Pre-Lubing Patches

[JLayne]

Hello,
I have generally been shooting with precut Eastern Maine Shooting Supply patches that I buy at TOW. I lube them with a spritz of Mr. Flintlock抯 Patch Lube. However, I am interested in learning to shoot from the bag and would like to know what folks use to prelube the patch material when cutting it at the muzzle? Seems a liquid based lube like Mr. Flintlock抯 would dry out under such circumstances. Also, assuming you use some sort of grease concoction for the lube, is it still possible to shoot long strings with greased patch material without wiping between shots, or does it build up in the bore?

Thanks all.
Jay

[snapper]

I use old CCI percussion cap tins to keep my precut patches in.   Before a shooting session I use moose milk, equal parts of hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol and Murphy's Oil Soap.   My patches are very wet, I never clean between shots, the patch cleans the bore for me, does not matter how much I shoot.


Fleener

[bob in the woods]

I was always a bit suspicious of using hydrogen peroxide in my guns , although many do. I prefer our windshield washer fluid with a dash of neets foot oil for matches involving many many rounds fired
Patches are wet and no wiping between rounds required. For hunting , I use bear oil

[snapper]

I am not a chemist, but always wondered about what if anything the hydrogen peroxide does.   At such a low concentration I wonder if water in the mixture would work just as well.   I am betting that it would

Fleener

[OldMtnMan]

I cut at the muzzle and will only use Mink Oil to lube the strips of material. It called Mink Oil but it's a tallow. Before that, I used bear tallow.

I'm not a fan of liquid lubes. That's just my way. Others have theirs.

[MuskratMike]

I would recommend TOW Mink oil, 100% pure neatsfoot oil or any of many lubes available. I found fishing a tin of patches cumberson, slow and after your fingers got greasy the lids just want to come off. I like having pre-cut patches so I came up with this solution. Easy to use patches are right at hand and quicker that cutting at the muzzle.

[okieboy]

 Very neat and practical patch holder.

[Daryl]

I use snuff or fire starting tins from TRACK for holding my lubed pre-cut patches. Secrets tins also work well, but if using water- based lube, they will rust after time.

[AZshot]

Yeah, I like that "patch bandoleer".  I have been using pure neatsfoot oil this go round.  I dip them in a jar of it, then squeeze them out between two pieces of cloth.  Throw them in a tin, they seem somewhat less messy than you'd expect.

[577SXS]

I cut patch material in long strips a little wider than what is needed. I roll them up and tie a piece of string around them to keep it rolled up. I melt Bore Butter 1000 and a little paraffin to stiffen the lube. I put rolls into melted lube until soaked then take out and set on a soft pine board to cool. The board soaks up excess lube. When loading I unroll the patch material over the muzzle, seat ball and cut. I keep patch material in a plastic bag. Works slick. I've thought of making a wood pill bottle of sorts with a slot in it to pull the patch out as you load.

[OldMtnMan]

I would recommend TOW Mink oil, 100% pure neatsfoot oil or any of many lubes available. I found fishing a tin of patches cumberson, slow and after your fingers got greasy the lids just want to come off. I like having pre-cut patches so I came up with this solution. Easy to use patches are right at hand and quicker that cutting at the muzzle.

I'll race you,Mike. The time you spend centering the patch on the muzzle i'll have the patch material cut off. I speak from experience against my friend who thought his pre-cut patches were faster. Later he admitted he never got the patch centered and he still lost.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

About seventy percent of the time, I use pre-cut patches, either dry in a pocket of my bullet pouch and with saliva, or pre-lubed and carried in a Ted Cash copper container.  I won the box at a shoot somewhere and I really like it.  It holds all the patches I need for an outing, and with it's shape so easily slips into its little pocket in the front of the pouch.  I pour Lehigh Valley lube or Moose milk or whatever I choose to shoot that day over the patches in the box, let it take up, then tip the box and pour off the excess back into the bottle...sometimes give it a gentle squeeze too if the patches are runningly wet.  Centreing on the muzzle is rarely an issue, though I admit to not paying particular attention to the orientation of the sprue.  For trail shooting, anyway it lands is fine with me.  I NEVER have to wipe my bore during a day's shooting.  My .018" to .022" patches carry enough lube to effectively clean the bore every time I load.  A 'spritz' from a bottle would not be enough for me to do that, I think.  My patches are dripping wet.

