patching copper bullets

Is it possible to patch solid copper bullets. I wanted to patch copper muzzle loading bullets in a 45-0 the bullet diameter is .450 bore is 458.

i shot 7mm in a carcano that way

That will work fine as long as your bore is not over .450. Many are .451/.452.

I read an article where a feller patches up .308 jwords for an .318 groove mauser x57

he said it worked very well.

as per Pdawg, the projo needs to be bore sized, or a hair bigger I'd guess.

I got my start patching back in the 60s patching .308 jacketed up to .318 to get a old Mauser back in the field. Worked great, but the bore was .308 on that rifle. If your bullet is smaller than bore diameter the paper may not be sliced enough to come off the bullet at the muzzle. If it dont you will have flyers.

Ross Seyfried wrote an article many years ago about using "J" bullets paper patched for odd calibers where bullets are not available or are very costly in that size. He has a love for the old English big bores. I wish I still had it but I lent the magazine to a friend who did not return it.

Anyway, Ross found that rolling copper jacketed bullets between a coarse file and a piece of steel put a light "knurling" on the jacket and that helped the paper to grip. he reported very good results using this method. He reported using some quite undersize bullets patched up to suit the required groove diameter so I suspect that the paper is compressed and crushed so much against the copper jacket that it shreds, or at least discards anyway. I have never tried it though.

Longbow

Longbow,
If the article was in Handloader or Rifle magazine send me a pm and I'll copy it as send it as I think I have every issue.
John

the 7.35 carcano did well with the 7mm bullets

That article was in either Guns & Ammo or Shooting Times. Can't recall for sure but I think Ross wrote for Guns & Ammo.

In any case it would have been early 1990's I think when that article was published. I had just moved back from Yellowknife and I think the article came out shortly after I got back in 1989.

Thanks for the offer though much appreciated.

Longbow

longbow nailed it

that is who I read doing the PP on Jwords