Well I got my left hand New Englander (50.cal) I picked up some pre lubed patches (T/C .018 Thickness) the patches seem very dry,should they be moist ? I also picked up some some .490 RB's is there a certain thickness of patch that I should use? Thank you --1Longbow
Longbow...
Generally, a "cut patch" is often a better patch... and it's a lot less expensive as well. A "cut patch" starts out as a piece of pure cotton material like pillow ticking or denim, the same material that jeans or Levi's are made of.
You'll need a precision measuring device like one inch micrometer or a good caliper to measure the thickness of the patching material and a good dial caliper or a digital caliper to measure the width of your rifle's bore...
groove-to-groove.
My .50 caliber Traditions Shenandoah flintlock likes a .016" patch (loose measurement) with a .490 lead ball, but different rifles "like" different thicknesses of patching material... depending on their groove diameter.
Let's say your rifle's groove-to-groove diameter measures exactly .50 caliber or .500" and you're using .490 lead balls. The difference is .010", but remember... the soft cotton patching material will "crush down" when forced down between the ball and the steel barrel of your rifle, so you must allow for that.
If you use a set of 1 inch micrometers, you can put pressure on the cloth at the store where you're buying it... and as you'll see, a piece of cloth that measures .016" (loose measurement) when the micrometer is turned down LIGHTLY against it will only measure .006" to .007" (tight measurement) if you REALLY tighten the micrometer down HARD on the cloth.
Since the patch material is what puts the spin on your rifle ball... and the patching material crushes down when squeezed between the steel rifle barrel and the soft lead ball, you need to use a material that will measure close to .010" (.500" - .490" = .010") when it is also "squeezed" between the ball and the barrel.
And so, when checking the thickness of the material, turn the jaws of the micrometer down
solidly on the material. This will give you a more accurate measurement of the "squeezed-down thickness" of the patching material you then measuring.
You might buy a square yard
each of denim or pillow ticking that measures .013", .015" and .017"... and see which one, when lubricated, fits tight, but not so tight that it's very hard to seat the patched ball on the powder... and gives you the best accuracy. Use the other two patching material for cleaning patches so nothing is wasted.
When seating the patched ball, the ball should give you SOME resistance as you ramrod it down the barrel, but not so much resistance that it is actually difficult to seat the ball.
Of course, you need to lubricate the patch. There are many different commercial "lubricants" on the market, but possibly the most popular "lub" is your own natural saliva or "SPIT"! A dry patch will be hard to seat even if it isn't very "tight", but a well-lubricated patch should slide right down the barrel with only a medium amount of resistance once you get it "started".
If possible, you should join a local black powder shooter's club... making sure some of the active members shoot traditional (percussion cap and/or flintlock) rifles and smooth-bores. The vast majority of people "into" traditional muzzle-loaders are really nice folks and they'll be glad to help and advise you. This will definitely "short-cut" the "learning process" for you... and very possibly save you a lot of heartaches.
The first thing to do with any patch material is
WASH IT in a washing machine with soap to take out the chemical stiffners the manufactures put in cloth material.
Now... how to do the "cut patch"...
Using a "cut patch" is the traditional way to patch your rifle ball. You wash the patch material and dry it, then cut it into 2-inch strips (for a .50 caliber rifle). After you put the powder charge down the barrel, take the strip of patching material in your hand and either put the end of it into your mouth and wet it with saliva or put some commercial lubricant on the patch, making SURE you spread the lub out to the top and bottom of the patching material and at least 1½ to 2 inches wide. You do this to insure any part of the patch that touches the rifle's barrel will be lubricated.
Center the lubricated patching material over the center of the bore (lub'ed side down), place the ball in the center of the lubricated area of the patching material and hit it with a
rubber hammer and drive it and the surrounding patch down as far as you can with the rubber hammer... i.e., with one or two good "smacks", you should drive it down level with the face of the muzzle.
Then take the short starter and either using just the curved part of the short starter's "ball" or the
very short nub of the short starter, smack the patched ball with the rubber hammer to drive the patched ball about 1/8 of an inch
BELOW the face of the muzzle so that when you cut off the patch, your knife won't nick the soft lead rifle ball & ruin its accuracy.
Then... using the face of the muzzle as a "guide", take a very sharp knife and cut off the patch as close as you can to the face of the barrel. Once this is done, use the longer stud of the short starter to "start the patched ball" down the barrel. Then finish off the seating of the patched ball with the ramrod.
Do
NOT "prime" the pan (flintlock rifle) or put a cap on the nipple (percussion cap rifle) until you are on the line, ready to fire... or are seated at the bench and will be "bench-resting" the rifle for the shot.
Don't be afraid to try different amounts of lubrication... or different kinds of lubrication on the patch. And be PATIENT... it takes time to figure out what rifle ball, what patch, what powder (FFFg or FFg) to use and what amount of that powder to use.
Good luck !~!~!
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.
