Length of Patch-Oil

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Length of Patch, and what are you using for oil.

In my 40 I am using a 2-11/16 long patch width of the patch cutter. I think its more then too long and a shorter patch is in the offing.
something along the lines of .408 plus about .80 per side say total length say 1.616 or there abouts?

Thoughts? comments?

I use Nye Oil, Rich Hicks was reputed to favor it also.

KW
The Lunger

[W. Brown]

A patch that is too long is far better than a patch that is too short. The most critical dimension is the width. The patch needs to butt up against the other strip with mo overlap to prevent leading.

[Don McDowell]

Just out of curiosity have/has anybody tried jojoba oil on the slug gun patches? I've gotten mixed results with lubed patches in the cartridge guns.

[Kenny Wasserburger]

A patch that is too long is far better than a patch that is too short. The most critical dimension is the width. The patch needs to butt up against the other strip with mo overlap to prevent leading.

My patch width is fine as the paper matches up fine. I have found though that in a wrapped patch in cartridge rifles that too short is an issue but too long also can be, Of course I know that these patches are a different horse as they are not wrapped around the bullet. But my thinking is patch above the Ogive is just wasted paper and could be issue at the exit of the muzzle.

Don as for oil Jojoba is Jimbo's oil of choice right now. It works great, We all oil our patches to ease in the loading. But as I mentioned this is a bit different way to patch as the patch is not wrapped around the bullet like we do in our cartridge rifles.

KW
The Lunger

[Don McDowell]

Thanks for the info Kenny. I wondered if it might not work better in the slug guns.

[Dan]

Kenny, my opinion is that if you have a patch length that extends to slightly beyond the shank/ogive break that you're covered, no pun intended. More serves no benefit and may present problems.

I know very little about the vagaries of patches and oil, but my recollection about the chase patch as related by SPG and Rich Hicks was use of a dry patch in a bore that was oiled before seating the bullet. I think Rich swabbed just the first part of the barrel, maybe 6-12" or something like that. At the 2009 NRC shoot his bullet slipped the patch during loading in one of the matches and time rules precluded pulling it. Leaded bore knocked him out of the race.

I've looked the different patching techniques over a bit and while a Chase patch might be the cat's meow it always struck me as fraught with potential disaster. I'll probably avoid that as long as I can........

[Kenny Wasserburger]

Dan,

thats exactly where I was going with this. I patch up to the ogive with my cartridge guns. And I think with our slug guns with cross patch (what I use) that up to the ogive or just above that is more then enough patch. I used oiled patches at the NRC shoot this year, and used Nye oil on them. Jimbo used Jojoba oil on his. With some measure of success as we both can recall.

Kenny