RE: Which powder should I use?
The shooters I know have several different ways to handle using patches...As mentioned, a smaller caliber can use a larger patch with no ill effects on accuracy...Patches can be cut at the muzzle, loading block, in squares or using a hole saw with the teeth cut off and beveled...
I shoot both a .40 and a .54...For the .40, I cut a length of patching about 1 inch wide and 2 feet long...For the .54, I go with about an inch and a half wide and 2 feet long...I then put down a newspaper and lay the ticking on the newspaper, take a putty knife and spread lube on both sides of the strip of ticking...I then roll up the ticking, put on a napkin, plate, whatever and microwave for about 20 seconds...This heats the lube and helps it spread through the material...
Once the patching is lubed, I load up my loading block and roll the rest up to put in my patch box...When shooting if I'm in no hurry to reload, I use the roll from the patch box, retrieve a ball from my bag, load my charge of powder, center the ball on the patch and cut with my knife...If I'm in a hurry to reload, I use the loading block...
If I'm going to the range and plan to shoot 20 times or so, I can cut the patches with siccors, put in a container and I'm good to go...
Now...Some will say why bother...I used precut, lubed patches for several years with no problems...Then, a problem came up, my groups opened up because my patches were burning through...My quick fix was a wad or hornet's nesting between powder and ball...This was covering up the problem...
The problem is that my patches were old and the lube had broken down the cotton fibers...By lubing your patches as you go you know the patches are fresh and will hold up better to the heat generated at the shot...
This simple change corrected the problem I had with patches burning through...