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Thread: Patched ball. Do we take it for granted?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Manchester
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    Patched ball. Do we take it for granted?

    Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the quality, type of patch material and the lubricant plays a bigger part in the accuracy of the patch ball rifle than we give it credit for, and, to some degree, the smoothbore musket.
    We load the patch and ball. We assume it grips the rifling and the ball and seals the gases, but is there more to it than that?

    For quite a while I have shot mainly with a .577” and a Minie bullet.
    I bought a reproduction .36” single shot muzzleloader. The maker recommended a .006” patch and a .354” ball. At the range it shot all over the place. I am a capable shot so I knew it was not me at fault so it must have had something to do with the way it was loaded.
    The ball was the right size and various powder charges made no difference. That left the patch and the lubricant. When I looked at the patch I noticed it was hard stiff material. It made wonder if it was causing a tent effect on the rifling lands instead of hugging them. I had a couple of large sheets of .012” and .015” soft cotton. I cut some patches from the .012” sheet, the theory being that it will sit snug against the lands and grip the ball as well.
    It worked. I got good accuracy with the thicker softer patch. I tried the .015” patch thinking that the tighter the ball is in the bore the more central it will be.
    The accuracy with the .015” patch was as bad as the first time I used the pistol. I went back to using the .012” patch and the accuracy came back. I find it astonishing that .003” difference in thickness could make such a dramatic difference, but it did.

    I have got an antique .41” rifle that I have started to use. I’m still working a load up. The last time I took it out I took a selection of patches of three different thicknesses that were lubed with four different combinations of tallow and beeswax.
    I was hitting the target but they were all over the place. By the time I was down to two patches the sun came out and it was very hot. The patches went floppy because of the heat and I did not think they would be any use, but it was the last two so I thought I might has well fire them off anyway. They were the best two shots of the day! Why?
    I think because the patches had gone floppy they squashed themselves down the side of the ball and sat in the rifling better than the other patches, that were a little bit stiff, and acted like a sabot.

    This made me wonder, if I am right, would we be better off using a smaller ball and a thicker patch?
    I use a fiberglass ramrod or a brass one, as I’m sure many of us do, and I can put a lot of force on the rod when I am loading the gun. In the old days it was only military guns that used metal rods, most civilian guns for hunting had wooden ramrods so they had to be able push the patch and ball down the barrel without having to exert too much force.
    I am using a .405” ball but the next time I can get to the range I am going to try some at .400”,.395” and .390” and suitable patches for the size of ball.
    I intend to start off at .390” and experiment with that size and work upwards and see what the results are. I’ve also got an idea for using wool felt wads but that will be after I have tested out my theory.

    If you have got this far and not fallen asleep with my ramblings I would like to hear what your views are on this.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Huntingdon
    Posts
    9,253
    Quote Originally Posted by enfield2band View Post
    Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the quality, type of patch material and the lubricant plays a bigger part in the accuracy of the patch ball rifle than we give it credit for, and, to some degree, the smoothbore musket.
    We load the patch and ball. We assume it grips the rifling and the ball and seals the gases, but is there more to it than that?

    For quite a while I have shot mainly with a .577” and a Minie bullet.
    I bought a reproduction .36” single shot muzzleloader. The maker recommended a .006” patch and a .354” ball. At the range it shot all over the place. I am a capable shot so I knew it was not me at fault so it must have had something to do with the way it was loaded.
    The ball was the right size and various powder charges made no difference. That left the patch and the lubricant. When I looked at the patch I noticed it was hard stiff material. It made wonder if it was causing a tent effect on the rifling lands instead of hugging them. I had a couple of large sheets of .012” and .015” soft cotton. I cut some patches from the .012” sheet, the theory being that it will sit snug against the lands and grip the ball as well.
    It worked. I got good accuracy with the thicker softer patch. I tried the .015” patch thinking that the tighter the ball is in the bore the more central it will be.
    The accuracy with the .015” patch was as bad as the first time I used the pistol. I went back to using the .012” patch and the accuracy came back. I find it astonishing that .003” difference in thickness could make such a dramatic difference, but it did.

    I have got an antique .41” rifle that I have started to use. I’m still working a load up. The last time I took it out I took a selection of patches of three different thicknesses that were lubed with four different combinations of tallow and beeswax.
    I was hitting the target but they were all over the place. By the time I was down to two patches the sun came out and it was very hot. The patches went floppy because of the heat and I did not think they would be any use, but it was the last two so I thought I might has well fire them off anyway. They were the best two shots of the day! Why?
    I think because the patches had gone floppy they squashed themselves down the side of the ball and sat in the rifling better than the other patches, that were a little bit stiff, and acted like a sabot.

    This made me wonder, if I am right, would we be better off using a smaller ball and a thicker patch?
    I use a fiberglass ramrod or a brass one, as I’m sure many of us do, and I can put a lot of force on the rod when I am loading the gun. In the old days it was only military guns that used metal rods, most civilian guns for hunting had wooden ramrods so they had to be able push the patch and ball down the barrel without having to exert too much force.
    I am using a .405” ball but the next time I can get to the range I am going to try some at .400”,.395” and .390” and suitable patches for the size of ball.
    I intend to start off at .390” and experiment with that size and work upwards and see what the results are. I’ve also got an idea for using wool felt wads but that will be after I have tested out my theory.

    If you have got this far and not fallen asleep with my ramblings I would like to hear what your views are on this.
    My first point is that you really need to get on to muzzleloadingforum.com - THE definitive all-muzzleloading forum based in the USA. Then, take a look at the longrifle forum.

    You also need to give any new material for patches - ideally good-quality cotton, as you mention - a thoroughly good washing using old-fashioned soap flakes - not modern bio-chemical stuff. The point you made about the rather delicate original ramrod vis-á-vis the modern glass-fibre or even all metal device is also moot.

    As with EVERYTHING to do with muzzleloading with patch and ball - it is all down to experimentation - not even a pair of matching pistols will shoot the same, or even with the same load - proven on our range a couple of times with original duelling pistols.

    Good luck in your ventures.

    PS - try using saliva for your rifle patch - the stuff they sell as a lube, 'Spit-patch', is not called that for nothing. I figure that if it's good enough for capandball - AKA Dr Bálasz Németh, Hungarian national muzzleloading rifle and pistol champion and well-know Youtuber, it might be good enough for you, too.

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