Does your lube effect accuracy?

[Captchee]

Ok now I gotchya .
 That is sealed ticking .  Last time I saw that was when I was a boy . My mother would use it to make our bed  pillows . I guess so that the feathers wouldn’t come through .
 Basicly every year she would take the feathers from the old pillow and  stuff a new one
 don’t know much about it  cant say if it’s a type of Teflon or what is used on it .

 Did the bolt say Teflon coated ticking ?

2 steps is probably right on this one . One of the truly long range dedicated folks might be better to ask

[IronDawg]

Thanks 2 steps. It's not that I'm really curious about em. I was just given this strip, and all a sudden it was like this strip doesn't fit the mold.

I was really just looking for a patch lube that doesn't smear and get all over my other stuff, works well in most conditions and isn't going to make my rounbballs fly like frisbees.

Billy said he got them from a target shooter. Said the guys bore was so tight with his Patch and round ball that you simply HAD to swab between every shot and use a starter or you were NOT going to get a ball down the barrel.

Man I'm a hunter. If I need to load a second shot right then and there?? I don't want no sort of set up that dicates "OK wait..... I need to swab and use a starter and a range rod would be of big help as well" I just wanna dump powder down the barrel, bump the side of the rifle, slap a roundball over a patch and shove it down the barrel until it doesn't go any more.

No bolt Cap.We were discussing patches and how Ivan Boggs uses old blue jeans for patches and experimenting and he  just handed me this rolled up strip and told it was teflon coated pillow ticking.  Said he aint care for it  but I might wanna give it a try.

[mark davidson]

Irondawg, I swear...we must be kinfolk! I too find something that simply works and then I get enough of um to last about a hundred years so when I am 149 I still won't run out.:-) As for patches, I still cannot see what is wrong with the pre-lubed (pre-rolled) ones you get from TOW. They are dirt cheap and you can get enough of um for a few bucks to last for years and in my guns they WORK!!! I am sure magic moose snot or extract of ground hog liver slivered in the moon's eclipse might work better but I just like to take my stuff out and shoot and kill some critters. When I get too traditional to use the pre-lubed ox yoke patches I will go the spit route.

[IronDawg]

Mark,

I reckon If I hadda patch box on my rifle those would be a good choice. I bought a few hundred of the ones they call "oil lubed" or "oiled" patches and they seem to work real well.

But without a patchbox on my rifle I find myself fumbling for a lil plastic ziploc baggie of them in my bag. Again not much difference than grabbing a toothpaste lookin plastic squeeze tube. I've squirrel hunted with Billy a few times and asked Cap how he does it (they do the same thing only one likes a spit patch and the other uses a lube) But they both prefer to use long strips of ticking and cut at the barrel. I've tried this and I like the simplicty and function of it. I just have to find a lube and lubing method to go along with it.

Speakin of which it's about that time. I been wrapping up indoor honeydos and scrubbing the bore on this 50 all day. Rains have stopped and it's high time for me to let go of the rifle thats in pieces getting cleaned and grab a rifle thats together and ready to hunt.

I'm off to the woods this evenin. see yall tonite sometime.

[Riley/MN]

I'm off to the woods this evenin. see yall tonite sometime.

Go get em 'Dawg. We will be waiting right here for the details...

[Two Steps]

Billy said he got them from a target shooter. Said the guys bore was so tight with his Patch and round ball that you simply HAD to swab between every shot and use a starter or you were NOT going to get a ball down the barrel.

Yes sir...a lot of those guys use bore sized RBs.  It takes 'em a minute, but they know the target is still going to be there when they're ready to hit it...and they do hit it good
Al

[Three Hawks]

The sizing in new fabric is plain old cornstarch.  It is there to help keep dirt from grubby hands from sticking and to give the cloth a more sophisticated look and feel in the store.  

I've found it makes no discernible difference in accuracy washed or unwashed in MY guns.   I prefer it washed as it seems to accept warm lard more easily and works better as cleaning patches if needed.

 I tried spit patches.  I dry up in about three shots so that one is a non issue.

YMMV.

[mark davidson]

Irondawg, Good luck on the hunt. I am taking my smoker to the woods this evening myself! As for trouble and time, I keep one ready-load in one of those plasic tubes with powder in one end and ball and patch in the other. It is super fast to use in hunting. I have tried cutting at the muzzle. Talk about fumbling and time consuming ....that long strip of cloth and having to have a patch knife is just another step I like to avoid by just slapping a precut patch on and cramming the ball down on it with no extra knife retrieval or cut to make and no knife to put back up and no strip of cloth to fold and stow. Keep it simple. I'm outta here for the day myself.

