Anyone else's gun like a very tight load ?

[Relic shooter]

By sticking with the patch lube described above in competition with my custom guns & originals grouping & ease of loading
remained the same without wiping between shots.
Just an option to try in case a fellow shooter is having issues.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Back when the world was young and I started out in muzzleloading, I was told that in a good barrel a tight patch/ball combination with the powder charge that barrel “liked” gave the best accuracy. I found that to be true then. Still is, unless I missed something. Works for me anyway.

 

[Taevers]

Tenngun I think your correct, a liquid based patch lube worked best for me when I was traveling & competing with muzzleloaders in different climates.
Several year back I also relocated from New Mexico & did a 3 year stint in hills of Arkansas shooting at Berryville & local shoots & experienced no changes in my shooting & loading
Depending on the gun I'm shooting I typically shoot 3-5 matches before running a damp patch down the bore.

I'm now 82 & my favorite patch lube since my 20s was given to me by an old timer at Friendship & continues as my favorite even though I operated muzzleloading retail stores through many years & tried numerous other patch lube options.

If interested in trying, the formula consists of an equal one-third mixture of rubbing alcohol, Murphy's oil soap & hydrogen peroxide.
I pack a small plastic flip-top bottle in my shooting bag & also works well as hand cleaner & to wipe down the frizzen, lock & hands at the range after shooting numerous matches.

That’s my cleaning solution as well. It’s a goody. I carry mine in an old mustard container with a flip lid. I use it for revolvers especially as it really shines at getting the fouling out of tight places. Locks too. I must confess that I still use good old soap and water for barrels nearly all the time.

For me, button rifled barrels with the shallow grooves seem to work best for an easy loading combo. Deeper cut rifling needs more patch to seal the PRB.

Something I’ve done to keep continuous shots loading easily and accurately is to charge your barrel first. Place your patch managed as you know is best for your barrel, then your ball. Short start. Now place a damp patch ( or greasy) over your jag that you seat your load with. It will keep your barrel consistent from shot to shot and turn the fouling into lube instead of baked soot. And your powder chamber will be dry to fire and not damp.

I like a gun that is soft shooting, easy loading, and accurate. I do realize sometimes guns just shoot their best with tight loads but this helps me shoot a long string of shoots with the least amount of fighting the load.

 

[Maven]

I have a .54cal. Isaac Haines (Chambers kit) with a R. Rice bbl. that seems to like a tighter ball - patch combination. However, I don't! I needed a plastic mallet + an longer short starter to get a .532" (as cast, RCBS .530" RB mould, pure lead) + .017" cotton duck (?) patch started and a steel ramrod to seat it. No issues with swabbing between shots as I used 1 Ballistol : 6 water as a patch lube. I refer you to post #25 in the Members Only Shooting Contest, August 2024 to see the result @ 25 yd. As pleased as I was with that result, it would never do on a woods walk or load from a bag shoot.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

it would never do on a woods walk or load from a bag shoot.

You bring up a good point, what to do on a woods walk or a stand and shoot from a bag type match. I've always used a looser ball/patch combination and spit for lube. A couple of years ago I went to a coned muzzle using Joe Wood's tool and it changed my life, for the better. I seem to hang in there with the rest of the bunch and loading is a whole lot easier than beating on both a short starter and a ramrod. Less frustration and a lot more fun.

 

[waksupi]

I use a .480 ball in mine, and pillow ticking patch..

 

[Patched]

I have 54 cal slow twist barrels (1:70-1:75) —these twists enable me to use more powder behind the ball without stripping the rifling.
In developing a tight fitting load, a larger ball, .535 over .530 size ball gives better accuracy…seems thickening the patch material to tighten an undersized ball does not work as well as the larger ball with the optimal patch material (felt over powder wads always).
Hard loading barrels are more about roughness of the machined surface holding more fouling than other factors…. I firmly believe in using range rods with the sliding muzzle protectors…
lots of shooting, loading and wiping is a tremendous amount of rubbing on lands near the critical muzzle….

 

[longcruise]

I find it strange as particular as I am that I never thought of climate being the cause of having to wipe after each shot

I think by "climate" he's referring to humidity. Here in Colorado we shoot in humidity ranging from 10% to 95%. The low humidity days are a whole different situation from the high ones. Low humidity can give you very hard fouling very quickly. Especially when it's hot and your barrel is running hot.

 

[Ditt44]

I have a PA Hunter carbine that seems to be silly accurate with 70 grains of Swiss 3F and a .018 pillow ticking patch. I know this is about to be blasphemous but it has a QLA, and loads with steady pressure and you cannot argue with the accuracy. If I can hit a 4" steel plate every time at 50 yards with that, then it's a keeper. Gotta try it at 100 yards but have little doubt in it's capability, more so limited by how well I see that day.