ball or bullet?

[dromia]

Yes you do have to do 1 & 2, but it is a lot less hassle than getting an FAC and is no cost other than the box.

If you care about your guns and shooting them as best they can then it is no bother at all.

3 is a load of tosh.

As a starting point for patched ball I like a ball diameter that is just under bore diameter and a patch thickness (when compressed) that will make it all just over groove diameter.

What lube are you using on your patches?

As Allan says always start your load development of a rest so that you can better assess progress, get your load sorted first then work on your shooting skills. Also don't zero the gun of the rest leave your sight adjusting to when you are shooting in your chosen position.

[meles meles]

The patches are pre-lubricated cloth patches we purchased from Henry Krank's emporium....

[dromia]

I prefer dry lubed patches, they help give a more consistent ignition than the slippy patches, I use ticking and cambric soaked in Aquoil and then left to dry. The fabric is cut into strips and the patch cut at the muzzle.

I also like Chris Tanners pre-cut patches if I need thickness's other than the cambric and ticking can give me. Again they are dry lubed with Aquoil.

[meles meles]

We're baffled Dromia. Why do dry patches give better ignition? Our oiled patches aren't wringing wet, just barely moist, and they are separated from the flash coming through the touch hole by a goodly volume of powder. Given that we load in about 10 to 15 seconds, this powder doesn't have time to become 'wet' with oil.

[FredB]

This subject is a bottomless pit---you will not get two muzzle loaders who agree on patch material, thickness and lube. I have found that my guns do not like cotton patches---examination of fired patches always reveals tears. I use linen. I also believe that pre-lubing a patch allows the lube to soak into the fibres and weaken them---again, encouraging torn patches after firing.
Fred

[dromia]

We're baffled Dromia. Why do dry patches give better ignition? Our oiled patches aren't wringing wet, just barely moist, and they are separated from the flash coming through the touch hole by a goodly volume of powder. Given that we load in about 10 to 15 seconds, this powder doesn't have time to become 'wet' with oil.

The purpose of the dry patch is to give a bit more resistance during ignition, higher start pressure. I have found that using dry patches gives me more consistent velocities and a smaller SD. Slippy patches start down the barrel sooner as the lubricant doesn't grip the barrel like a dry patch does.

Also I find the dry patches much easier to handle.

I spray the fabric with Aquoil and then let it thoroughly dry before tearing into strips for use.

As Fred says linen is good also but I find it a tad too thin for my uses.

Reading fired patches can tell you a lot about your patch, load and barrel.

With single shots I like to wipe with a barely damp Aquoil patch between shots, not so much to keep the barrel clean but to keep the barrel condition consistent for each shot.

[dromia]

This subject is a bottomless pit---you will not get two muzzle loaders who agree.
Fred

Absolutely and that is surely the big attraction of this game, there are so may routes to the same end that discovering them is an endless pursuit giving hours, days and years of rewarding pleasure.

I like to get all my guns grouping well and once I have a good load I can shoot away to my hearts content knowing that the resulting group sizes are purely down to my ability or nowadays my lack of it. If get bored shooting itty bitty groups (which I do) then I can change something in the load and begin a whole new journey of discovery.

[meles meles]

Reading fired patches can tell you a lot about your patch, load and barrel.

*dons gypsy shawl and bling*

"We see a tattered patch, all sooty and shredded. Spindrels of cotton fibre coming adrift around the edges and blotches of crisped, carbonised oil..."

[froggy]

[meles meles]

... sooty and shredded. Spindrels of cotton fibre coming adrift around the edges and blotches of crisped, carbonised oil..."

Actually, we can think of some pretentious ikkle Merlot vintages that could be a description of too...