Burnt patches

[Fbaloy]

I need some opinions on my patches. I am using .015 with a .490 round ball and 80 hrs. of Triple 7. My patches burn disintegrat. As in nothing to be found . What is going on and what is the fix ?. Thanks in advance.

 

[deermanok]

Could be a number of things going on. Patch too thick, sharp edges on the barrel rifling. Lube, or lack thereof.
In one of my rifles, I find that if I use a .018 pillow ticking patch, it tears to smithereens. If I use a regular cotton patch of .015 thick, no problem.
Hard to say what is causing your problem but I'm sure someone else will have a better answer for you.

 

[Bad Karma]

You could start with an oversized wool wad or a small ball of wool behind the patched ball.

 

[1874sharpsshooter]

80 hrs of 777 will burn anything up .... sorry , couldnt resist.
i would use a tight weave pillowticking patch. Maybe your patch is a loose weave.

 

[1874sharpsshooter]

What i have found that works for me is to use a tight weave pillow ticking patch . I mix 7 parts water and 1 part ballistol . Soak my patches. Then let them dry . I make sure the thickness of the patch gives me a good tight fit .
I get better accuracy this way and the integrity of the patches is always good.
so you could try the "dry patch" method. Also you could mic the patches. It is amazing how some material compresses way thinner than you think . Even old blue jeans make some good patches. Just all depends on the material.
experiment a little. Once you find the right patch material you are all set.

 

[Bear62]

I think if you use a .010 lubed pillow ticking patch with a .490 round ball and keep your powder load the same or lower down to 75 grains you'll get rid of this issue.
Sometimes that burnt patch means you are using too "hot" of a load, try backing down on your load in 5grain increments.
A patch that is cut after firing usually means that it's too tight and a thinner patch is needed.
It could also be the kind of patch material you are using,( a loose weave patch will burn), pillow ticking comes in several thicknesses, .010, .015, .018. Always wash new patching material before using it to get the sizing out of it, otherwise you'll foul the barrel and it's a b*tch to clean.
If you are using Blue Jeans for patch material you may want to go to a smaller diameter round ball, I have always found jeans to be very tight patching material, (IMO). If Blue Jeans is all you have make sure your patches are well lubed.
If you are shooting in a match, you could try "spit" patching and cleaning/ swabbing after 3 to 5 shots.
For hunting I use patches that are greased with tallow or "Wonder" lube.
I clean my rifles with hot soapy water and dry them, then I use tallow or "Wonder" lube, not oil on the inside of the barrel, this helps to "season" it much like a cast iron frying pan gets seasoned after many uses. Also, I keep a greased patch on the end of the ram rod down the barrel for several days after cleaning, I'll "swab" this patch up and down several times and check it each time. If the patch comes out orange there's a rust issue and you will need to clean the gun all over again, however, if you dry the barrel out you shouldn't have this issue.
.

 

[Renegadehunter]

I've had the exact opposite experience as Bear62.
I see my patches burn up if I use too thin of a patch. When I first started out I tried some .010" patches with a .530 RB (.010" under bore size in my .54 cal). I was lubing them with Wonderlube. Shot terrible and patches were destroyed. Super easy to push down the bore (way too loose). Bumped up to .015" patches, shot much better and patches looked good again, still pushed down the bore pretty easily. Then I started shooting groups and bumping up the powder charge 5 grains at a time, think I started at 65 grains (2f). When I got to 75 grains my groups opened up really bad again. Recovered patches were back to looking burnt up. Tried more lube on them, same result. So then I bumped the patch thickness up to .018". Takes a firm smack on the ball starter to get started and you don't just push them down the bore in one go. Group improved dramatically and recovered patches looked good again. I continued going up in 5 grain increments again, with groups shrinking slightly the whole way, clear to 95 grains with recovered patches looking ok, but at 95 grains I reached the point where groups started getting bigger again. I'd found what charge my rifle prefers. Moved back to 90 grains for my hunting load.
I later developed a 3f load doing the same thing, but stayed with .018" patches the whole way. I was lubing with mink oil by then, patches held up the whole way from 60 grain charge to 85 grain charge. 80 ended up being the most accurate.

You could have several things going on, some pics of the patches would help.
-Is the rifle brand new? Patches could be getting cut rather than burning up. New bores will do that often, but get better after a couple hundred rounds are through them or you decide to polish them out a bit.
-If the patches are pre-lubed store bought patches, you could simply be dealing with patches that are too old. They can sit around for years before being bought. Lube will start to break down the fibers of the patch after a while, it is a much better idea to buy unlubed patches and then lube them yourself before using them.
-If you are lubing them yourself, what lube are you using and how much?
-Triple7 is pretty hot powder, 80 grains is a pretty stout charge, could be that the .015" cotton patches just aren't holding up. CVA sells a .015" pillow ticking unlubed patch, the tighter weave may hold up better for you if loading is already pretty tight and you don't want to bump the thickness up.

 

[Bear62]

I've had the exact opposite experience as Bear62.
I see my patches burn up if I use too thin of a patch. When I first started out I tried some .010" patches with a .530 RB (.010" under bore size in my .54 cal). I was lubing them with Wonderlube. Shot terrible and patches were destroyed. Super easy to push down the bore (way too loose). Bumped up to .015" patches, shot much better and patches looked good again, still pushed down the bore pretty easily. Then I started shooting groups and bumping up the powder charge 5 grains at a time, think I started at 65 grains (2f). When I got to 75 grains my groups opened up really bad again. Recovered patches were back to looking burnt up. Tried more lube on them, same result. So then I bumped the patch thickness up to .018". Takes a firm smack on the ball starter to get started and you don't just push them down the bore in one go. Group improved dramatically and recovered patches looked good again. I continued going up in 5 grain increments again, with groups shrinking slightly the whole way, clear to 95 grains with recovered patches looking ok, but at 95 grains I reached the point where groups started getting bigger again. I'd found what charge my rifle prefers. Moved back to 90 grains for my hunting load.
I later developed a 3f load doing the same thing, but stayed with .018" patches the whole way. I was lubing with mink oil by then, patches held up the whole way from 60 grain charge to 85 grain charge. 80 ended up being the most accurate.

You could have several things going on, some pics of the patches would help.
-Is the rifle brand new? Patches could be getting cut rather than burning up. New bores will do that often, but get better after a couple hundred rounds are through them or you decide to polish them out a bit.
-If the patches are pre-lubed store bought patches, you could simply be dealing with patches that are too old. They can sit around for years before being bought. Lube will start to break down the fibers of the patch after a while, it is a much better idea to buy unlubed patches and then lube them yourself before using them.
-If you are lubing them yourself, what lube are you using and how much?
-Triple7 is pretty hot powder, 80 grains is a pretty stout charge, could be that the .015" cotton patches just aren't holding up. CVA sells a .015" pillow ticking unlubed patch, the tighter weave may hold up better for you if loading is already pretty tight and you don't want to bump the thickness up.

Renegadehunter,
You said pretty much what I was trying to say about the powder charge and differences in patch, and powder. Proving it with the 2F and 3F loads you worked up. I work up my loads in the same manner as you do and maybe I could have explained that better, however I was only stating what the causes could have been for burnt/ cut patches and possible fixes
.