OK I'll confess- I bought my first big bag of patches about a year ago and still have some left. They are Outers brand (17-22 cal. and I'm using them in a 20), and I am rather dissatisfied with them, as you need to use a bunch of them to get anything clean it seems. I used to just cut up a sheet. Actually, I'd tear a strip and then cut it into squares. If all I had were these patches I'd go back to doing that, it doesn't take much time at all and the material cleans a ton better.

What does everyone else use?

My old t-shirts and jockey shorts...

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
My old t-shirts and jockey shorts...

Its taking everything I got not to come out with a joke here.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
OK I'll confess- I bought my first big bag of patches about a year ago and still have some left. They are Outers brand (17-22 cal. and I'm using them in a 20), and I am rather dissatisfied with them, as you need to use a bunch of them to get anything clean it seems. I used to just cut up a sheet. Actually, I'd tear a strip and then cut it into squares. If all I had were these patches I'd go back to doing that, it doesn't take much time at all and the material cleans a ton better.

What does everyone else use?

I buy a brand called "plenty O Patches". Southern Bloomers supplies them with the cotton from ginch I suppose.

quote:

My old t-shirts and jockey shorts...

Talk about fouling ones bore.............

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
My old t-shirts and jockey shorts...

http://stevespages.com/page8.htm

Geeze, I was afraid to click on this link for fear that there might be a picture!

jpb

Mate go and buy yourself a pack of "chucks" and cut them up, they are what I use if I run out of a roll of 4x2"s

Gidday Guys

Stick with the sheets. They are way softer after they have been used for their original purpose they are really lint free and I'm buggered if I know of any other use for them.

Buggered if I'm going to spend money buying something I already own.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

I use for my sniper rifle and all hunting rifles "Boresneak" and I am happy with it. First I brush the barrel with nylon brush and few drops of Break Free CLP, and after 1/2 hour I pull boresneak through. Results are perfect, if the barrel is too dirty I do it few times (after moly).

Hey Mark, I use Paper Shop Towels, because they are relatively inexpensive, can be cut to any size I desire and are a bit more abrasive than cotton patches.

You can get a roll of the "Blue" ones at Wal-Mart and they work fine except they don't show the copper coming out (blue on blue). But they are normally what I use with my Moly Coated bullets since I'm just removing (primarily) powder residue.

But, you can go by a Home Depot or Lowe's and get the Paper Shop Towels in "White" and they work well and show the copper as blue streaks. They are just a bit more expensive than the Blue ones, but worth the cost.

If you go this route, I've found a Flat Tipped Jag to work the best. I get the brass ones with the sharp point and file off the point. If you don't, the point just tears through. And I use a jag a couple of sizes smaller than normal (when possible) and use two layers of the Paper Patching.

You mentioned using a "17 and a 20". I don't know how they would do there, because they may just tear through too easily. The smallest I've used them in is a 22RimFire and a few old 0.223" Hornets. They need to be cut real small for them and pre-formed with your fingers around the jag before trying to get them in the barrels.

Best of luck to you.

I'm using the Hoppes but they are too thin like the Outers and many others. They are tough but, too thin and I find myself having to use too many of em'. I like the patches made out of the T-shirt material better, they seem to pick up more trash.

You can buy the T-shirt type patches at Wal-mart pretty cheap, they come in a camo plastic bag. The only bad thing about them is they are all different sizes and some of them are quite large so they require cutting down. I stack a few of them up and take a good pair of scissors to em'.

I do exactly the same thing and have never found a cloth patch that is equal to this product for all-around gun cleaning. Rust is a major concern where I live and so I must clean my guns thoroughly right after shooting or lose a barrel and shop towelling works best. I do use cut flannel patches for JB paste on the infrequent times when I need to use it.

I much prefer the 100% cotton patches sold by Sinclair International. They absorb well, show any fouling as it comes out, and are available in darned near any size you could want.

I used cut up t-shirts, bedsheets and what not for years, but was never really satisfied.
About a year ago I bought me a bag of Butch's Triple Twill Patches (distributed by Lyman). At that time I thought they were expensive (as compared to what I had been using -free), but I would not hesitate to buy a new bag if I needed it. They really do capture fouling great, are strong enough so as not to rip, and do not lint.

I hope he cuts around thi skid marks...
Craven

I use silk patches woven by carefully screened Tibetan virgins and blessed by only the highest order of Buddhist monks. The silk itself comes from a rare breed of silkworm smuggled out of China during the Boxer rebellion and nurtured in a secret location somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Nah, not really.

I use cut up t-shirts and underwear myself. And to those jokesters out there, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The residual ammonia in the jockey shorts cuts copper fouling like nobody’s business, saves me loads on not having to buy CR-10 or Sweets. Plus, where your patches turn blue, the yellow color in mine mixes with the copper and makes a lovely green.

Okay, seriously – yeah, I’ve used commercial Outers patches, military .30 caliber patches and I actually do use cut up cotton t-shirts and underwear. I haven’t found one bit of difference in the cleaning power of any of them. You can cut the t-shirts into whatever size you want for .22’s or 12 gauges, and they are basically free, at least they don’t cost one additional penny.

Nothing works better than 100% cotton flannel. I prefer those sold by Sinclair Int'l.

http://www.sinclairintl.com

Tee shirts work wonders

I go down to the fabric store and buy 2 yards of white or light colored cotton flannel and cut to size patches for whatever caliber that I am cleaning at the time.

quote:

Originally posted by craven:
I hope he cuts around thi skid marks...
Craven

Hell no!

