Round or Square Patches? Is There Really a Difference?

[Flintlock]

I cut at the muzzle with my flintlock, and use square precut with my Hawken percussion. I pretreatment with ballistol and water 7:1, dry them and put them in an airtight container.

My question is, once prelubed, how long does the lube last? Ever need to relube them?

I usually use olive oil for patch lube, I lube about 20 of them and put them in my tin. I shoot enough I never worry about them drying out.

 

[Dibbuk]

I cut my patching material in strips, and cut at the muzzle. I always seem to have trouble getting pre-cut patches exactly centered.

 

[EC121]

This 5 shot group was shot with precut square, offcenter patches. 50yds. 1st shot(the high one) was a clean barrel shot. How much better can cutting at the muzzle shoot?

 

[tenngun]

No better at all. It gives you a chance to make sure the ball has patch all around. You don’t have to be centered as long as the patch completely wraps the ball.
Pre cut patches go back to the sixteenth century, Boone is recorded by Audubon as cutting at the muzzle over two centuries later.

 

[toot]

remember that only the cloth knowes the difference, not the ball? I don't think it cares?

 

[oldwood]

My hunting buddy and I have had a running discussion on the round vs. square patch for thirty years. Other than a source of having an amusing argument at times , I'll bite the bullet and admit it doesn't matter. (he's the square patch guy) I make better camp spaghetti than does he.

 

[mooman76]

My hunting buddy and I have had a running discussion on the round vs. square patch for thirty years. Other than a source of having an amusing argument at times , I'll bite the bullet and admit it doesn't matter. (he's the square patch guy) I make better camp spaghetti than does he.

I don't know about that. Everyone has different tastes so maybe his spaghetti is better.

 

[Art Caputo]

When shooting targets and casual shooting I shoot mostly round, cut patches or cut at the muzzle from a strip........no difference in results. I have shot square cut patches but rarely, as I have found them to sometimes snag when using a jag tipped rod. For hunting, I use a loading block with round fur patches.

 

[Flintlock]

Does pizza taste the same round or square.

 

[mooman76]

Actually no.

 

[Jaeger]

When I first started muzzleloading I would painstakingly cut round patches out with scissors after marking them out with a ballpoint pen. That is, until one I stopped and said to myself "What am I doing this for?" And I didn't have a good answer. It was kind of a Shooting Patch Epiphany.....