Pillow ticking for muzzleloading

[Runewolf1973]

Seems like what they consider pillow ticking at the fabric store these days is vastly different from the pillow ticking they would have had in the 18th century. I looked at the 100% cotton pillow ticking at Fabricland today and it had such a tight, dense weave that it gave the material almost a plasticy/crunchy feel and only a .005" thickness. Seems unrealistic that they would have had the capability for such a tight weave back in the 18th century. So the "pillow ticking" at the fabric store seems nothing like the "pillow ticking" that is sold for muzzleloading patch material??

[Runewolf1973]

I think I'm just going to cut up some old cotton t-shirts Seems like that's what a lot of guys use for patching their round balls? I'm getting approximately a .010 thickness out of an old t-shirt and that's what I need since all I can find in stock in any store is .495 round balls for my .50 cal flintlock.

I was using material from a dress shirt, but that's only .006 which I am assuming is too thin and doesn't seal the rifling properly.

What is everyone else using for patch material?

[saskbooknut]

Take your micrometer and measure thickness - 100% cotton denim works grand.

[catnthehat]

Double weave cotton is what works well.
Check your fired patches to check if they are too thin , if they are they will be burnt through .
If too thick the will be ripped , generally doesking you want to have a patch a bit thicker than yhe diameter needed to make up the difference between the ball and rifle bore , my .58 bore takes s .570 ball and a .015 patch for instance .
A lot depends on the depth of your rifling so you will have to try several thicknesses .
New cloth has sizing in it so make sure it is washed and rinsed before using .
Cat

[Runewolf1973]

A couple questions...

If I choose to have a looser patch for ease of loading and to avoid using a short starter, does that primarily only affect the accuracy, or does it affect the round ball's effective hitting or killing power?

I was using just some .006" thick material from a cut up cotton dress shirt and with the .495 roundballs was hitting an 8" plate easily at 50 yards. I liked it...easy to load, could start the ball in the bore with a push from the butt end of my knife handle and accurate enough for me, but can I effectively hunt deer close range with that set-up?

I did try .490 round balls before with the same thinner .006 patch and the accuracy did suffer slightly. With the .495 it's still easy enough to load without a short starter and the accuracy improved to the point where I am happy with it.

Thanks!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

A couple questions...

If I choose to have a looser patch for ease of loading and to avoid using a short starter, does that primarily only affect the accuracy, or does it affect the round ball's effective hitting or killing power?

I was using just some .006" thick material from a cut up cotton dress shirt and with the .495 roundballs was hitting an 8" plate easily at 50 yards. I liked it...easy to load, could start the ball in the bore with a push from the butt end of my knife handle and accurate enough for me, but can I effectively hunt deer close range with that set-up?

I did try .490 round balls before with the same thinner .006 patch and the accuracy did suffer slightly. With the .495 it's still easy enough to load without a short starter and the accuracy improved to the point where I am happy with it.

Thanks!

If the patch is not burning through and you are happy with the 100 yard accuracy , you are good to go.if 50 is okay try it at 100.
I always have used a tight patch and short starter, but practiced untill I was able to load at a decent pace- the first shot is thee most important though!
Cat

[Huntsman]

CorCan uses “pillow ticking” for there pillows.

[petew]

It's easier to just order the patch material from track of the wolf , they have all thicknesses in cut patches or in strips , and it is the right material, not something with synthetic blends in it that melt.

[Runewolf1973]

So here's what I found out...

The pillow ticking they show you if you go to a place like Fabricland is the featherproof ticking which is a very light 0.005 tightly woven cotton. The ticking fabric that is commonly used in muzzleloaders is called ACA pillow ticking and is an industrial grade fabric. Completely different stuff. I provided a link with a video which shows the difference.

https://www.onlinefabricstore.net/ma...icking-fabric/

What the fabric stores do carry however, is 100% unbleached cotton twill and that is exactly what industrial pillow ticking is...cotton twill minus the stripes. It is a tight, directional weave and they had it in some different thicknesses down to .010, but I chose the thinner muslin material because I like easier loading.

[Runewolf1973]

Originally Posted by Huntsman

CorCan uses “pillow ticking” for there pillows.

This looks like it might be the lighter weight printed decor ticking which is not the same as ACA ticking, but I could be wrong.

[Pioneer2]

At Walmart

[Runewolf1973]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

This looks like it might be the lighter weight printed decor ticking which is not the same as ACA ticking, but I could be wrong.

Actually I think those CORCAN pillows might be the real deal. Was reading somewhere that the heavy weight pillow ticking was used in correctional facilities because of its durability.

[DanOO]

You may be able get that material from Hillfork Musket Supply in Senlac SK.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

A couple questions...