The skid marks lubricate the barrel...

I'm another one that goes to the fabric store for flannel. Custom sized patches are easy to make. It also gives me an excuse to check out the latest camo fabric. Also, since it is usually the wife's idea to go to town she can't kick about me stopping at the sporting good stores.

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:


You can buy the T-shirt type patches at Wal-mart pretty cheap, they come in a camo plastic bag. The only bad thing about them is they are all different sizes and some of them are quite large so they require cutting down.

The last 2 packs of these I've bought have all been the same size. Perfect for 30cal & 8MM but the do have to be cut for smaller calibers. These are great as they're cheap and good patches to boot.

Rick

quote:

Originally posted by krazykarl:
I go down to the fabric store and buy 2 yards of white or light colored cotton flannel and cut to size patches for whatever caliber that I am cleaning at the time.

I do the same thing. If you're lucky you can find the fabric you want on sale for about $2/yard. Otherwise it may be about $6/yard.

quote:

The last 2 packs of these I've bought have all been the same size. Perfect for 30cal & 8MM but the do have to be cut for smaller calibers. These are great as they're cheap and good patches to boot.

Rick

Rick I must have gotten a bum run. The last batches I bought varied from little slivers to 3X6 little towels. It doesn't bother me though, gives me a good excuse to keep the ole' pocket knife sharp. The wifes nice scissors work well too . That's if I can slip them into the reloading room w/o her knowing.


Reloader

Good answer Steve.
Craven

I use the Sinclair parches, rather expensive but do a great job. I usually use 6 or 7 rifles at the range in a trip so I also clean them all at the same time, generally everything from .222Rem. through 7mm Rem.Mag. I'm forever using the wrong size patch, a real heartache. I get them in 500 or 1,000 patch bags and lay each bag out in front of me. I'm getting used to which size patch goes with which caliber, and often grab the correct one now instead of fumbling. My problem has been grabing too large a patch for the caliber. Now I'm getting it down better. There/'s nothing like realizing you have the wrong patch after smearing one with Sweets or worse, smearing it with JB Bore Compound. Life's getting simplier but it hasn't been easy. Best wishes.

Cal - Mintreal

Pro-shot. The local gunshop carries them, they come in a bunch of different sizes.

Pro-shot products
P.O. box 763
Taylorville Il. 72568
PH 217-824-9133

100% cotton flannel, finished both sides for extra absorbency. They do a fine job, the package I took the info from has 1,000 1 3/8 square patches for $10.50. I use a dewy rod and jags of the appropiate caliber. They claim those fit 6-7MM I use them up to .30 cal. At that price I refuse to dick around cutting up old t-shirts,(or my shorts)!

Midway has the butch's patches here
butches

I'm a cheapskate. I use military surplus patches, you know, the ones that leave those annoying threads hanging everywhere.

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
I'm a cheapskate. I use military surplus patches, you know, the ones that leave those annoying threads hanging everywhere.

Where do you get your military patches?I bought a heavy cardboard box of 40,000 of them in the late 1960's for something like $12-$20 (military surplus from Korean War, I think)...they lasted me until the early-mid 90's. Since then I have been buying Pro-Shot flannel patches 2,000 at a time from Russ Haydon. Would sure like to find another big carton of the military patches. Nothing I have seen works better for me.

Pro-Shot.......It only costs a little bit more to go first class.

Alberta Canuck-
The last batch I remember buying I got thru "Cheaper than Dirt." I bought the .22 and .30 calibre size and they were packed in plastic socks. It has been a few years tho...

I only use Pro-Shot patches, best quality.
bigbull

Stop in at your local Wally World and check out their clearance shelves in the fabric section. I can usually find cotton flannel in white on sale for $1 or $2 per yard. Then while you are sitting in front of the boob tube watching college football or whatever, spend your time productively cutting the flannel into stri

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:
Rick I must have gotten a bum run. The last batches I bought varied from little slivers to 3X6 little towels. It doesn't bother me though, gives me a good excuse to keep the ole' pocket knife sharp. The wifes nice scissors work well too . That's if I can slip them into the reloading room w/o her knowing.


Reloader

The pack I bought were the same way, alot of the pieces were too mangled to even be useable. I picked up some of the Butch's Triple Twill patches from Mid South and they are quite nice but I've had to use a size or two smaller jag with them.

2.5" X 2.5" G.I. patches........

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:

quote:

The last 2 packs of these I've bought have all been the same size. Perfect for 30cal & 8MM but the do have to be cut for smaller calibers. These are great as they're cheap and good patches to boot.

Rick

Rick I must have gotten a bum run. The last batches I bought varied from little slivers to 3X6 little towels. It doesn't bother me though, gives me a good excuse to keep the ole' pocket knife sharp. The wifes nice scissors work well too . That's if I can slip them into the reloading room w/o her knowing.


Reloader

Take note that I said that the last 2 packs I had bought were all the same size. The first 5 or 6 packs were just as you've described. I think they may have had some complaints or something and are now making them a uniform size. Anyway, I hope they are!

Rick

Cheap from Midway or Lock Stock & Barrel.

Are tighty whiteys better than boxers? I heard that the colored dye on those girraffe print boxers were hard on your bore.