Paper Patching!

[RMulhern]

Probably the main reason more people don't shoot PP is because the 'younger set' doesn't know anything about it....and just might be too lazy to investigate it! PP is more conducive to single shot rifles such as the 1874 Sharps and some of the Hiwall rifles and unless the rifle has a bolt on it today or a $2000.00 scope....well....it's just not the 'in' thing to do!! Very few folks today know how to use aperture sights which are mostly common to the rifles as mentioned above and since today's youth have been brought up mainly on scoped rifles.....they're lost on how to use aperture sights....which are highly accurate in the hands of those that know how to use them! From the 'historical aspect'.....Paper Patch Bullets are usually more prone to be used by most of the older gents associated with their usage....and they shoot quite well.....all the way out to ONE MILE!!

[Nobade]

Yep, funny thing is many modern rifles will perform as well or better with paper patch bullets as they will with jacketed. Sure there is a learning curve at first, and some poor results until you learn what you're doing, but once you have it figured out it works amazingly well. But you're right about modern kids now. I see it all the time in the shop, folks just want to buy a rifle and go shoot 1/4 inch groups. If it doesn't do that there must be something wrong with the rifle. No interest in actually learning what is happening, and how to improve it. They're too busy with their texting and internet and busy life to care. Paper patching is more like art - each one needs to be as close to the one before it as you can manage, and it's all hand work. Something I find incredibly satisfying, but not for the people who just want to buy something and go shoot it.

[Reverend Recoil]

Forgive me.  I'm overdue for a rant.  Feel free to rake me over cyber coals.

One thing I have noticed is that there are few shooters interested in becoming learning how to fire a rifle unsupported.  At every pubilic range I have been to, there is nobody practicing markmanship.  All they do is pull triggers from a table and chair and walk away thinking they accomplished something.  What a boring waste of time and ammo.  American hunters have no clue of how to use a proper shooting sling.  Instead we have a generation stuck on tactical bi-pods and shooting crutches.  I guese they get by because they shoot game at close range with a supported rest.  I see the same thing on all the cable hunting shows.  To become an expert shot requires persistant disciplin, dedicated hard work, and consideralble expense.  Are there any young people willing to put forth that today?  I have my doublts.  The quest for instant gratification sems to be the norm.

[Lead pot]

Reverend Recoil I agree with what you say but when you shoot these rifles that RMulhern mentioned above in the shoots that use these rifles except maybe the Schuetzen all use the cross sticks or wrist rests to support these heavy barreled rifles that weigh 12-25 pounds, shouldn't you also get your range time tuning yourself to use these sticks?
The support you get while in the sitting position or even prone with these cross sticks is not solid, you still have to train yourself breaking a shot just like your shooting off hand.
It's not like your hunting when you can find a tree for a placed shot on game at what I call close range not the 800-1000 yards these rifles are shot at during a creedmoor match.
I do a lot of off hand practice with these rifles to be able to break a shot in the right place.
Your right, the supports like these vises I see the rifles clamped in do nothing for the guys using them except maybe developing a load for the rifle.

Kurt

[Nobade]

Ya, last weekend at the range was amusing. Everybody there when I arrived had a lead sled or some other rifle holding jig. Working up loads I guess. We have hanging steel at 200 yards on that range, so I pulled out my little Martini cadet and started ringing them offhand. After about a dozen shots I switched to my 375, with paper patch bullets. Kept ringing the gongs. Everybody else had stopped shooting and was watching me. I guess they didn't know that was possible. As for kids, mine shoot offhand pretty much all the time, since we mainly shoot silhouette matches. My 15 year old daughter is pure murder on smallbore targets with her 22 and our  highpower targets to 500M  with her 7mm TCU. Cast bullets of course. But other than going to big matches, I never see any kids shooting except off a rest. Marksmanship is indeed a dying art, but it's up to us old timers to pass it on to the kids if we can. 

[armorer77]

AMEN , I took on a student 2 years ago , good with a scope , never shot iron sights . I took his "sniper rifle " away and made him learn to shoot iron . When he got his rifle back his groups shrank by half . Learn to shoot , then add the accesories . Armorer77

[goofyoldfart]

This really doesn't have to do with PPcboo's BUT, very applicable to shooting. I have shot for 60 years. went to the range last week after not being able to go for about 1 1/2 years and started shooting with my old mosin-nagant bolt gun. every one else is shooting an AR type platform of one kind or another. nuthin' wrong with that. started shooting at the 100 yrd. line and couldn't see the little black bull. sooo--started shooting at the center of white square. Full house loads factory. I was using a sling and standing. wasn't hitting the target but saw dirt flying high over the target.  soooo-started shooting in line with the target but under it, and at about 10 to 12 inches under it I started to hit in the black. Now my group was about 6 to 7 inches fairly circular but in the black. Old gun, well worn, old ammo, AND OLD EYES--well worn out.  found out 2 things  1) battle sights for that rifle are about 300yds. and I can't see for Sheite any more. time to start to use optics. knew the day would come.  The big lesson that I learned was that even shooting with P*ss poor eyesight was that I could still hit a target with BOT (burst on target ) with adjustment and that a sling sure still makes for steadier shooting.  Some of the guys that were shooting near me were laughing and made a few comments to me. I offered to let them look through my glasses and then shoot the M-N. they quit laughing . we brought the target in and I felt that it was pretty good-not perfect of course, but MOM (minute of man) . guess they weren't used to a big bore after using those 5.56mm's .  Time to buy scope mounts for many of my rifles.    God Bless, all.

[redneckdan]

I started patching a couple years ago, I am currently 25 years old and finishing up a BS-MET at MTU.  I started with a .45-70 and now mostly patch for a .375 H&H CZ-550.  My go to deer load is a 300gr pure lead RN sized at .369, double wrapped with vellum and then coated with JPW; the bullet is launched by a charge of 4227 good for 2000fps.  This load is highly effective.