45 and .50.