My new smoothbore was a slobbered up mess after it's first day at the range!

Larry (Omaha) · May 5, 2024

I have never shot a smoothbore with ball before yesterday. My new long gun is a 62 cal flintlock, with a Ken Netting 48" round tapered barrel.
60 gr of Swiss 2F and about 50 rounds for the day. (.600 rb) (not a real humid day) I tried patched, .010 and .013, & bare ball with overshot card. They seemed the same for accuracy, but this was offhand and I am not too steady.
When I went to field clean the megga barrel mess, it took more patches and paper towel than I care to mention. My rifled flintlocks are nowhere near as messy. Granted now, I know bare ball is not going to have a patch wiping the bore, but I was not impressed with my mess. Any helpful thoughts would be appreciated, but please don't tell me I need to continually clean the bore between shots.
Larry

Britsmoothy · May 5, 2024

I'd add lube between thin cards before the ball is loaded.
Then I just use copious amounts of boiled water to remove most of the fouling. Finish with a few damp patches and let it dry itself.

I don't mind the crud, its part of the scene...

Trigger · May 5, 2024

No experience so.. I didn't think you had to be cleaning it between shots smoothbore.

Would Crisco work for lube..

RiverRat · May 5, 2024

I don’t shoot bare balls from my smooth bores. I use a greased patch of bear oil and beeswax. Every time I load another round, it wipes the fowling clean from the walls of the bore and I don’t get that caked on mess.

Dusty_Traveler · May 5, 2024

I have found that using a dry felt wad or two (.125") as an overpowder wad works well for keeping the fouling scrubbed out. Also makes a decent gas check.

PathfinderNC · May 5, 2024

I think cleaning isn’t as needed to maintain accuracy for a Smoothbore as much as for a rifle.
If I am going to shoot a lot of bare ball or scatter shot loads with my .62, I will periodically shove some brown paper down over the powder load (to keep it dry) and then ram some wet paper towels down the barrel to the breech for a quick swab. Thats about all. Seems to work well for me.

Trigger · May 5, 2024

Dusty_Traveler said:
I have found that using a dry felt wad or two (.125") as an overpowder wad works well for keeping the fouling scrubbed out. Also makes a decent gas check.

That's what I was thinking I have them...

I have a list of everything threw a chronograph... the felt is OK but if it's just felt wads you want a 3 stack.

Dusty_Traveler · May 5, 2024

Charge, felt wad(s), bare ball, Overshot card.

If it starts to get crusty, saturate the top felt wad with spit, and regulate there forth.

Eterry · May 5, 2024

I follow VM Starr' advice really closely as to shooting smoothbores. So I spit down the bores after the over powder cards. Which btw are 2 over shot cards. You only have to carry one type is card this way. I've never had it foul bad enough to stop shooting.
Shooting trap is another thing....I can't get away with it. I use dry clothe patches when needed.

Flint62Smoothie · May 5, 2024

My experience w/ 48”, 54” and 60” barreled smoothies, especially if shootin’ bareball roundball loads, is that the bore becomes an absolute filthy MESS, as you have observed …

ADK Bigfoot · May 5, 2024

Shot ten rounds of bare ball out of my fowler after turkey hunting yesterday. Filth, stink, mess, crud ring, goobers and yuck. I loved it!!!

ADK Bigfoot

Banjoman · May 5, 2024

My smooth bore load is ~62 grains of 2f or 3f, a wad of jute tow lightly dampened with spit, a .600 round ball and topped off with a wad of jute tow dampened slightly more than the first. Doesn’t make any more mess than rifles using lubed, patched round ball.

Trigger · May 5, 2024

Banjoman said:
My smooth bore load is ~62 grains of 2f or 3f, a wad of jute tow lightly dampened with spit, a .600 round ball and topped off with a wad of jute tow dampened slightly more than the first. Doesn’t make any more mess than rifles using lubed, patched round ball.

How's that look.. Jute wadding..

I find string on a search

..

I don't think I'm packing a wad of string down there.

I wondered if wool would be better from the sheep.. loose.. I could aquire a sample of that to try.

Trigger · May 5, 2024

https://www.amazon.com/Flowing-Rive...3RgHfvAm5898ZPfwZNLnIQlKjRnfwS1RoCCkoQAvD_BwE

That stuffing.

Banjoman · May 5, 2024

I posted a thread in the shooting accessories section on April 10 how I make jute tow. It’s similar to real tow.

I’ve tried sheep’s wool. It’s ok too but not as easy to obtain.

I don’t mind the mess though. It is black powder.

Trigger · May 5, 2024

Found it.. looks good.

Banjoman · May 5, 2024

Trigger said:
Found it.. looks good.

It’s easy to make, light to carry and easy to use. From what I’ve been told and read, tow from flax is historically correct, if that matters.

Larry (Omaha) · May 5, 2024

ADK Bigfoot said:
Shot ten rounds of bare ball out of my fowler after turkey hunting yesterday. Filth, stink, mess, crud ring, goobers and yuck. I loved it!!!

ADK Bigfoot

Thanks, needed a laugh!! Especially that you had the yuck.

Larry

Trigger · May 5, 2024

Good to know... more to try.

I kinda lean away from the patch and think I could use that. raw wool and stuff.

and the fire insulation might even be ok.. .. I've already fired a shot of it with birds shot. Just as a cushion with cards.. it was OK.

I don't know.. what it takes to start a fire with these.. it's maybe part myth.

stank · May 6, 2024

I use a tornado brush to clean my smoothbores. Works great on fouling.

My new smoothbore was a slobbered up mess after it's first day at the range!

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