If I choose to have a looser patch for ease of loading and to avoid using a short starter, does that primarily only affect the accuracy, or does it affect the round ball's effective hitting or killing power?

I was using just some .006" thick material from a cut up cotton dress shirt and with the .495 roundballs was hitting an 8" plate easily at 50 yards. I liked it...easy to load, could start the ball in the bore with a push from the butt end of my knife handle and accurate enough for me, but can I effectively hunt deer close range with that set-up?

I did try .490 round balls before with the same thinner .006 patch and the accuracy did suffer slightly. With the .495 it's still easy enough to load without a short starter and the accuracy improved to the point where I am happy with it.

Thanks!

I little bit of hornets nest on top of the powder will, prevent the patch from burning through also.
I found Triple 7 was causing the patch to burn too much and accuracy suffered.
Some hornets nest fixed the problem so now I include it in the speed loaders.

[Bushleague]

I sometimes use pillow ticking for range use, I have some cotton fabric that measures about .005-.007. Lubed up properly I can get up to around 65 grains of 3f behind hit before it starts burning through. 60 grains of 3f, some well lubed pillow ticking, and a .495 round ball shoots well enough for practicing offhand shots.

For hunting loads with more powder I use better patches.

[Runewolf1973]

I've been using 50 grains of FFF Goex, a 0.005" patch and a .495 round ball. All I see on my patches is a bit of black char in the center which rubs off and a ring of tiny holes in the middle where it looks like the rifling cut into it. Never seen one that burned through and the fraying on the outer edge is very minimal. I think that's pretty good.

[Runewolf1973]

What I don't understand is why would you hunt with a different load than what you are used to target shooting with? Wouldn't the different load make a difference with how the gum shoots? Or perhaps you just practice with a few hunting loads before you actually go hunting with it and the rest are just lighter plinking loads?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

What I don't understand is why would you hunt with a different load than what you are used to target shooting with? Wouldn't the different load make a difference with how the gum shoots? Or perhaps you just practice with a few hunting loads before you actually go hunting with it and the rest are just lighter plinking loads?

When I competed I shot a .570 ball with 60 grains of FFG powder and it was s very accurate load in my rifle.
However my hunting load with the same bullet was 135 grains of FFG.
Way more power and range and still pretty accurate .
Shooting a whole match with that load would be counter productive .
Cat

[Runewolf1973]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

When I competed I shot a .570 ball with 60 grains of FFG powder and it was s very accurate load in my rifle.
However my hunting load with the same bullet was 135 grains of FFG.
Way more power and range and still pretty accurate .
Shooting a whole match with that load would be counter productive .
Cat

What would you recommend to start as a hunting load for my .50 cal Pedersoli Frontier flintlock rifle? I target shoot with 50 grains. Is 70 grains adequate to knock down a deer?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

What would you recommend to start as a hunting load for my .50 cal Pedersoli Frontier flintlock rifle? I target shoot with 50 grains. Is 70 grains adequate to knock down a deer?

When I shot a .50 I used 110 grains of FFG for a hunting load for deer.
Try 70 and go from there .
Depending on the drop in your stock you may not be able to shoot much more
Cat

[Runewolf1973]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

When I shot a .50 I used 110 grains of FFG for a hunting load for deer.
Try 70 and go from there .
Depending on the drop in your stock you may not be able to shoot much more
Cat

Great! Thanks for the advice.

[petew]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

What would you recommend to start as a hunting load for my .50 cal Pedersoli Frontier flintlock rifle? I target shoot with 50 grains. Is 70 grains adequate to knock down a deer?

Pedersoli lists the Min/Max loads for each of their guns on their website. Not all ML's are rated for the same loads.

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

This looks like it might be the lighter weight printed decor ticking which is not the same as ACA ticking, but I could be wrong.

It’s actually true blue pillow ticking. Measures approx .015 thou but I’ll confirm.
It’ll work perfect in my .58 Green Mountain barrel on top of hornets nest and 110grs of Goex 2F.

I also have the Pedersoli Frontier .50 in flintlock and use an 80gr load for everything.
Lastly, Hillfolk is where I purchased pillow ticking at The Lloyd gunshow in 2010.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Runewolf1973

Great! Thanks for the advice.

I can only run about 90 grains in my .50 cal before I start burning out patches. My roundball hunting load is 85 grains of 3f, shoots well and hits plenty hard enough.

My rifle doesn't seem to like bullets, but against all logic it does shoot Sabots well with about 100 grains of 2f. Mine has a 1-48 twist, which is supposed to work best with slugs, but it does far better with roundballs and sabots for some reason.

[trooper]

I used an old Judo/ Taekwondo suit ripped the suit into 2" strips and use that as a patch.. works great! I'm using 70 gns of FFFG triple 7 in my percussion muzzle loader.