I know I should know better by now but...hehe-normally I've bypassed all this stuff and just bought balls and. ticking or the patches[.018]but I decided to use my .50 barrel on my renegade for awhile I bought it as an xtra never shot it much but I figured to get really technical and measured every thing.The groove size is .510, m home cast balls are .492,so .510 minus .492=.018 that got me thinkin because I've still got to devide that by 2 and that leaves .010 I've got material that size because someone here does sewing and quilting and has way more material than she can kep track of :shock: -but anyway .010 seems way thin ,so am I forgetting something in the equation because ,I always used .018 for everything before[.54] and it's almost always sold that size in patches.
Member #609.....Looks good on ya, glad you decided to finally wear it.
Don't think of it like that....think of it as a .010 patch will have a thickness of twice that amount once it is wrapped around a ball....010 on each side x two sides = .020.....A round ball will two sides no matter which way you hold it.
By looking at it like this, it is fairly easy to see a .010 patch will be really tight once it is "squeezed" into the groves....you'll never get a patched ball down that bore if you use .018 patches.
.018 x 2 =.036
.010 x 2 = .020
.492 + .020 = .512 however, since patches do compress, and you actually only have to get .002 compression when you seat the ball, it will be a nice, tight, fit and is likely the exact size you are looking for.
If you do end up with "blown" patches, ie burned holes, torn, ragged, recovered patches, use a wad over the powder before seating the patched ball.
That size of .492 on your ball makes me think you are casting from wheel weights, or an alloy with a BHN hardness of around 10 or 12, which will always give you a "thousandth" or so more in diameter than pure lead.
Uncle Russ...
Topic: Patches (Read 726 times)