A rifle that needs swabbed after every shot on a woodswalk??

[TonyC]

If you haven't try lubing patched with a bore cleaner. It literally cleans as you load and shoot. I have shot 25 shot match using a 32 cal with 42" barrel and never punched the barrel one time.

What bore cleaner do you use?

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

The Track of the Wolf Black Powder Bore Cleaner. https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/132/1/bore-clean

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

What bore cleaner do you use?

The Track of the Wolf Black Powder Bore Cleaner. https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/132/1/bore-clean

 

[TonyC]

The Track of the Wolf Black Powder Bore Cleaner. https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/132/1/bore-clean

Thanks. I might give it a try. I use moose milk in my SMR 40 cal. I seem to get a lot of fouling and need to swab quite often. I don’t have this problem on my 50 Woodsrunner. In fact, last week I was shooting the SMR and I ran a cleaning patch thru and the ramrod and patch got stuck. Had a heck of time removing it!

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Have you participated in woods walks?

Have you participated in timed woods walks?

Not being confrontational, just curious.

I also wipe between every shot. I do participate in primitive matches and if it is a simple woods walk and I will wipe between every shot that is just my loading routine, do everything the same way every time. I tend not to shoot in timed woods walks where your score is dependent on the time. My reason for that is I have seen too many shooters with balls struck half way down the barrel or that have shot their ramrod I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

Thanks. I might give it a try. I use moose milk in my SMR 40 cal. I seem to get a lot of fouling and need to swab quite often. I don’t have this problem on my 50 Woodsrunner. In fact, last week I was shooting the SMR and I ran a cleaning patch thru and the ramrod and patch got stuck. Had a heck of time removing it!

Yup this way you "swabbing" every shot. My 45 I have shot over 40 shots without punching the barrel.

 

[flatcreek]

I seldom if ever swab between shots. If the ball get harder to load I just use a little more juice on the patch for the next load. Would much rather have the fowling on top of the powder to get blown out. Then in the breach to gum thing up and plug the vent. Mr flintlock works well for this, but I'm sure many lubes will work fine.

 

[Mike in FL]

Have you participated in woods walks?

Have you participated in timed woods walks?

Not being confrontational, just curious.

No sir. I've never shot muzzleloaders in any kind of competition. They were at first (in the 70s) just a way to get extra hunting time. But by 50 years ago I was deeply immersed but not competively. I had a neighbor who was a fulltime builder and he helped alongn and in fact built my first two longrifles. That's a lot more than you asked though. Re. woodswalks, I'm sure that would be great fun, but I suppose that wiping issue I have would count me out.

 

[Mike in FL]

What bore cleaner do you use?

I'm gonna try it.

 

[Kev308]

The haversack hanging on my left hip has two plastic bags in it. One has clean patches the other for dirty patches. Simple. And it keeps the litter off the range

 

[ZUG]

What to do with all the patches??

So my new .45 rifle needs swabbed after every shot to remove a nasty crud ring or seating pressure varies and fliers occur. Swab after every shot and it is accurate. Powder does not matter. Shuetzen fffg, Goex fffg, or Pyrodex P. Powder amount does not matter. 30grs to 80grs. Lube does not matter. Spit, TOTW mink tallow, Wonderlube, 1970's formula FFG lube, Crisco, etc. A crud ring developes after every shot making seating the next patched ball very hard. I get a max of 3 shots then wild fliers develope. If I use a spit patch cut at muzzle and if I swab with spit after every shot, no fliers. Great accuracy, both off a rest and offhand. I've found that 1 spit soaked patch then 1 dry patch run up and down and flipped and run up and down again work well. This is duplicatable every time vs shooting more than 3 times with no swabbing with any powder, any lube.

