Cleaning between shots

[azmntman]

Is the bore pitted ? That could cause fouling to build up.

I would think a .490" ball and .005" patch would almost fall down the bore, as david said blow by might be your problem with fouling.

Using Hoppe's Black Powder solvent as patch lube should keep you from having to swab between shots. I prefer TOW Mink Oil for hunting and target work though.

Oh and welcome to the forum !

+1 on Hoppes for range and TOW mink il in field! Was gonna say the same thing. If using the .05 patch, use a prelubed wad over powder and maybe try a .495 ball?

 

[BadDaditood]

Wow thanks, Winfield is only 40 miles away and a fun town to visit.
The problem is look what they presently have in stock and not.
Link: Black Powder and Substitutes Archives

Bummer… hopefully Goex will be hitting the shelves by May

 

[Bad Karma]

I have read reports from legitimate sources Pyrodex, unless very carefully cleaned, will micro etch some barrel steels. Not ruining the barrel but making a sligyt roughness to catch fouling.
I hate to say this but I date back to corrosive chlorate primers and caps which required careful cleaning with hot water and elbow grease to protect the bore.
God help you if the Top Sergeant found rust in your unmentionable M1 bore cause old Top would not forgive or forget.
Stay safe
Bunk

All I can say is thank God they didn’t have Teslong Borescopes!!!

 

[Pierre009]

OK, a few suggestions, but your mileage may vary:

• Stop using Pyrodex immediately and either use actual black powder or 777. I like Old Eynsford... currently unavailable.
• Try using 3f granulation powder, you will probably find that it doesn't foul as much.
• Reduce your charge weight to 50 grains. Less powder = less fouling
• Ignore the people who tell you not to use Bore Butter and stay away from petroleum-based lubes. This one will start a war.
• Go to a .490 round ball and use .010 - .015 patches. You should not need a hammer in the possibles bag.
• There should be no reason to clean between shots at the range. I typically shoot ten to twenty shots and THEN clean the gun.
• Ignore any advice that doesn't seem to work for you. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
• Use hot soapy water to clean your gun. I like a few drops of Murphy's Oil Soap. Some folks even use it for patch lube.
• When you go to the range, always bring a range rod, a worm, a ball & bullet puller, some bore solvent, cotton cleaning patches and absolutely anything else you think you might need. If you are driving a Lotus 7, have a good cry and then trade it for a pickup truck.

Grreat advice...never thought of Murphy's always used Dawn... I never had problems using Pyrodex...hunting load with Pyrodex in my 50 is 100 grains w/patched ball. I guess I hold my mouth correctly...

 

[Johnny Tremain]

JT, so you use #13 as a patch lube or seat the ball with a patch on top of the ball and shoot it out?

I have a plastic patch container that I have patches soaked in No.13. I remove them from that storage container and squeeze them out and put them in a brass snuff box that I use as a patch holder.
Then I pour the powder, wrap the ball in the patch and stuff it down the bore.
Never needed a short starter either, then thumb down into the muzzle then I ram it home.

 

[Pierre009]

Interesting...never used mink oil but was going to try kiwi mink oil until I read this...thanks to the kyron4 #8 above for mentioning TOW mink oil....

Not a liquid, Mink Oil Tallow is actually a soft grease, the tallow rendered from mink fat. Also used as a leather balm, do not confuse our pure Mink Oil tallow with the synthetic blends sometimes sold at shoe stores as Mink Oil Brand leather waterproofing. They are entirely different!

Certain animal fats have far better lubricity than vegetable oils, petroleum, or synthetic lubricants. Best of all, they stay soft and useful in sub-zero temperatures. Many of the modern miracle-wonder lubes freeze solid at low temperatures, and become impossible to load.

Old time shooters prepared their own patch lubricants and bullet lubricants. Sperm Whale Oil was a favorite (now illegal). Bear Oil (rendered bear tallow) was another good choice (now restricted). Beef tallow works okay, in warm weather. Mink Oil is our best choice.

Trapper's Mink Oil is excellent quality, pure and clean with no aroma, and very slippery.

Black powder cartridge shooters may prefer to harden it with beeswax, but it works well as-is. Long range shooters report cleaner bores after several shots.

Yes, this paste can be used to soften, clean, and waterproof leather, but the cheap stuff works okay on leather. Use our best Mink Oil for lubricating patches, and for lubricating long range black powder rifle bullets.

Each tin of Mink Oil contains 8 fluid ounces. Each tin is 4" diameter, about 1-1/4" thick. Click ADD TO CART, and try it.

