Guys I picked up a T/C .45 Hawken, its been years since I played with black powder.
Anyway I bout some .445 Hornady round balls because that was all I could locate. Will a .15 patch work or will I need to go thinner?
I do have some old Goex fff powder and some alliant black as well as some chunky pyrodex. Like I said its been years since I played with this stuff and was hoping you might give me a little sight on this before I get a bullet stuck midway in the barrel or break a ramrod. I'd like to get as many shots between cleaning as I can.
Scott

Sounds very thick; you won't know until you try it. I assume you have a ball starter; do not try to load patched balls with a ram rod. I also assume you have a ball puller when one gets stuck.
.445 ball in a 45 cal TC will need a thin patch. Use only cotton patches. Blue jeans make good patches.
Proper fitting it won't be hard to load. You see guys hammer them in; not needed.
I have also loaded groove diameter balls; no patch. Works great.
Or use REAL bullets. Lee. They work in slow round ball twists.
Actually, what is the twist? You might use CVA power belts. I use them in my 1-48 Kodiak double rifle and get one hole groups.
I always clean between shots.
Throw the pyrodex away. It is pure crap. I bought 6 pounds when it first came out and still have most of it. It is very corrosive. Whereas real BP isn't. It's the caps.
Lube with something; olive oil is good; there are commercial products.

I try patches that do not show to be torn and ragged when shot, keeps life simple...I work up to that point a bit at a time..shoot, pick them up, inspect, when they get shot and don't look torn and ragged that,s the ones I use with that ball...I use pillow material and old worn out wranglers or Cinches, not the new stiff stuff..seems to work for me.

Thanks guys.
Dpcd I used pyrodex 30 years ago and didn't like it so I'll probably toss it. I think the old Hawken rifles were 1/48 also, I used to shoot with a local group in the early 80s and it shot well, at that time I was shooting a. 54 but still round ball and patch with black powder, I also clean between shots, just a dry one pass is all and could usually shoot the 30 shots without any mishaps of stuck projectiles midway.
Like I said I'm rusty but I'll pick it back up again real quick.

You'll usually see a round ball dia of .440 suggested for a 45cal M/L barrel.

.445 isn't that much different. I'd use a denim patch with plenty of patch lube.
That softens the matr'l and makes it much easier for the cloth to compress and fit around the ball and into the bore.
Use a short start to get the patch & ball started. From there it'll go down the bore easily. I use a long start, then the ramrod.
Some just go right to the ramrod.

Patches can be cut with a knife right when you short start the ball at the edge of the bbl muzzle.
Or pre-cut beforehand and lubed.
Some cut them round,,some square.

I cut them square and not all that precise to be truthfull but as long as the patch is large enough to cover the entire ball up around the sides, it'll give good accuracy.

Patch lube is your choice. Everyone has their own favorite and it IS the best.
So there's no use in getting into that.

Have fun. It's a great slow motion shooting sport!

I like to start the patcg in patch matrial and cut it off at the crown..if the patches lay on the ground after the shot and its torn up I change the material or use the same but thicker..well worn denim from old Wranglers, Levis, cinches, Lees, whatever worn almost white and thinned seem to work best. Either that or shoot a bullet as opposed to a ball, besides the heavy bullet kills better IMO...

Cal30, I suggest you go to davide-pedersoli.com and read the article "the easiest method to choose the right patch for your round ball rifle." This will answer your questions. I also recommend, from lots of personal b-p shooting, to buy from a fabric shop, some 100% cotton pillow ticking, in one or two thicknesses you want to try, (it's usually blue & white striped), wash it, let it air dry flat, then cut it into 1 1/8" squares for .45 caliber, and 1 1/4" for .50. I take a large pill bottle, stack the patches in that and add a generous amount of Stumpy's Moose Milk (you can find that recipe online). When shooting, take out a stack of about 10 patches, squeeze out the excess milk and you're gtg. I usually shoot 30-35 shots per session this way and never need to swab between shots. Loading the last is no harder than the first and accuracy is excellent. I use 3Fg GOEX.

500 shooter
Thank you that was very informative. With the 445 diameter balls I have I will probably go on the thinner side unless the patches burn thru. And getting 30 shots without swabbing is what I want.
Scott

Why not swab? In a hunting situation you only get one shot as a rule I use a 54 or 58 and a rag to cut off at reload, I can see where target shooting may make a difference with a ball.

I will try it without swabbing in a hunting situation and see how that works. It might come in handy hunting for a follow up shot??

Been in the muzzleloading business for sixty years. Everything our friend DPCD has said is spot on correct! cheers luke