patch material for loading

[rfcbuf]

Planning to try 50 cal ball loading in flint rifle by using cotton sheet material (7/000 thick) by doubling thickness (folding material)to make thickness about 15/000 thick). Will this work and provide decent accuracy.

Anyone tried this concept? Advise would be appreciated. Material shops around here often don't have proper thickness material.

 

[rafterob]

It will work, if you need to make it work.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I'm sure it has been tried but is one of the worst choices possible for the job.
Do consider other proven materials. Pillow ticking is very close to being the standard material for round ball patching. It has the qualities we need for this task. The thickness we want (apx. .020), very tightly woven and strong. Whatever you settle on, make sure it is pure cotton.

 

[Dphar]

Planning to try 50 cal ball loading in flint rifle by using cotton sheet material (7/000 thick) by doubling thickness (folding material)to make thickness about 15/000 thick). Will this work and provide decent accuracy.

Anyone tried this concept? Advise would be appreciated. Material shops around here often don't have proper thickness material.

Too much work. Buy some denim or heavy blue stripe ticking.
.015 is seldom thick enough unless using a ball less the .005 under bore size. IE in the 50 you would need a .498-.500 ball

Dan

 

[BullRunBear]

My guess is it won't hurt anything as long as the material is sufficiently lubed and remains doubled as you ram the ball home. Even doubled, it will be a minimal thickness. I usually need .015 to .020 thickness in my 50 cals.

When a local fabric store has a sale on the right material, I bring a micrometer to check the thickness. Always pure cotton, of course. Also, make sure that any sizing has been washed out before lubing.

Let us know if it works.

Jeff

 

[ricklandes]

I also take my mic to the fabric store and buy a couple of yards of denim that is the thickness I want. I would not want to try double thick anything.
I do not like used material either (like worn jeans, etc.) the thickness varies too much for best accuracy; might tear out too.
When choosing thickness make sure to put some pressure on to the mic as you want the compressed thickness.

 

[rfcbuf]

Tried the double patch material(folded)at 50 yds. Accuracy was terrible. Patch must have come out like a flag waving in the wind.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

A patch need only be thick enough to seal the bore. Whether thin or thick patching is required to do that depends on your rifling more than anything.

There is absolutely no necessity to bruise your palm mashing a lead ball and patch into rifling that is 30 thousandths less in size.

A table of chrony results posted on another forum in the past couple days, showed that the shooter netted slightly faster speed and more accurate groups with thinner (.012)patching than thicker (.020).

Obviously there is a point at which the patch ball combo can be too loose, but some folks seem to think that a certain color and thickness mattress ticking is a necessity for all shooters and all guns.

consistency in loading practices counts for more than whether a patch material is .012 or .021 in thickness.