Cleaning Patch Poll

Which side of the patch do you run down the barrel?

  • Flocked (Fuzzy)

    Votes: 38 52.1%

  • Smooth

    Votes: 27 37.0%

  • Patches.....we don't need no stiinking patches!!!

    Votes: 8 11.0%
  • Total voters
    73
I only use pure cotton flannel patches and run the "fuzzy" side down the bore. Actually the smooth side absorbs very little/slowly so you would be using many more patches to do the same job. Synthetics patches are absolutely useless.
bigbull
 
updatelee said:
I dont know ... hoppes #9 patch's, doesnt say if they are synth or cotton, I would guess synth ? maybe I'll pick up some cotton flannel ones and try em out.
Click to expand...

The GunSlick 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 are a good deal when WSS has them in. I cut them in half so I get 1000 patches from a bag. I use a wrap around style jag for my .22 cal CF and 6mm so the 1/2 patches are more than enough.
The other patches they have are waaaaay overpriced.
 
Walmart cotton flannel fabric UNTREATED. 1 sq yd - $5 or less. A bit of time with a rotary cloth cutter and ruler and you have a pile of patches custom sized for your needs. Estimating 1/4 the cost of commercial patches.

If you really want to save the planet and know someone who has got a toddler, ask if they still have their flannel baby cloths (usually 2' X 3' in size). Same material as above but usually with very cute prints.

Will be dull from washing but what the hell - free and they are going into the trash anyways.

Jerry
 
Fassteel said:
I bought a couple of bags of the Butch's Triple Twill patches and they seem to work as well as any other I've tried. FS
Click to expand...

I just started to use these and although they say they are for .22cal, I can't use them with a jag, but they work well with a patch worm (.223 T3).
 
I use the moly coating on my bullets to clean:p Cleaning is over rated and I try to only clean when the groups open up. If I do clean CP-2 round patches from Sinclair's, a big bag lasts a year or 2.
 
I don't use patches, they are too fancy. Nothing beats a good old cotton painters rag sliced in a few small pieces and jammed down the barrel. :evil:
 
I've used blue shop towels off a roll, cut up t-shirts, and other stuff.

For store bought patches, I like the waffle weave 'grit lock' ones when they're on sale. They seem to work quite well.

I like to wrap my patches around a one calibre undersized nylon brush for the bulk of the cleaning, but I use a jag for running it down the bore with solvent/cleaner to wet it. I find an undersized bore mop works well for that too.
 
What Mystic said, x2. My wife is a quilter, so it takes no time to get that cotton flannel cut with her rotary cutter into precise 2x2 squares.

Perhaps the most important thing to note about all of this (and nobody mentioned it so far), is that all cloths, even so-called "untreated" cloths, are coated with sizing at the factory. This is like a microscopic, invisible barrier that keeps the fabric looking clean and stiff as it sits on the rolls. I'm dead certain that even the commercial patches that you buy are still coated with this stuff.

It GREATLY reduces the absorbency of the fabric, for obvious reasons.

The solution is simple: just run the cloth through your washing machine once. You can throw it in with a load of towels or sheets, etc. That one wash will get rid of the sizing and set the fabric for use. Once it's dry, just cut it into squares and you're in business.

It makes a difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom