Making Pre-Cut Patches?

[Smokey Plainsman]

Guys, what are some simple, quiet methods for making pre-cut shooting patches? I live in a cheap upstairs apartment so hammering them out with a punch is out of the question. I also don’t own a drill press.

Anyone have any ideas? I wish someone made a punch or something for this. Any tips would be much appreciated, thanks!

-Smokey

[Clark Badgett]

Scissors

[Mike from OK]

Scissors

This^^^

Or pinking shears... The sawtooth edge helps prevent unraveling.

Patches don't have to be round.

Mike

[MuskratMike]

Go to a sewing store like Joanne's Fabrics and buy a rotary cutter. Lay your material out on a cutting board and quick as a wink you have a strip the desired length. Then cut to desired width and you have a square patch the size you want. I then take them from my nice wife (the sewer in the family) and using a small scissors nip the corners turning them into octagons. This step is not necessary as squares shoot every bit as good as octagons but I am a little anal and like them better. Quick, simple and very quiet.

[RoaringBull]

Or, you can leave it in long strips and cut them at the barrel. Stick the end in your mouth as you shoot and prep, so its wet when you are ready for the next shot.

[Don Steele]

A few years ago..I received a quality pair of Fiskars LEFTHAND scissors in my Christmas Stocking. One of the best, most useful presents I've gotten in a long time. I buy my patch material in bulk...a couple of yards at a time. I measure and cut strips off the whole cloth piece, then trace circles on the strips using a plastic pill bottle of appropriate size (I seem to have a lot of those around me these days.. ).
Cutting between the circles creates squares with my circular patch drawn on each one, I finally cut out the circle to create round patches. I know...I know...
Please don't waste keystrokes telling me how totally unnecessary it is.    Frankly...I find it quite relaxing to sit quietly at the desk in my Gun room with the door closed and the radio playing softly in the background.....following the line on each square piece with my scissors, focusing on cutting out a perfect circle each time.
I suspect there's a "Zen quality thing" going on much like that experienced by some of the folks here who build their own rifles.  I don't know, but I enjoy it as part of my shooting hobby just as I do when I weight-grade my home cast roundballs.  I have neither the space, tools or knowledge for rifle building but these are things I can do.

[Fyrstyk]

I inherited one of the old Fostners Patch cutters from my Grandfather.  It has a large wooded ball and a spring loaded cutting edge.  Place the cutter on the cloth, push down of the spring loaded collar, and twist the ball.  A perfect circular patch is produced.  It can cut several layers at a time.  I seldom use it as i find the drill press method much quicker, but alas, you do not have one so I guess the rotary cutter might be your best bet or scissors.