So I bought a CVA plainsman flintlock about two years ago and have finally got around to buying the correct powders to make this thing go boom. I was getting ready to start shooting her today when it dawned on me I am patchless. The gun is a .50 cal with a rifled bbl. any ideas on improvising a patch. I plan on stocking up on store bought in the future but I'm in a pinch and want to make some smoke! what happens if there is no patch? suggestions?
improvised patches
- Thread starter hellya916
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Go to a fabric store. Buy by the yard and cut them yourself.
To be accurate, you weigh the ball, measure the patch thickness, and figure out the combination of ball weight, powder charge and patch thickness.
So, you find the patch thickness that is optimal for you, then buy it at the fabric store.
To be accurate, you weigh the ball, measure the patch thickness, and figure out the combination of ball weight, powder charge and patch thickness.
So, you find the patch thickness that is optimal for you, then buy it at the fabric store.
madsend81
Member
Patch Purpose
Remember that the purpose of the patch is two-fold:
1. Transfer the spin of the rifling to the ball
2. Provide a gas seal
If you are shooting roundball w/o a patch, the ball will still shoot out the end of the barrel, but you won't have any accuracy as the ball will have no spin.
If you have conicals, you can shoot them w/o a patch as the base of the conical is designed to expand into the rifling.
If you just want to make smoke, you can also setup some balloons on a string about 25' down range and aim at them. I've done that to introduce youth to BP shooting. No ball or patch, just loose powder. Balloons pop every time.
Remember that the purpose of the patch is two-fold:
1. Transfer the spin of the rifling to the ball
2. Provide a gas seal
If you are shooting roundball w/o a patch, the ball will still shoot out the end of the barrel, but you won't have any accuracy as the ball will have no spin.
If you have conicals, you can shoot them w/o a patch as the base of the conical is designed to expand into the rifling.
If you just want to make smoke, you can also setup some balloons on a string about 25' down range and aim at them. I've done that to introduce youth to BP shooting. No ball or patch, just loose powder. Balloons pop every time.
Legionnaire
Contributing Member
Best way to do this is with a micrometer, and crank it down snug; you want to measure the compressed thickness. You want the ball and patch to be as tight in the bore as you can make it without having to hammer on your starter/ramrod and thereby deforming the ball. Don't buy a lot of fabric until you find the compressed thickness that works best. If you know someone who has a muzzleloader and has a few extra patches, measure those to give you a starting point.
While patch thickness is important, I'd work on finding a good powder load first. I'd buy some basic pre-lubed patches to get started. Good rule of thumb for starting load is 1-1/2 times caliber in grains ... so start at 75 grains of powder (unless using 777 ... 15% less ... approx 64 grains) and shoot for group (five-shots). Go up in 5 grain increments until you find the sweet spot then fine tune. Then I'd work on patch thickness. And they shouldn't be dry; they ought to be lubed, even if only with spit.
If you really want to shoot for accuracy, check out Dutch Schoultz's "system" at http://www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com. It's a very informative site, even if you don't buy his publications.
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+1 on Dutch's system. Best $20 I ever spent on anything with respect to black powder, by far.
Re buying patch material - this should have been mentioned by now: cotton ONLY, NO, as in zilch, zero, nada, none, synthetic fibers. And a dense weave, which means pillow ticking or denim. When you get it home, wash it to remove the sizing.
Re buying patch material - this should have been mentioned by now: cotton ONLY, NO, as in zilch, zero, nada, none, synthetic fibers. And a dense weave, which means pillow ticking or denim. When you get it home, wash it to remove the sizing.
arcticap
Member
Legionnaire said:
That's a good rule of thumb for determining a higher velocity load from a slow twist barrel. But a more common rule of thumb for a medium 1 in 48" twist barrel is to begin with the same number of grains as the caliber of the rifle's bore.
With a medium twist barrel the lighter loads can often make very good target loads at moderate distances like 50 yards.
Using less powder is more economical, and the less powder loaded for each shot the less residue created which means less frequent swabbing of the barrel in between shots. And having less residue in the barrel can also make for easier loading.
I would start with 50 grains of powder and work up in 5-10 grain increments. Then once dialed in at 50 yards, move the target out further while only increasing the powder charge enough to maintain similar accuracy at the longer distance.
Doing it that way might result in arriving at the same powder charge in the end and it might not.
The 2 methods are just different ways of getting there.
Busyhands94
Member
my momma is a quilter, so i can get oodles of free patches. i just need to cut them to the right size, start the ball in the middle of the patch so the top is just at the muzzle, then i take my patch knife and cut it. you can also soak them in olive oil and wipe off the excess if you like having your powder go off. i found that the lubed cotton patches from Dixie Gun Works are great, only drawback is they smell like that medicated creme stuff you put on sore muscles or sprains, called "bengay" and i have no idea why. it's kind of like a very intensely minty smell. it's fine by me, they work great! the cotton ones without the stripes load easier, and the pillow ticking ones are a little bit harder to load. i keep a handful in my leather ball bag with the round balls. works great! another thing to try is to use cotton cleaning patches. use a patch knife to trim off the extra material at the muzzle. they load easier than the pillow ticking.
i have heard of mountain men using stuff like grasses, bark, tobacco, leaves, and other materials like that behind the ball to form a gas seal. i think a patch will do a better job because the spin will be imparted on the ball by the rifling.
i have heard of mountain men using stuff like grasses, bark, tobacco, leaves, and other materials like that behind the ball to form a gas seal. i think a patch will do a better job because the spin will be imparted on the ball by the rifling.
arcticap
Member
That smell is the fragance of wintergreen oil that's in Bore Butter & Wonder Lube which are basically the same products.
However there is also a Pine scented Bore Butter that I've never tried because I really like the scent of wintergreen.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1ABNQGG9270T291KATPP
However there is also a Pine scented Bore Butter that I've never tried because I really like the scent of wintergreen.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1ABNQGG9270T291KATPP
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the old timers used unbleached muslin for patches as it was commonly available and not too expensive. I have pillow ticking and mattress ticking in various thicknesses from .017 to .024. I got it from a fabric store (Joanne's). I load the powder, then I put a glob of bore butter in, then place a piece of ticking over the muzzle. Then using the short starter, set the ball just below the muzzle and cut the patch with my patch knife. ram the ball with the short starter then ram with the ramrod. It can be done faster than it sounds, but it's still slow.
arcticap
Member
Macgille said:
Do you place a gob of Bore Butter right in the barrel and then just push it down on top of the powder charge? That's the way it seems to be described.
[email protected]
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Man, What some people will put down their bores! I think you ought to put the bore butter in first.
Busyhands94
Member
oh my gosh! i can't believe they have pine scented bore butter! that's so cool!! i want to pick up some of that, and make my indoor shooting range smell like a forest!
skipjack
Member
I cut my old dress shirts into patches. I make
sure they are 100 percent cotton, and just
cut them into squares.
They also make good cleaning patches.
sure they are 100 percent cotton, and just
cut them into squares.
They also make good cleaning patches.
Pancho
Member
It is not always obvious if a piece of fabric is 100% cotton. The best way to find out is to burn a small piece and examine the ash. If the ash is dry,powdery, and gray it's probably cotton. If it smells like burnt hair it is wool. If the ash has any evidence of a tarry residue it is some kind of blend of cotton and synthetic, don't use it.
Busyhands94
Member
i made lube from Crisco and paraffin. soaked some patches in the stuff and let it cool. i will try them out soon and get back to you guys on how they worked. if they work good enough i might even make a little how-to for my homemade lubed patches! that would be kinda cool!
pepperbelly
Member
I need to order some Ballistol.
Jim
Jim
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