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

Yes, but very substantial 'Hazmat' and other shipping charges for small lb. quantities. I don't unfortunately need 5+ or more pounds.
But thanks very much, unless I can find a local dealer with some BP I'll need to stay with a substitute. Forgive me!
Mk

Try to find others with the same addictive habit you have. Often there are local black powder shooting organizations. Order ten pounds between five people and split the hazmat charge five ways. Be careful who you share with. You don't want any sketchy people who want to make fireworks or blow up a safe having powder that could be traced back to you.

 

[ETipp]

Interesting...never used mink oil but was going to try kiwi mink oil until I read this...thanks to the kyron4 #8 above for mentioning TOW mink oil....

Not a liquid, Mink Oil Tallow is actually a soft grease, the tallow rendered from mink fat. Also used as a leather balm, do not confuse our pure Mink Oil tallow with the synthetic blends sometimes sold at shoe stores as Mink Oil Brand leather waterproofing. They are entirely different!

Certain animal fats have far better lubricity than vegetable oils, petroleum, or synthetic lubricants. Best of all, they stay soft and useful in sub-zero temperatures. Many of the modern miracle-wonder lubes freeze solid at low temperatures, and become impossible to load.

Old time shooters prepared their own patch lubricants and bullet lubricants. Sperm Whale Oil was a favorite (now illegal). Bear Oil (rendered bear tallow) was another good choice (now restricted). Beef tallow works okay, in warm weather. Mink Oil is our best choice.

Trapper's Mink Oil is excellent quality, pure and clean with no aroma, and very slippery.

Black powder cartridge shooters may prefer to harden it with beeswax, but it works well as-is. Long range shooters report cleaner bores after several shots.

Yes, this paste can be used to soften, clean, and waterproof leather, but the cheap stuff works okay on leather. Use our best Mink Oil for lubricating patches, and for lubricating long range black powder rifle bullets.

Each tin of Mink Oil contains 8 fluid ounces. Each tin is 4" diameter, about 1-1/4" thick. Click ADD TO CART, and try it.

That's on my next order.

 

[ETipp]

I have a plastic patch container that I have patches soaked in No.13. I remove them from that storage container and squeeze them out and put them in a brass snuff box that I use as a patch holder.
Then I pour the powder, wrap the ball in the patch and stuff it down the bore.
Never needed a short starter either, then thumb down into the muzzle then I ram it home.

Sounds like a plan. I'll give that a try.

Thanks, JT.

 

[Bunk]

Try to find others with the same addictive habit you have. Often there are local black powder shooting organizations. Order ten pounds between five people and split the hazmat charge five ways. Be careful who you share with. You don't want any sketchy people who want to make fireworks or blow up a safe having powder that could be traced back to you.

a decent sub is American Pioneer Powder in any of it's lables. Volume for volume in cap guns or unmentionables. LITTLE HADRDRER

 

[david w]

a decent sub is American Pioneer Powder in any of it's lables. Volume for volume in cap guns or unmentionables. LITTLE HADRDRER

Little harderer? Is that anything like "more gooder"?!

 

[Bunk]

A decent sub is American Pioneer Powder in any of it's labels. Used volume for volume in cap guns or unmentionables. A little harder to ignite than Black Rifle Powder so useage would be doubtful in flintlocks. Found out after being tried in a Sharps paper cartridge that required priming the nipple to get good ignition. No more or less corrosive than Black Gunpowder

Fouling is pretty much concurrent not cumulative that is essentially you are almost only one shot dirty.
It does NOT respond favorably to compression. When used in my revolver the ball just touches the powder . Heavy compression results in breech pressure variations with resulting inaccuracy.
Good stuff
Bunk

 

[Bunk]

Little harderer? Is that anything like "more gooder"?!

NO I HIT THE WRONG BUTTON ON THE !@#$%%^ COMPUTER
family friendly expletives omitted see next post

 

[buckleymarka56]

I have been messing around with bp since the 70s.
Didn't shoot for many years due to my brain telling me that the 45 cva Kentucky long rifle, dad and I built in the 70s, was probably not safe to shoot.

