Oversize cut patches

[hatman]

Hi all,
I'm happy with my (.50-.59 cal) daisy-cut patches from October Country for my 50 and 54 caliber rifles. (I lube with their bumbling bear grease.)
Before I buy a bunch of (.40-.49 cal) patches for my 45 cal rifle I just thought I'd ask if there is any drawback in using 'oversize' cut patches.
Is there any reason I shouldn't use the bigger 50/54 cal patches in a 45 cal?
Thanks. 

[P.W.Berkuta]

You just might get it stuck half way down the bore .

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

How?

[Daryl]

You just might get it stuck half way down the bore .

Really?  How does that work, Paul? I've shot lots of oversized patches, yet have never stuck one in the bore.

The only drawback I can see is the waste of a large patch, ie: wasted material.  With the rifling spinning the ball and patch creating centrifugal force and air pressure at the muzzle, the patch will open fully. I cannot envision anything else happening.

[rich pierce]

If using a jag and you have a rod close to bore diameter, a huge piece of cloth can present ample volume that jams the rod itself. I am talking 3” square of cloth.

[Daryl]

I see your point, Rich.
The poster was talking about using his .50 cal. store bought patches in his .45 rifle.
I cut all my own patches - these are the tools used.

The old auto and truck bearing races with overly large ball bearings make good patch cutters, but cut only one at a time.

It actually does not take much time, though to cut 50 or 100 patches. The arch punches need something to cut against.

I have heard of guys using wood or lead, however, a block of UHMW or HDPE, 1 1/2" TO 2" thick works a treat and will last years.

uhmw- ultra high molecular weight (polyethylene)
hdpe - high density polyelthylene

This is the stuff used for butcher shot cutting boards & for conveyor chain tracks in mills. Here in Canada, only the white UHMW is legal for

cutting boards. This material comes in other colours as well.  A block 2"thick x 8 1/4" x10" cost me $10.00. I've been cutting patches on it with arch

punches for 5 years now. I shoot fairly often as I still go through over 10 pounds a year now.

[bgf]

Only problem is as stated, oversized patches can get stuck with close fitting (eg, cleaning) jag on rod.  I've never had a problem with a rod-diameter loading tip, just a near bore sized cleaning jag.  So use a smaller tip for loading than for wiping, and oversized patches should not cause a problem.  Actually, I doubt the 50-59 caliber patches are so oversized for a .45 that they would be a problem anyway, especially if you make sure the tip or jag is on top of the patch, so that the patch is not caught between jag and bore.

[hatman]

Thanks guys; I appreciate the feedback.
What was driving my question was that I have a couple thousand extra 50 cal patches (due to an ordering glitch from October Country) so before ordering smaller ones I wanted to know if there's something I might be overlooking.  Sounds like I'm good to go with the bigger patches.
I'm a proud flintlock noob who loves my new passion. 
And I love this forum with so many knowledgable folks.

[OldMtnMan]

 I'm familiar with the patches you're using. They have less bulk than the normal cut patches. I'd give them a try and see how it shoots.