[MuskratMike]

OldMtnMan: wasn't trying to turn it into a race. Just looking to help a new guy out who was looking for an alternative way to deal with his patches. It works for me, cutting at the muzzle is historiclly correct and obviously works for you. Different strokes for different folks, right?

[T*O*F]

I guess that leather thingy is nice if you want to make one.  I just lube up day's worth of patches.  Then I take a needle and some hemp string and thread them on the string.  You can tie the string to your pouch or horn strap and pull them off one at a time.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I like that idea Dave, and plan to give it a try too.  One of our local shooters uses that system...saves digging in the bag, and frees up the bag for less clutter too.

[Pukka Bundook]

Dave,
I do pretty similar.
I  cut a strip as wide as I want the patches, dip them in deer tallow and let them cool. Then I cut them near through with scissors, just leaving them attached at one corner, so as to make square patches.
I have a short piece of leather on my hunting bag strap, with a metal hook on the end, and the length of patching is hooked on and hangs down. V easy to tear the last one off the bottom.  A dozen patches doesn't get in the way at all, and I keep more rolled up in the pouch pocket.
Seems no need to wipe between shots.   If V hot and dry, a bit of spit now and again on a patch keeps things running no bothers.

Richard.

[OldMtnMan]

OldMtnMan: wasn't trying to turn it into a race. Just looking to help a new guy out who was looking for an alternative way to deal with his patches. It works for me, cutting at the muzzle is historiclly correct and obviously works for you. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Of course we have our own way and that's how it should be. However, I perked up when you said your way was quicker than cutting at the muzzle. It might be better to describe your way and not compare it to someone elses. Then let the noob decide which way appeals to him.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Shooting quickly isn't a wise choice, for me anyway.  I have heat wave issues if I shoot too quickly, and missing a target for that reason is not satisfying.  From time to time, I have to lay my rifle barrel down in long wet grass or snow to keep the sights clear of heat waves.

[OldMtnMan]

I don't shoot fast either. I was just a making a point that cutting at the muzzle isn't slow if you do it all the time. If I wanted to go fast i'd use measured out tubes of powder and ball boards.

The problem with loading fast is you don't allow enough time for embers to go out.

I even swab, so you know i'm in no rush. I just enjoy doing everything the old way as our forefathers did it. Why would I use an 18th-century gun if I was going to use modern methods to clean and shoot it? There's more involved than just squeezing the trigger. 

[John Morris]

I cut at the muzzle and will only use Mink Oil to lube the strips of material. It called Mink Oil but it's a tallow. Before that, I used bear tallow.

Pete, or others, do you lube one side or both?

[Daryl]

Like Taylor, when carrying pre-lubed patches in a tin or box, they are stacked and the liquid is poured over them, to saturate the patches.
Tin is tipped so excess runs back into it's container, then a gentle squeeze on the stacks of patches inside, removes a little more of the excess
lube. Thus the patches are saturated. Loading is easy, all day.
John - if you e-mail me at dtsapergia@shaw.ca I will send you a couple videos on the loading sequence with pre-lubed and pre-cut patches.

[alacran]

Ya'll sure make this more complicated than it needs to be. Lube a strip of patch material tie it to a strap on your bag. Good to go.

[Pukka Bundook]

Alacran,

That's what I said above, bit I cut it near through for each patch so they can be tore off easily.

Best,
Richard.

[OldMtnMan]

I cut at the muzzle and will only use Mink Oil to lube the strips of material. It called Mink Oil but it's a tallow. Before that, I used bear tallow.

Pete, or others, do you lube one side or both?

I just lube one side. I've always thought if the ball side of the patch was left unlubed it would grab the ball better. Plus, it saves lube.

[Jerry]

I use pre cut patches lubed with Eastern Main Shooting Supply paste patch lube. Has worked well for ease of loading and keeping my smoothbore cleaner. Jerry