Which way to roll a paper patch?

[Al Bear]

I saw conflicting YouTube videos on this matter so let’s see what you experienced shooters think. Do you roll paper patches against the twist (like applying Teflon tape on pipe threads) or the other way?

 

[dogzilla]

Just pretend it's a joint.

 

[ryan]

Against the twist is how I do it.

 

[freire]

Against the twist is how I do it.

Me too.

 

[MetricMan]

I find it makes no difference.

 

[kjohn]

I have no scientific knowledge to spread, but I do know that the paper is jammed in the barrel very tightly, so I can't see that it could make any difference.

 

[bigedp51]

I saw conflicting YouTube videos on this matter so let’s see what you experienced shooters think. Do you roll paper patches against the twist (like applying Teflon tape on pipe threads) or the other way?

In the mid 1970s I helped a friend wrap .357 pistol bullets with teflon tape, it was the pre-coated bullet age and it worked.

Teflon tape on cast bullets
https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=CgP2XNm2KMKv_Qa0sZeYDw&q=teflon+tape+on+cast+bullets&oq=teflon+tape+bullet&gs_l=psy-ab.1.1.0i22i30l2.1208.11389..15558...0.0..0.108.1693.16j2......0....1..gws-wiz.....0..0j0i131.umfGvg01VAw

 

[Dogleg]

Wrap them so the rotation of the bullet in the air wants to un-wrap the paper. Inside the barrel there's no difference.

 

[Longboat]

Just pretend it's a joint.

You can smoke that $h*t when you are done with it? Well then, off I go...

 

[zuke]

I find it makes no difference.

Same here

 

[flashman2]

I strongly suspect the idea of wrapping against the twist is based in a Victorian era assumption of how a patch behaves after exiting the muzzle. If it actually unwrapped around the bullet I'd expect to see horrific accuracy as it added drag while the bullet rotated.

I suspect high speed footage would show paper patches blown to atoms on exiting the muzzle. At least that's been my experience shooting paper patched anything through a rifled bore... not much left down range besides dust. Who's ever recovered an unwrapped patch anyway?

Considering a bullet with a MV of 1200 fps and a 1:20 twist, that's 43,200 rpm at the muzzle. I can't see any paper patch posing much resistance to that centrifugal force. If spin from rifling is enough to tear solid lead and copper jackets apart I expect paper won't stand much chance.

Be neat to see it filmed on high speed.

 

[flashman2]

Well, holy guacamole... guess I should have searched first!

Neat. The patch comes off a lot later than I would have thought, but in the same way I figured - blown apart and not "unwrapped."

I'm surprised at how long it takes to blow off though, gotta be at least a rotation and a bit. It's not fully off until what, maybe 15" from the muzzle?