patches not created equal

[semtav]

a couple months ago I had a complete meltdown at the local match.
using new patches, gun fouled out quickly.
At first I blamed it on the size of the jag not getting the chamber dry.

So I decided to do a little more diligence while fireforming.
I used a delrin rod a friend gave me that fit tighter.

after two patches, I could still see a lot of gunk in the barrel.
After three patches, the patch was clean but the gunk was still there.

so next group of shells I went back to my old patches and jag.
world of difference.

these new patches altho supposedly cotton, are slicker and just skimming over the fouling. discoloring the patch, but not really picking up the fouling.

pretty obvious why I was fouling out and stretching cases.

unfortunately, I used to get the 3" hex patches from Sagebrush, and it appears they are no longer in business.

patches.jpg

[bpcrshooter62]

hey Shiloh sells 3 inch cotton patches on there web site you know. They work really well.

[semtav]

No I did not.

[letfly]

Anyone try Buffalo Arms arsenal patches? Good price!

[mike herth]

Brian, do you consider the patch in the lower right acceptable or are you intending to achieve spotless?
I just bought a bag of 2.5" Pro-Shot to test against my WalMart cotton flannel patches. I'm trying to avoid running a second patch through the bore after the BACO BORE WIPER to save time, but it's not getting it done as I would like.

[semtav]

I was running one more that was basically clean.

Normally use a bore pig with wet patch following it. But wanted to compare just the different patches alone today.


I have 10 more to shoot tomorrow that ill use my regular method and patches on.

[ian45662]

Anyone try Buffalo Arms arsenal patches? Good price!

That’s what I use. For my 45 cal rifles I use one of those and push it through with one of those 40 cal “remisquege” things. (Not sure if spelling is right). I just got 5000 more of the 2.5” Arsenal patches. I like them a lot.

[JonnyV]

I thought on this same topic for a bit and then found this outfit that sells nice flannel patches….

https://skylineproducts.org/

I’m running 3 inch round patches with the Montana extreme jag right now. It does a great job but I’ve decided that in the future my next order will be for the 3 in. square patches. Basically, I’m just trying to run the largest patch possible with the best jag that I found.

I have heard that there are some guys using microfiber patches. I haven’t tried that yet, but it sounds interesting.

[steveu834]

+1 on skyline, I ordered 5000 on Friday.

[RB1Shooter]

Interesting, I never thought about patch material before. Using a good lube and blow tubing, I only use 6-7 at the end of a match to clean my bore. My wife makes all mine from old flannel sheet & flannel shirt material. She cuts in 2 .5" squares they are around .015" thick. They work great in my 38 & 45 caliber BPCR rifles. This subject interesting.

[gunlaker]

There is definitely a difference between different brands of patches. Some have a finish that makes water or cleaning solvents run off of them. There is also a big difference in the amount of water various patches can hold. I once took 4 or 5 different brands and made stacks of ten, weighed them, then saturated them with water, rung them out, and weighed again. It was surprising to see the differences. This was when I was mostly shooting paper patched bullets and wanted to get the bore cleaned with as few patches as possible.

Chris.

[semtav]

Weird thing about my patches, when I would run water over a stack of them, they would instantly suck up the water. Most of the good ones take a bit to get water soaked.
I thought that was a good thing. Evidently not.

[gunlaker]

Brian, I don't know if you've ever tried the BACO bore squeegies, but when they came out I did a bunch of experiments. For paper patched bullets, the very best system I've come up with is to pass a single BACO wiper ( with one very wet felt ) through the bore chased by a dry patch. Then do it again with a second wiper & dry patch. That seems to leave the bore very clean and dry. The dry patches I'm using are the big 3" ones that Shiloh sells.

I still haven't got the BACO wipers working as well as plain wiping when shooting greasers, but for PP bullets, the two wiper trick seems to be the bees knees.

Chris.

[patchbox]

Hi Semtav,
For the patches you have that don’t work for you, where did you buy them from?

[Lumpy Grits]

Would cotton balls work here