If you were starting from scratch with a 50 caliber(FL) rifle that has a 42" swamped barrel. And you are going to be shooting approx. 70-80 grains of 3F BP. And you will definintely be shooting a .490 round ball. What patch and lube would you start with?? Tom.

i really like the .018" blue - white patch material.

Patch lube, olive oil - bore butter mix has works good for me. I have tried straight olive oil and actually liked it best because it didnt leave the waxy build up behind on top of the crown after pushing the ball down.

You'll have to figure out what thickness of patch for you gun by trying a few. I'd start with a .015.

I believe the best patch lube is Mink Oil sold by TOW.

Buy the plain unlubed patches from TOW, and use the Mink Oil on them.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/catego...rtNum=MINK-OIL

for patch material I like pillow tick. As for the thickness, that will depend on the rifle, but I would guess a .015 in that area would work. As for the lube, I use moose milk.

Tom as you already know shooting PRB's is just a hobby for Rondy season for me, so I am a long ways from being qualified for much here.

A couple of things that I have found in my attempts to master the art...

Really not knowing the size of your bore, i would still start with a 0.015 patch and I use regular cotton patches vs. the pillow ticking patches that most use. For me shooting with a couple three Remegades the cotton patches stay together much better than the pillow ticking. I also should say I am shooting T7 and with the heat generated by the T7 are probably most of the problem. I should also say that I have tried and re-tried the pillow ticking...

This is the patch I use.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Catego...Size=25&Page=2

OX-15-50-W Shooting patches, .015" cotton, .50 - .59 caliber, per 100, wonder-lube

I really like the Wonder Lubed patches and now they come in heavy foil packaged - to protect them from drying out.

I also use Caygad's 'Moose Milk' formula to produce some really good stuff. On the shooting site I add the 'Moose Milk' to the patches to dampen them further.

This has proved to be very successful for me.

These are my re-claimed patches and wads...




You can see the pillow ticking patches shot with the same load. They really do not looked burned up... just shredded.



Again I am a real ameture so I am sure you will get better advice... from others.

Possibly tearing them at the muzzle

Definitely use an oil based lube--not spit. I know a lot of guys who use spit, and it causes lots of problems. The saliva dissolves some of the powder, making a nice corrosive salt ring where the ball seats. After a few years (or less) you will have a rough spot that will stick your ramrod when you clean. The other main reason not to use spit is that it dries out, contaminating your powder and affecting your accuracy. It is especially bad for hunting, because the longer it sits there unfired, the worse the problem becomes. You want your first shot to strike the same point as each subsequent shot.

I use a mixture of oil and fat. I have used deer grease and woodchuck oil for good results. Woodchuck fat renders into an oil, while deer is a hard grease. One woodchuck will go a long ways. I have gotten nearly a quart out of one fat, fall woodchuck. You can also use olive oil and deer or goat or whatever is available to you. I currently am using olive oil and rendered goat omenum. Fats from different parts of the animal will render into different hardnesses. The omenum is in the belly and renders clean and white.

I shoot a 40 caliber rifle with a 44" Collerain barrel. I can load my rifle in the fall to go squirrel hunting, not see anything, and leave it loaded all winter, then in the spring shoot a woodchuck. I can also shoot all day long without cleaning the bore. I can stand on the range and shoot 50+ shots without cleaning, and the last shot will hit the same place that the first one did. The oil cleans and protects the barrel. Saliva corrodes it.

When I was working up loads for my 32 caliber, 40" flintlock with a 1:56 twist, I needed high velocity to stabilize the ball in that slow twist. The hottest loads were only possible with olive oil and goat grease. Everything else I tried tore the patches above about 50 grains. With olive and goat grease, I am able to shoot close to 70 grains. That's pretty ridiculous in a 32, but that is the load that got me the tightest groups.

I use various pillow ticking for patch because it is tough and dense, though I have one pistol that likes thinner patch with looser balls. Its low velocity does not shred the weaker fabric. Pillow ticking is available in various colours. I use a different colour for every rifle. It just helps to be consistent.

Gee this was wordy. Sorry.

OK... I do not want to steal Tom's thread but how does that happen at the muzzle? and why so much damage to the pillow tick and so much less to the cotton?

No disrespect intended, Sabotloader, but if you are shredding well lubed ticking with sane charges, your bore is probably not very smooth anymore. I have seen patches like yours, and it was from a pitted bore. A ball on a screw, forced into the barrel and then laced with valve grinding compound could help you out, although there are better ways to do it.

But I know you were not asking for help here, and I don't mean to be a jerk. Thanks for showing the pictures.

I would use pillow ticking as I have most of my life and olive oil as long as you don't use 777 you will do well. 777 is very fast burning and will blow the patch off if you try it you will need to put felt wads under the patch and ball to get any accuracy.
Personally I use Pyrodex for PRB.