# Round Ball -Patch



## mlandrum (Jun 26, 2014)

Is there a Modern Muzzle Loader that will shoot a Patch and Round ball effectively????????? .490 grain


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## 7Mag Hunter (Jun 26, 2014)

I have a 50 cal CVA (1 in 28 twist) that does right well....Almost as
good as a sabot load.....the secret is a "tight" ball/patch combo,
to seal the barrel during combustion (firing)...

Experiment with different patch material to find the "right" combo
for your gun......Dont think the "Store bought" patches are all that
you can use...Best patch material i have found for a 30+ yr old
54 cal Hawken is brand new t-shirt material....(don't tell my wife)


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## mmarkey (Jul 9, 2014)

Patched round balls like a slow twist barrel. If your rifle has a fast twist you need to stick to conical.


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## mlandrum (Jul 11, 2014)

Thanks fellows:cool:


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## fishdog (Jul 11, 2014)

Track of the wolf sells patches in different thickness. They are not much. Buy a pack of each, find the one your rifle likes and use the rest for cleaning patches.


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## 7Mag Hunter (Jul 11, 2014)

experimentation is the key.....The purpose of "rifling" (ie twist) is
to stabilize the projectile.....round "projectiles" do not need as much"spin" to stabilize them.....to much velocity (ie powder charge), can cause them to spiral at extreme distance,,,
Reduce the powder charge, and keep a tight fit (ball/patch" and you can shoot a round ball just fine, out to 70-80 yds or further, with proper ball/patch/powder combo....

Experiment and have fun with BP.....

"Experts" say you cant shoot conicals out of a "slow twist" rifles...
I killed a deer at 85 yds with a 1" in 66"  CVA Hawken with a Maxi ball conical bullet....
Test your rifle and yourself to find the right balance of what the rifle will do....


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## Okie Hog (Jul 26, 2014)

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			Is there a Modern Muzzle Loader that will shoot a Patch and Round ball effectively????????? .490 grain
		
Click to expand...

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Most inline muzzleloaders shoot patched round balls very well.  My cheapo CVA Stag Horn has 1/32 twist and it shoots PRB like a dream.   My TC Black Diamond also shoots patched round balls very accurately.  

Last time i fired patched round balls from my Black Diamond there was an active duty Army NCO at the next bench shooting an AR-15 at 100 meters.  He was making small groups.   The soldier complimented me on accuracy of my muzzleloader.  After he fired a nice group i told him:  "i'm going to put a big hole in the center of your group".  His answer:  "Go for it".   Yep, there was that big hole in the center of his group.  

You may have to experiment a little to find the most accurate load.   Once you find that load do not vary the powder charge.  

Consistency is very important with patched round balls.  i use GoJo hand cleaner for patch lube.  My powder is Goex Pinnacle 3F with the fines sifted out.

7Mag Hunter is right:   The ball/patch  must be a tight fit.


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## mmarkey (Sep 29, 2014)

The purpose of a patch is to seal the gasses in the barrel. If the rifling in your barrel is shallow a thinner patch may work well. If the rifling in the barrel is deep only a thick patch will do. The proof of this it to go find a patch that has gone through your barrel after firing and inspect its condition. It should look relatively intact with no holes or burn throughs. The edges may look frayed but that occurs when it hits the air at 1700 FPS.

trying to compare a prb to a Sabot is comparing apples and bananas. The patched ball must be very tight and the patch must seal the grooves to prevent gas blow-by. The sabot needs to be tight enough to not fall out of the barrel, it will immediately expand on firing and engage the rifling.

The differance between fast and slow twist barrels.
A slow twist barrel mainly is designed to affect the patch around the ball, which is why most use deep grooved rifling, whereas the fast twist can be shallower and is designed to grab the projectile. A round ball has very minimal contact with the barrel which if used with a hunting charge in a fast twist barrel will slip through the rifling and destroy the patch gas seal. In a slow twist it is guided into the spin motion more gradually.  A conical is making contact with the barrel over a much longer surface.

Compare ML barrel twists with a 7MM Mag. with a 1-10" barrel twist. But the projectile is almost 2" and makes nearly full contact. 

I hope this makes sense. In my 50 Cal pistol with a 12" barrel the twist is 1-28" Fast twist with a patched ball but the powder charge is only 25 grains.

So, I guess if you want to shoot your PRB in your fast twist barrel with a thin patch, it may work very well if the charge is low. 

Check your used patches, they will tell the tale.


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