Pre-Lubing Patches

[T*O*F]

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.

Who says it's more complicated?  Yer ready to go once you hit the woods.  Do your prep while watching TV, cause there ain't nuthin on to watch anyhoo.  Who needs a flag hanging from their strap to alert game or snag on the berry bushes?

[Daryl]

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.

I expect that is why your rifle shoots "dirty" Pete & why you wanted to see me do it. If I made that video with mink oil, they would be
saturated with lube.
With my loads, the ball is engaged by the rifling along with the patch. There is no need to "grab the ball better". It is already grabbed by the rifling
and is impossible to strip, no matter what the load is.  My .40 and .45 bls. ran over 2,200fps with their accuracy loads using LHV lube, no stripping and
1/2" groups of 5 at 50 yards, rest shooting.

[OldMtnMan]

Daryl..........Yes, but I cut at the muzzle. If I soaked th3e material as much as you do your pre-cut patches it would be a mess to handle and store. I'd have lube on everything.

Here's a thought too. Maybe with all the lube you use you need to have that really tight fit to grab the ball. Maybe my setup doesn't need to be so tight to grab the ball. Yes, it's more dirty but i'd probably swab even if I didn't have too. What would I do with all the tow I bought if I didn't swab?
This is just a guess but I can shoot small group without having a hard load.

[MuskratMike]

Getting ready for my new rifle (.32 caliber). This rifle I will cut at the muzzle and not try to do pre-cut patches. I will be trying both .310 & .315 balls with patching material from .010-.020. Half the rolls I soaked in pure Neatsfoot oil and the other half of each size in my own patch lube. Will be trying loads from 20 grains to 40 grains. Going to take a while but I am one of those who really like to develop a load and take the necessary time to do it. Going to take many trips to the range and lots of small targets. Don't care where they print on paper as long as it is reasonably close. When the final ball size, powder charge, patch lube, and patch thickness has been decided then and only then will I look at adjusting the sights.
Maybe not how you do it but if you only change 1 variable at a time you will find the best load. Has always worked for me.

[Keith Zimmerman]

I keep my lubed patches in a tin either in my possibles bag, belt pouch, or my haversack.  They are lubed with bore butter.   Been doing that for 30 plus years.

[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.

Who says it's more complicated?  Yer ready to go once you hit the woods.  Do your prep while watching TV, cause there ain't nuthin on to watch anyhoo.  Who needs a flag hanging from their strap to alert game or snag on the berry bushes?

It seems to me this thread was mostly dealing with target shooting as in a woods or tail walk. Mostly the conversation deals with taking long strings of shots without cleaning.
When it comes to hunting, amball block with pre lube patches, 5 balls for large game 12 balls for small game. Pre measured powder cartridges for big game, small flat horn for small game.

[smylee grouch]

I like my patches to be soaked clear through.

[thecapgunkid]

The pics and comments are great and justify the old proverb...salzeech hiz own...

From day one I always used a loading block  block and pre-lubed patch.  Don't leave home without it.

[Daryl]

Getting ready for my new rifle (.32 caliber). This rifle I will cut at the muzzle and not try to do pre-cut patches. I will be trying both .310 & .315 balls with patching material from .010-.020. Half the rolls I soaked in pure Neatsfoot oil and the other half of each size in my own patch lube. Will be trying loads from 20 grains to 40 grains. Going to take a while but I am one of those who really like to develop a load and take the necessary time to do it. Going to take many trips to the range and lots of small targets. Don't care where they print on paper as long as it is reasonably close. When the final ball size, powder charge, patch lube, and patch thickness has been decided then and only then will I look at adjusting the sights.
Maybe not how you do it but if you only change 1 variable at a time you will find the best load. Has always worked for me.

Mike- my little .32 had wide lands, narrow grooves, exactly opposite what we usually want. However, I started off with a Lee mould casting .311's- both round and both .311". I used .020"denim  to .0235" mattress ticking patches - loading was simple and by choking up on the rod, I didn't need a short starter to get those combinations started. With a water based lube, spit or with Neetsfoot oil or saturated with mink oil - no wiping at any time for an entire day's shooting.
I tried Hornady buckshot and found at .320" and having antimony in them, they were too hard to load easily. I bought a Lee .319" mould with which both cavities cast .320" x .320" round balls.
I started off with the .019 stretchy ticking (yes-no synthetic material in it) & the loading was easy. I switched to .0215" ticking, then 10oz denim and finally the mattress ticking of .0235", all loading easily. I was using those mattress ticking patches the day I tested with mink oil. The first shot was a little grabby going down, but the 5/16" rod handled it just fine. After that, loading was
easy as at any other time & I could load it without the short starter as well, choking up on the rod and pushing the patched ball into the muzzle and down a few inches, then all the way down with the rod.

This is the muzzle of that bl. You can see the narrow grooves and wide lands.
Wider grooves and narrow lands (Forsyth-type) loads even easier, but is not PC for N.A., if that matters.