This is strictly a target rifle to be used at the longrifle club I belong to, and to attend woodwalks at other clubs. I shoot this rifle VERY well offhand and will be competitive next year compared to what I'm shooting now. My current woodswalk rifle is gaining weight and getting bit heavy to hold steady after 15 or so shots. Soooooo......what to do with 40 cleaning patches, give or take???? 18 to 25 targets, let's round to 20, that's 40 dirty patches to do something with. If it was a matter of cleaning with 3-4 patches halfway in the round, I'd say throw 'em on the ground. Everyone else does for that matter. But not everyone swabs EVERY shot. They will rot in. But I'm not throwing on average 40 patches on the ground! This is not ecologically driven. Cotton patches will rot away. This is a litter problem. I've never been to a woodswalk that has a trash can at every target. What would you do? I'm sure there is an easy solution.

My brother would put his used swabbing patches into a plastic bag and after he got home he would wash them and use them over.

 

[Gvilleddie]

I’ve been using Mink oil for lube and consistently developed a crude ring after 3-4 shots. Changed to diluted Dawn and now everything is smooth as silk with good accuracy.

 

[bpd303]

I'm gonna try it.

Before you buy the TOW solvent, might try this it works just as well for me. Never had it hurt the wood finish when cleaning the flint, pan or nipple on either flint lock or cap lock. also haven't had it contaminate the powder charge.

Black Powder Solvent/Cleaner​

1part Murphy’s Oil Soap
2parts rubbing alcohol
2parts peroxide

 

[Siringo]

If you haven't try lubing patched with a bore cleaner. It literally cleans as you load and shoot. I have shot 25 shot match using a 32 cal with 42" barrel and never punched the barrel one time.

With all that wet slop on the powder charge, what does it do to the accuracy? I would think a small portion of the main charge is contaminated. I have often wondered using this method but first inserting a lubed backer patch and then the wet patch.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

With all that wet slop on the powder charge, what does it do to the accuracy? I would think a small portion of the main charge is contaminated. I have often wondered using this method but first inserting a lubed backer patch and then the wet patch

 

[Siringo]

I seldom if ever swab between shots. If the ball get harder to load I just use a little more juice on the patch for the next load. Would much rather have the fowling on top of the powder to get blown out. Then in the breach to gum thing up and plug the vent. Mr flintlock works well for this, but I'm sure many lubes will work fine.

I tried loading and seating the ball, but swabbed after loading. While it worked, I ended up tearing patches while seating into the “crud ring”. The ball would push right thru the patch.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

With all that wet slop on the powder charge, what does it do to the accuracy? I would think a small portion of the main charge is contaminated. I have often wondered using this method but first inserting a lubed backer patch and then the wet patch.

Attempt #2 at this... There no loss in accuracy at all. I lube the patches with it then squeeze the stack together and push out the access liquid. Basically making it equivalent to moisture of a spit patch that cleans too. I win a bunch of matches with the combination both paper and woodswalks. Of course I work up my load using the same system and ALWAYS shoot a fouling shot off to dirty up barrel prior to a match. I store my bore lubed patches in a used percussion cap tin, it keeps them wet and stores them in easy manner.

 

[Mike in FL]

With all that wet slop on the powder charge, what does it do to the accuracy? I would think a small portion of the main charge is contaminated. I have often wondered using this method but first inserting a lubed backer patch and then the wet patch.

Or a lubed felt wad over powder?

 

[Mike in FL]

Attempt #2 at this... There no loss in accuracy at all. I lube the patches with it then squeeze the stack together and push out the access liquid. Basically making it equivalent to moisture of a spit patch that cleans too. I win a bunch of matches with the combination both paper and woodswalks. Of course I work up my load using the same system and ALWAYS shoot a fouling shot off to dirty up barrel prior to a match. I store my bore lubed patches in a used percussion cap tin, it keeps them wet and stores them in easy manner.

A fouling shot sort of addresses my statement about consistency. Everything the same each time, every time. But I admit I don't do a fouling shot.

 

[Schaefer]

Lots of good advice,
Many years ago I built a North West Gun, It was a rifled 58cal but the od on the barrel was the same as a standard 62 cal NWTG barrel. For this reason the groves were very shallow and were wide much like a civil war musket. The gun would drive tacks for the first 3 shots then it would no long hold a group. If I cleaned the gun the group came back. This info was posted just in case you have a shallow grooved barrel.