When I joined my Rendezvou group, we have a monthly shoot, last Saturday of each month.
I took it. I was afraid to shoot it, so I tied a string around the trigger.
One if the guys says, Hey mark, what's the string for, than said, this rifle is fine. Pick it up, aimed at the target and boom.
I trust it again and shoot it a lot.
But me really likes my kibler colonial.
Want to build a Kibler SMR.
It's a little shorter lol.
I have Always used dawn and hot water to clean any BP guns.
Just swab them out until dry , oil down the barrel, oil a patch. Presto .
I'm experimenting with Real bore butter, will look at the patches next time at the range

 

[PathfinderNC]

I did a woods walk in April with my club. About twenty of us attended ( a great day!) Eighteen targets in all.
I split a ball on an axe head at about 20 yards, busting both Clay birds.
Hit the dinner triangle at the same distance.
I missed a couple dum shots, but tied for First Honors.
I used spit patch.
And I didn’t clean or wipe between shots. Ever.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Haven't read the other replies. But, here is mine. Suggest you do a forum search for 'cleaning' or 'swabbing'. This is one of the most discussed subjects here. Since you asked: my practice is to always swab between shots. I believe if you don't you are shooting with a different barrel configuration every time. As for the problem you describe, there are a couple factors that could be to blame. First, use a damp patch to swab. Not wet and not dry. I dampen with my tongue, has worked fine for me for 50+ years and I ain't run out of spit yet. Also, you jag may be too large. When swabbing, the rod and patch should slide down easily. The on withdrawal the patch should bunch up behind the jag to grasp the rifling and pull crud out with it. ML'ing has a learning curve, stick with it. Good luck.

 

[SgtMaj65]

Been BP shooting a long time and since I only range shoot now, this may differ for you. I swab twice between shots — one wet patch, one dry — because I want consistency shot to shot, as much as possible. I use my own mixture of one part castor oil, one part Murphy’s Oil Soap and six parts 71% rubbing alcohol. After the wet patch I run a dry patch, load and go. After breaking 2 wooden ramrods and damaging my thumb and palm, I only use a heavy brass range rod. It works for me, after MUCH experimentation. But, as others have offered, every rifle, every weather situation, every person is different. Find what works for you and you’ll be way happier.

 

[hanshi]

I started BP shooting in the mid 1960s. For a long time I used spit patch which allowed me to shoot time after time with accuracy and without any swabbing. Time goes on and I finally found Hoppes BP Lube, worth a celebration IMO. I could shoot until I was worn out and with no bore swabbing. I still use Hoppes as it doesn't require one to swab the bore. Shooting 25 or 35 shots was easy and the accuracy was beyond reproach.

I don't know anything about the bore of your rifle and they do vary from maker to maker. One thing I discovered was that patches, if burned or torn, are torn at the muzzle and not in the rifling 95% of the time. The fix for that is simple. Using thumb and sandpaper I polished the barrel crowns down to maybe 1/8" into the bore. This allowed me to use thicker and thicker patches. The Thinnest material I use is mattress ticking which runs about .017" to maybe .018" compressed. But I seldom use it nowadays, heavy canvas being my usual patches. Rifling grooves of my various barrels run from .010" or .012" for square cut grooves to about .016" for the radius grooves.

The canvas I use runs around .024" compressed. In my .45 I will load either .440" to .445" ball which gives a prb .49" (.440 + .024 +.024 = .490") or (.445 + .024 + .024 = .50"). I usually shoot snug loads that can still be safely seated with the wood underbarrel rod. This is just MY rifle and yours could be vastly different. If it has very shallow rifling many shooters recommend a thicker patch and smaller ball. Hoppes is the best lube I've ever used although spit, WW fluid or plain water is very close. I'm unable to deer hunt as I once did to excess. Now it's range shooting mostly using Hoppes but I do sometimes lube with TOTW mink oil which was my preferred hunting lube and the prb is about as seatable as with Hoppes.

I can't really say what you need to do as I have no idea about your rifle. This is just what I do in MY rifles. Whatever cure you come upon in your own rifle, if it works for you don't let anyone talk you out of it.

 

[Bunk]

Been BP shooting a long time and since I only range shoot now, this may differ for you. I swab twice between shots — one wet patch, one dry — because I want consistency shot to shot, as much as possible. I use my own mixture of one part castor oil, one part Murphy’s Oil Soap and six parts 71% rubbing alcohol. After the wet patch I run a dry patch, load and go. After breaking 2 wooden ramrods and damaging my thumb and palm, I only use a heavy brass range rod. It works for me, after MUCH experimentation. But, as others have offered, every rifle, every weather situation, every person is different. Find what works for you and you’ll be way happier.

since my carbines which are a Smith and a Sharps are open at both ends, a wet bore snake breech to muzzle every 8 or 10 shots is sufficient.
Therefore i can't add any brilliant or otherwise ideas here.
Just want everybody i am still, alive and kickin' playing with unmentionables for a while.
Bunk