[Hank in WV]

Dawg, that almost looks like some kind of rubberized coating. You might try cutting a oiece off and try burning it to see if it melts. If so, you sure wouldn't want it in your barrel.

[rollingb]

Irondawg, Good luck on the hunt. I am taking my smoker to the woods this evening myself! As for trouble and time, I keep one ready-load in one of those plasic tubes with powder in one end and ball and patch in the other. It is super fast to use in hunting. I have tried cutting at the muzzle. Talk about fumbling and time consuming ....that long strip of cloth and having to have a patch knife is just another step I like to avoid by just slapping a precut patch on and cramming the ball down on it with no extra knife retrieval or cut to make and no knife to put back up and no strip of cloth to fold and stow. Keep it simple. I'm outta here for the day myself.

With a little practice, you should be able to load and fire 3 aimed shots per-minute (an honest 60 seconds). I've been doing it for years, and I use patch material in a "strip" and also "cut at the muzzle".

My strip of patch material hangs from the strap of my shooting bag,... my lube is "spit",... and my belt knife (Green River Butcher) serves as (both) "patch knife" AND "ball-starter."
I also "load" AND "prime" from the same horn.

I've found this to be a FAST and SIMPLE way to load/reload with few wasted motions when combined with a "quick blow" down the bore between shots.  

As always, YMMV.

[mark davidson]

rolling, Three shots in a minute...that is impressive! I think I am likely more in the three minutes per shot range. :-) How do you measure your powder in that speed loading process?  My main focus is hunting and I do not get in that big a hurry really. I use an over powder cushing wad to protect my patch so I have an extra step anyway, an extra run of the ramrod down the barrel. I am likely too meticulous but I am an accuracy freak and I know what it takes to make my gun stroke on out to 100 yards. You likely have yours stroking even at that speed but I am a long way from there yet. I use my speed loader to get ready for a follow up shot hunting and then take my time getting the speed loader ready for when I need it again.

[IronDawg]

RB,
"load and prime from the same horn" Do you pour your load from the horn into a measurer of some sort then down the barrel?? if not how do you know ya got the right amount down the barrel??

I've primed from my horn before, but the curve in my horn gives me fits (now I know why the fella swapped it off to me as a trade blank) And I normally get as much on the ground as I do in the pan. So I use a lil  brass primer flask

[mark davidson]

I too use the little brass primer thing. I carry it on a piece of rawhide around my neck with a pick tied to it. I just lean over a little and depress the tip three or four times and the gun is primed and ready. I usually pick the vent right before prime or sometimes even after and then flip the frizzen shut.

[rollingb]

rolling, Three shots in a minute...that is impressive! I think I am likely more in the three minutes per shot range. :-) How do you measure your powder in that speed loading process?  My main focus is hunting and I do not get in that big a hurry really. I use an over powder cushing wad to protect my patch so I have an extra step anyway, an extra run of the ramrod down the barrel. I am likely too meticulous but I am an accuracy freak and I know what it takes to make my gun stroke on out to 100 yards. You likely have yours stroking even at that speed but I am a long way from there yet. I use my speed loader to get ready for a follow up shot hunting and then take my time getting the speed loader ready for when I need it again.

Mark,... I use a deer antler 90 gr. powder measure for my main charge.

I carry the measure "loose" in my shooting bag, along with loose roundballs.
My canvas haversack contains everything else I need for my rifle, such as cleaning tools, spare caps and flints, extra ticking, and etc.,... and I wear it on the opposite side of my shooting bag and horn.  

I've only been shooting my smoothies for a few years, so I am MUCH slower loading/reloading "shot" loads, compared to roundball loads.

I've found that loading muzzleloaders is pretty much like any other "craft" (done by hand),... the more ya do it, the faster and more proficent, ya git at it.

YMMV

[mark davidson]

Rollinb, We seem to have similar techniques.  I carry spare flints and patch worm and ball puller and extra such stuff in a little pouch on my belt on my right side. I keep my quick load and deer antler measure(140grains) in a square leather pouch on the left side of my belt along with balls in a small crown royal bag and my patches and felt cushion wads rolled up in cellphane in the same pouch.  I did use a brass powder holder but I have lately gone to a horn on a strap for powder.