nylon patches

[williek]

Thirty years ago our Olympic BP shooting team used a nylon overpowder plug that was cupped on both ends. I used them in my .45 CVA over 30 grains of FFFG and was able to shoot cloverleafs at 50 yds.  I have never been able to duplicate that accuracy with anything else.  Being new to BP shooting at the time, I was amazed when I saw the results when I stopped trying to make a barn burner out of my muzzleloader.  
Do they still make them?  I realize that they are not traditional, but boy was that a squirrel gun!
I was away from BP until a year or so ago.  Perhaps you might suggest a load I could use to try to equal that accuracy with a patch. I believe I read about a problem with the ball rolling forward (lack of a patch) and causing some problems.  I suppose the lawyers killed them off, or maybe I'm too critical.
williek

[tomhargrove]

GOOD QUESTION I ALSO USE TO USE THESE IN MY 50 GPR AND IT SHOT LIKE A TARGET RIFLE I THINK THEY WERE MADE BY BUTLER CREEK AND CALLED POLY-PATCHES.  I THINK CABELAS HAS SOMETHING SIMILAR ALSO ONE OF THE BIG DOWN SIDES WAS THAT THE PLASTIC WOULD MELT AND STRING OFF INTO THE RIFLEING BUT IF THIS WAS TRUE WOULD THE WONDER LOAD S FOR INLINES THEY CALL SABOTS DO THE SAME THING NOW, I THINK IT WAS ALL A BIG BUNCH OF BAD PRESS AT THAT TIME AND  A FEW HARD CORE TRADITIONALIST GUN WRITERS BLOWING THERE OWN OPIONS WITH LITTLE RESERCH ACTUALLY DONE ON THIS SUBJECT. TOM  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:

[ribbonstone]

Those were the critters...Butler Creek Oly-Patch...and there was bad press aboput the possibility of the ball moving out of the cupped end and acting like an obstrustion.  Never seen taht happen, or a first hand report of it happening, but guess it could happen if you were to treat a loaded gun roughly while pointing it down (and the same would be true for any mini ball load as well, but that didn't get bad press).

They worked....but the black powder world seems more polarized today, traditionalist vs. in-liners.  Traditionalist won't have anything to do with that kind of patch, and in-liners seem more interrested in long saboted bullets...so I don't look for the poly-patch to make a comeback.

IS one maker that attaches what looks like 1/2 a poly-patch to the rear of his slugs...makes it one solid unit...old ideas do come arround again and again, in somewhat differnt forms.

[williek]

I have used the PowerBelt bullets in my .54 and they work better than sabots IMO because they allow the bullet to retain its full .54 caliber. However, I would like to use the RB, and thinking about how to get the max accuracy made me think of the olympic poly-patch.  There is something wandering around in the back of my brain that thinks maybe the olympic committee may have banned them.
I would rather use the traditional patch and am reading the old posts here to learn how best to go about getting that best load.
Do you know that some of you guys don't agree on everything?
This leads to confusion in my poor old mind, which leads me to think that I may have to spend alot of time shooting that smokepole.  Wouldn't that be just too bad!!!!
Seriously, I would appreciate any and all advice on good loads to start with.  I realize every gun has its likes and dislikes, but there should be a good starting load or two.
Take care, and thanks for the help.
williek

[astrix]

Hornady makes a plastic patch(sabot) for .490 round
balls called "Plastic Patch".

[Will Bison]

I remember them gadgets. I never could see much difference at 100 yards off the bench. I shot them and PRB and groups were about the same. My initial concern was having the ball dislodge although that never happened. The other problem was lubrication, I never came up with a satisfactory method.

[Snowshoe]

I picked some up at a gun show, but they shot like crap out of my Deerstalker. I have tried almost everything that I could get my hands on, but have gone back to the patched round ball. They just work, and are cheap, so I get to shoot more.