reading my patches

[ltdann]

Been working up a load for my Rice .54 and tried various patches/loads today...after I did one of Daryl's soft crowning on the barrel.

Here's 25 yds with 85gr of 2f, .530 ball and .019 patch.  Best group so far



I collected the patches and I could re-use them, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at.



Any patch reading guru's out there?

[smokinbuck]

Nothing wrong with those patches!
Mark

[stubshaft]

They look perfectly fine to me too.

[ltdann]

The star shaped pattern is from the cloth fully filling the rifle lands?  Or is it blowby?

I'm asking since I was wondering if I needed to go thicker?

[Maven]

You won't know for sure until you take the target out to 50 yd., using the same load and .019".  Then change only the patch thickness:  .021" or .022".

[Daryl]

The radiating brown lines are scorch marks from powder gasses passing the patched ball via the grooves.
To me, this patch is not quite thick enough, or ball not large enough.  If it shoots well enough for you, stay with
it as I doubt there is any damaging buildup in the grooves.
As Maven notes, shooting THIS load at 50 yards will likely show whether or not it is a "good enough" load.
I personally would try a thicker patch - or simply change to a .535" ball, and try that.

[ltdann]

Roger ball, kinda what I suspected.  Thanks Daryl.

[hanshi]

Yep, 50 yards should tell you what you need to know.  While I patch with heavy canvas, .030"-compresses (hard) to .022" to .024", If your load is plenty accurate I see no reason to change anything.  The heavy patching I've been using doesn't display that "starburst" pattern your patches shows.