[mossie]

Anyone ever try those plastic patches made by Hornady for shooting the .490 round balls. I was thinking it might work pretty good for shooting round balls out of the TC slow twist barrels with the QLA. It might work pretty good for a 1/28 twist barrel with round balls too.

I think I will order a pack and try them out anyway. I just thought maybe someone on here has tried it already. I am actually hoping a .495 ball will work in it because that's what I have on hand.

 

[red oak]

Tried some years ago and they weren't worth a hoot, ball would sometimes fall out of patch. Don't remember if they were made by Hornady though, maybe the ones you are getting will work better. Worth a try and a another good excuse to go shooting. You will get some plastic residue in your rifling which can be removed by some of the excellent products available today. I like Gunzilla and Remington Bright Bore.

 

[jimsdad]

Shoot, I didn't even know thay made these. So, this piece of plastic takes the place of a cloth patch? Hummm, the more I think about this, the more interesting it becomes. Please keep us updated on your findings.

 

[mossie]

The old style made by Butler Creek didn't extend far enough to grip the ball very well. The ones made by Hornady fit around the ball alot better; at least by the pictures. Gotta get some to try.

 

[red oak]

I think the ones I tried were made by butler creek now that you mentioned it. Seems to me they were even declared illegal for use in flintlock season by the PGC as a safety hazard.

Good luck with them and let us know how they shoot. The .495 ball should help ensure a tight fit.

 

[410-er]

Don't think I'll be trying those.Don't feel like getting that plastic out of the rifling after shooting alot.I'll just stick with pillow ticking and moose juice.

 

[Big Redneck]

I have heard that T/C will not be responisble for any damage caused if you use the "plastic" patches. They have a really bad habit of letting the ball get away from the patch. If you use a hand cast ball with a sprue it can hang up partway down the barrel causing an obstruction.
I was told by a BP dealer back in the early 70's to never use them.

 

[mossie]

I got some today and I am going to put them down the barrel of my RMC with the removable breech to test them before I shoot any. If it stays put from bumping the barrel pretty hard then they will be safe. They grip the ball just fine as far as I can see so far.

 

[mooman1949]

i've used them for a couple years,the hornady grip the ball very well. no problems with the ball coming out. they shoot good in my lyman ,my groups tightened up a bunch. didn't notice a bunch of plastic buildup during cleaning either., but i clean mine after every range session. they load as easy as patches too . just my 2 cents worth.

 

[mossie]

I think they are going to work just fine. I got the Hornady brand and it fits tight. I got them to shoot round balls out of my 1/28 twist barrel. My 24" barrel RMC shot the patched round balls with 80 grains of 3f into a 1 1/2" @ 75 yards. I doubt these will do any better than that but I just wanted to try them and see. I have 2 barrels and the 28" long one won't even hit a paper plate at that range with a round ball. Go figure?????????

Both of my 1/66 twist TC roundball guns have the QLA and I hope these shoot good out of them as well. It would be a really quick re-load and I am betting it will seal the bore better than a patch does. We shall see. I'll post the results.

I just tested them in the barrel and the .490 ball worked just fine. The .495 ball fit down the barrel just fine but when I pushed it back out the side of a the sabot petals were creased a bit too much where they could break off; the .495 ball is just too tight in the bore. The .490 ball fit very snug and the sabot had rifleing score marks on it but the sabot wasn't crushed. The package say's .490 ball and I don't think it would be a good idea to use the .495 as it could cut the petals enough to come out; I don't see it as a problem with the .490 ball at all.

 

[Big Redneck]

I must be talking about a different type plastic patch than the one you are using. The type I was refering to were color coded, tan for .45 cal, had no pedals, were the same on either end and could be loaded with either end toward the breech. The "cup" was supposed to hold the ball. Could you post a pic of the type you are using? I don't think I have any of the tan type, if I find one I will post a pic.

 

[mossie]

Don't have a camera that is working right now. The only ones I have seen are available on the Hornady website under muzzleloaders. They have pics of them on there. It's for .485 or .490 balls. I am trying to get a chance to shoot this week sometime and get some batteries for the camera as well.

 

[Big Redneck]

Do not use any type of plastic patch or sabot with a ROUND BALL in
any Thompson/Center firearm. When such patches or sabots are used, it
is possible, even under optimum tolerance conditions, for the ball and
patch or sabot to disengage themselves from each other. This results in
the ball moving forward (leaving air space between the patch or sabot and
the ball). UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS, THE BALL WILL ACT AS A
BARREL OBSTRUCTION AND FIRING CAN RESULT IN INJURY
AND/OR DEATH TO THE SHOOTER OR BYSTANDERS AND DAMAGE
TO PROPERTY.
The above is copied and pasted from the T/C side lock manuel page 25, manuel refers to black powder sidelocks mfg from 1970-2006.
If you go to the T/C website, manuel, sidelocks you can find the warnings, I'm sure some of the guys on here can provide a link.
Mossie, no offense, but I would check it out. I would hate to see anyone get hurt.

 

[mossie]

Thanks for the concern Big Redneck; really I do appreciate that you have taken your time to make sure myself and others are warned of the risk. I intend to call Hornady and TC to talk to them about it; I have seen the TC manual and the warnings in other muzzleloader manuals during a recent search of the product. I must admit that I have some resolutions on ever using these things since I have seen the warnings.

 

[Big Redneck]

No Problem, I heard some bad things about them years ago, didn't want to see anyone or anything get hurt.
They may have improved them to meet T/C's standards.

 

[BerksCoflinter]

I feel pretty confident my linen patched roundball will leave less of a remainder in the environment than ANY sort of plastic ball wrapper!

 

[410-er]

Muzzleloading is about trying all types of varibles to get the tightest groups possible or the given velosity you want.SAFELY!Unless you have a drop in bore light,you really can't see damage done by shooting plastic or not seating a projectile the whole way down on top of that charge.

 

[jimsdad]

I think my enthuiasim for these plastic thingies has been reduced to the point whare I will be staying with the Crisco lubed cloth patch.

 

[Ron pa]

I believe the older ones were called a Poly Patch? The M`loading Club I belonged to, back then, banned the use of them. A few members got in a huff and quit.....

 

[Big Redneck]

Yep, RP that was the name, I forgot what they were called till I saw your post.