You might get a copy of Randy Wright’s book on making and shooting paper patch bullets.  This will give you a good overview of the basics.

There are more specific descriptions of paper patching and the results gained on the Shiloh Forum, the Historic Shooting Forum and the Cast Boolits Forum.  Mostly the caliber is .45, but a fair amount of .44 and .40 descriptions are there, if you are willing to look.  You have to compare the practices and results to winnow the techniques that often work from those that seldom do.

I have had success patching .44, .45, and (to some extent) .38 calibers.  My only .40 is the 3-1/4” shell, which has not only resisted my efforts so far at paper patch accuracy, but actually shoots better with smokeless powder than with black.

But what I’ve found that works includes:

An absolutely clean, absolutely dry bore between each shot.

An alloy between 8 and 12 BHN.

The patch wrapped onto the bullet dry, the patch to the ogive of the bullet with a slight length past the base.  This, when pushed flat against the base, will leave a small opening where you can see the lead.  The patched bullet should push smoothly down the bore of your rifle, leaving land marks on the patch.  The patched bullet will be a loose fit in your fireformed shell; I made a mouth-reduction die that allows the cartridge to be handled but the bullet is not crimped or tightly held.

No lubricant.  Grease wads are OK for follow up shots as the quarry is running away at hunting distances, but for me any lube anywhere has always compromised accuracy on targets.  Slathering lube or some kind of waterproofing preparation on the patch has always been a disaster for me; in the former case actually causing leading in the bore.

Swiss seems to work best for me in straight cases, Olde Eynsford in bottleneck cases.  Some people get the opposite results.

The rule of thumb seems to be (for me, anyway) “When in doubt, add more powder.”  When the charge is compressed (or not) and the wad seated, the bullet is typically 1/8” to 1/4” into the shell, although some people have success seating deeper.

And lots of experimental shooting.  Some people get spectacular results the first time out with their loads, some have to experiment for years.  When you get there, it’s pretty cool, and a lot more fun than shooting grease groove bullets.  Discovering lost shooting technology is like discovering any other lost treasure.  You feel like Indiana Jones and Frank Mayer combined.

I have just spent quite some time on the cast bullets site looking at posts on paper patching. apart from some very good information provided there was a recommendation of a book by Paul Matthews on paper patching, can anybody tell me where I might gat a copy ?. There was some mention of a place called Amazon, but I don't know how that works as far as getting a copy goes. 
BACO lists another book by Randolph Wright on the same subject, anybody tried this book ?, I don't want to spend what's left of my life experimenting and re inventing the wheel.
Mike.

Bunduki books in OZ has it may be cheaper overseas
Gumpy

Thanks Wayne, I saw the book advertised in the BACO catalogue, I will try and see if they still have it.
Mike.

Mick B wrote on Sep 20^th, 2021 at 4:54am:

Bugger, I just went off the first page. I borrowed a copy from a gunsmith friend in NSW when I read it.
Gumpy 

Randy
I was contacted by a friend here in OZ and he has both books, yours and Pauls, when the current lockdown here ends he will loan them to me. I asked him which of the two books he thought was the best and he nominated yours. Hope that is some consolation for loosing a sale.
Cheers Mike.

I found Matthews’ books interesting reading, and a lot of the peripheral information valuable, but not very informative as instructions for getting target accuracy out of paper-patched bullets.  He bounces back and forth from bore diameter to groove diameter bullets, and from black powder to smokeless loadings, in a manner that leaves the reader (me, anyway) pretty confused.  He was mostly interested in getting pure-lead bullets into game animals, at the usual woods ranges, with the maximum effect.  What is pretty obvious from reading his stuff is that he never fired a single paper-patched bullet at a metal silhouette in a long career of BPCR match shooting.

It may be that all you want to do is amp the velocity of pure lead for the maximum terminal ballistics without leading the barrel.  In that case, Matthews’ books will do.  If you want to find out how to make them work they way the 1870s shooters did, Wright’s book is a better starting place.