Patch Material for Muzzle Loaders

[loose noose]

Here I've been talking about shooting BP for several months, as well as building BP arms, favored cleaning proceedures, and never once have I mentioned what I use for lubed patches. In fact dry lubed patches. Back around January of 2003, I got some info in regards to Patching Material and how to, by a feller named Dutch Schoultz AKA Harold V. Schoultz. It's where you use pillow ticking, water, along with water soluble oil, and lay your strips out to dry on a flat surface to dry. The trick is to go with 2 parts of water, with 1 part of water soluble oil on up to 10/1. stir until you get the moose milk solution and cut the pillow ticking into 2" strips submerge in the solution, and set on a flat surface to dry. Once dry roll up the strips and place in a 35 mm film case to preserve. you might want to mark the end of the container exactly what you made, for example 10/1, 2/1, etc.once you've shot some of these loads to determine you're most accurate load, stick with it and watch your groups shrink. Mine for the .54 Hawkins is 4/1, for the .32 flinter it is 6/1, for my .45 Kentucky rifle it is 5/1, my newly built 50 flinter I haven't figured that out yet. Of course there are a lot of other variables, but ya might try this out.

 

[arcticap]

Is Ballistol recommended or mentioned as the preferred water soluble oil or is that left up to choice?
I believe that most folks use Ballistol for lubing patches using that method.

 

[Pancho]

I prefer Ballistol because it does everything. Including leather and wood care.

 

[alsaqr]

i use Goop hand cleaner as a patch lube. It works great.

 

[the Black Spot]

I use linen I get from goodwill clothes section for patch matrerial. patch lube I,use mink tallow from track of the,wolf

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I use pillow ticking and Track of the Wolf's mink oil lube.

 

[Geordie]

patches

I use linen scraps from the sewing room and lube with a 50-50 mix of olive oil and bees wax.

 

[loose noose]

articap, I use "Stalube" soluble oil, you can get it at any machine shop, or most automotive stores. It is really inexpensive. The way I measure it is I use a shotglass of soluble oil, to 4 shotglasses of regular tap water, or for my others 1 shotglass of soluble oil to 7 of water etc. I can tell ya from vast experience it does make a major difference in accuracy. It is very important that you stretch the soaked patch strips on a flat surface in order to let them dry completely so the oil will be evenly distributed. Myself, I shot several 3 shot groups starting out at 2/1 up to 9/1 and marked each target. Naturally I weighed the round balls to keep them within 1 grain of each other also, I swabbed the bore between each shot with just a dab of water soaked in oil soluble oil, followed by a dry patch. Now mind ya, use a patching material that will give ya a snug fit but nothing so tight that you'll deform the ball. It does take a lot of shooting, but once ya got the the right combination it's smooth sailing.

 

[Cosmoline]

I use the silk from a gentlewoman's underthings. I hear it gives an extra fifty yards.*

Seriously, I ordered three different thicknesses in bulk from Track and just cut out what I need depending on the ball/muzzle fit. Should be as tight as can be loaded. Lube is oil/beeswax mix. Ballistol gives me an instant rash, so I stay well away from it.

*Because that's just how far you'll get booted if said gentlewoman finds out you've cut up her silken underthings.

 

[Plastikosmd]

I use teflon coated patches

 

[loose noose]

Unless they changed the ingredients in Ballistol, that stuf smells like dirty socks, I tried that once or twice and my little lady about left me. Somebody tell me did they clean the odor up in the last 10 years or so?!

 

[TomADC]

I went to the local yardage store with a pair of calipers and bought a yard of irish linen, I use bore butter to lube.

 

[Shyoldman]

When I am hunting I use spit patch.

 

[loose noose]

My possibles bag now, allways carries a 35mm container carrying my water soluble oil patching. But whatever ya all feel comfortable with. I reckon the old frontiersmen used nothing but good ole saliva.

 

[arcticap]

I use "Stalube" soluble oil, you can get it at any machine shop, or most automotive stores. It is really inexpensive.

Thanks for the info. loose noose.
There have been discussions here about moose milk before. I checked with NAPA and they carry Stalube Soluble Oil for about $9.99 per quart. They also sell NAPA Cutting & Grinding Oil which is recommended by many folks for making moose milk. NAPA has it on sale for $4.55 per pint right now [NAPA Part Number: WLD 7651526].
These soluble cutting oils are basically mineral oil distillates with other ingredients added to help them emulsify with water. I intend to try some out to see how it works as a cleaner/solvent rather than as a patch lube, and compare it to pure mineral oil which doesn't mix with water.

Here are the 2 product pages at NAPA:

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=WLD7651526_0068896387

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?R=SLRSL2512_0006410058

Here are their MSDS safety sheets from links on their NAPA product pages:

https://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/773757.pdf

https://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/683560.pdf

 

[loose noose]

You're more than welcome articap, BTW I've got some good advice from you also, and I thank ya back.