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

[Johnny Too-Tall]

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.

I learned to do a fouling shot in the army sniper course. I didn't really think there was much of an accuracy issue between a clean bore first shot and a dirty bore shot, But I was proven wrong. Now I always take that fouling shot first with all weapons, after they been cleaned. Usually it is about 1.5 inches off from typical accuracy with the ML'ers.

 

[flatcreek]

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.

I don't swab after loading. What l do is sort of use the patch on the ball to do the swabbing and wet it up a little more when it starts loading harder. Of coarse every situation and rifle is different and if it gets to hard to load you have to wipe the bore.

 

[Rob M.]

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.

Very interesting and intriguing problem ! . Just a suggestion ....you have seemed to tried everything !! Try a different patch material .Ive heard of patching with sizing still on it and of some that had some poly mixed in made rings in the barrel just in front of the charge ... mightbeven try a wad on top of powder if the patch material is not the culprit . I sure hope you figure it out bud . Best of luck !!

 

[Greg Maus]

That’s a great idea! Is there a specific lube and bore cleaner you recommend to combine on the patches.

 

[Johnny Too-Tall]

That’s a great idea! Is there a specific lube and bore cleaner you recommend to combine on the patches.

The correct answer is what your gun likes the best. I use the standard black powder bore cleaner from track of the wolf.

 

[Juice Jaws]

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.

Club I belong to no patches on the ground, it's like leaving beer cans at the lake, you had no problem bringing them in------------- then no problem taking them out

 

[waksupi]

On my range here at home, it is very unusual to find patches on the ground after a day or two of them being shot. The birds, squirrels, and other varmints love them for nest building apparently.

 

[Rudyard]

The idea of a bunch of patches lying around sounds a bit 'sloppy', I'd think. Kinda ruins the image of hunting or advancing in an old time wooded atmosphere. Maybe policing up after would be in order?

I have served as" Confusion" on Woods walks 'Widowmaker 'style the cleaning might well give better shooting. But would you be doing that in the historical wilds ?. Next to Chunk gun,shooting .Woods walks where my favourite I was once at Friendship between the big days, and this grass cutting bloke says' Why don't you use the 25 yards range ?' I said" I can throw stones at that range !" .UK ranges where 50 yards or 100 if Govt ranges. & Bisley went out too a thousand yards if Round ball was usually 100 yards or 50 for OH matches the longer ranges where 451 461 type rifles I shot my made up from a surplus Martini barrel at 900 on Stickel Down .. But used it in BC Canada (Mosley Homathka )with just enough powder & a ball to harvest Grouse ect So loaded I met a Bull Moose' Up close & personal' you might say but with little other than my grouse load & my little' axe .I recoursed to confusing hm with none sense talk . & it worked .Or you would'nt be reading this 50 years later (Well 1973 late September ) picked as no mosquitoes , less , fern and foliage's under foot, once frosts set in Ide follow the rivers to the Coastal inlets & set on at the logging camps to clean ,up fatten up & make a good quid ($) till the snow shut us down.
Rambling Rudyard
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