Try some .015 patches - I have a Pa hunter that shoots very well with them and .490's. It will shoot even better with .018 pillow ticking patches and .495 balls, that's what I use for hunting over 70 grains of 3F powder.
burning thru patche's
OK guys looking for some info. I've been shooting my new to me T/C pa hunter carbine lately and I'm burning thru patches is this normal.I use 60 gr. of 3f,.010 patch .490 rd ball. THe part of the patch behind ball is still hanging on by a 1/8" of material on one side only. Been shootin black powder for some years now, always use my fast twist with sabots, first time playing around with round balls. By the way the gun is shooting very good at 50 yd's.
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You didn't say what patch lube you are using. Actually burning through a patch is exceptional. Usually the patch is cut or torn for other reasons and shows charred edges from the smoke and powder residue. I have never had a patch actually burn through, even a dry patch. Normally when target shooting I use spit as a patch lube.
When shooting a new gun or unknown gun there is the possibility of sharp edges, even burrs on the rifling that can cut and tear the patch on loading. Usually these problems dissapear after a few dozen to a hundred shots. How shiny and or pitted is the bore, especially an inch or two from the breech?
When shooting a new gun or unknown gun there is the possibility of sharp edges, even burrs on the rifling that can cut and tear the patch on loading. Usually these problems dissapear after a few dozen to a hundred shots. How shiny and or pitted is the bore, especially an inch or two from the breech?
I was going to say the same thing, you more than likely have patches that are being torn by the rifling and are not burning through.
A .010 patch is too thin for a ball ten thousanths under size. You would think the patch would make up the ten thousanths and it does but not in a way that will be conducive to good bullet grippage and transferance of the rifling spin onto the ball. Patch material has the ability to compress and that is what you want. Hence why most shooters who are shooting a ball ten thousanths under bore size will shoot a patch of. 015 to upwards of .020. I use .018 pillow ticking patches and they work very well.
A .010 patch is too thin for a ball ten thousanths under size. You would think the patch would make up the ten thousanths and it does but not in a way that will be conducive to good bullet grippage and transferance of the rifling spin onto the ball. Patch material has the ability to compress and that is what you want. Hence why most shooters who are shooting a ball ten thousanths under bore size will shoot a patch of. 015 to upwards of .020. I use .018 pillow ticking patches and they work very well.
I agree.TOO thin.TC's like .015-.018.Lymans like .018-.022.Simple pach is local fabric store green stripe(.015) or blue stripe(.018).Try a 1/4 yd of each.Wash by hand and let dry.Simple lube is Crisco or Olive Oil
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.Cut sq's with scissors.Follow the stripes for lines.I'd say about 1 3/8 "sq.I make mine big enough so it covers the ball when I seat it.Just make sure the patch stays in front of your jag when seating and doesn't catch the sides.If it does it could pull the ball off the charge slightly.THATS A NO NO!
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Thanks for the info guy's will make some adjustments this weekend when shooting again.The gun is new to me was in rough shape when I got it. 4 digit ser.# octagon barrel at rear round at front. I beleive these where Douglas barrels, it has some pitting most likly from a load setting in it for a while,tried to clean up that area best I could. I was using pre lubed wonder lube patches.I have some .018 of the same brand will give them a try.
Maybe even try some light rubbing of the bore with some very fine steel wool wrapped around your jag to smooth over any burrs or rough spots just to be thorough. I think you will notice a difference though just by switching to the thicker patching.
If you have a slightly rough bore, you can try some J&B Bore cleaner, it is a slightly abrasive greasy paste that can polish out some minor blemishes. A more agressive abrasive is in the old fashion white auto finish "rubbing compound" But don't use the red rubbing compound because that is very coarse. Just lube the patch and run it up and down a dozen times, then the same with a news patch. The white rubbing compound will turn quite black from the effect on the metal bore.
If You use steel wool, the "lint" is a pain to scrub out and you must be very carfeul which grade of steel wool you use. Steel wool coarseness is denoted bu zeros or oughts (an old fashioned term for zero) "0" is the coarsest usually founf in hardware stores. "00" is next coarsest and "0000" is the finest. the first two will abrade the rifling right out of a barrel.
If You use steel wool, the "lint" is a pain to scrub out and you must be very carfeul which grade of steel wool you use. Steel wool coarseness is denoted bu zeros or oughts (an old fashioned term for zero) "0" is the coarsest usually founf in hardware stores. "00" is next coarsest and "0000" is the finest. the first two will abrade the rifling right out of a barrel.
When I get a "New to me muzzy" I always scrub the bore with 0000 steel wool,oil and a jag.Followed by soapy water and a good rinse.Any small steel fuzz is burned off after the 1st shot.Keep making sure your rod stays tight on the jag as it will spin loose as you do this.
Some guys also use a jag,clean patch,and toothpaste.
Some guys also use a jag,clean patch,and toothpaste.
Can always count on you guys for some good info.Will try some of your suggestions.Friday evening I have some time to before the weekend, usally shoot on /sundays weather permitting.
Take a square of 2 ply toilet paper and peel it in half, to make it one ply. Seat that over your powder then load your patched ball. If you are actually burning through your patches that will stop it. If your patches still have holes then your bore is cutting the patch for some reason.
Some people use wasps nest instead of toilet paper but toilet paper is a lot easier to be consistant with. A lot of people don't believe in it working but it really does, plus I have found it shrinks groups as well!
Some people use wasps nest instead of toilet paper but toilet paper is a lot easier to be consistant with. A lot of people don't believe in it working but it really does, plus I have found it shrinks groups as well!
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