Cleaning between shots

[grimmpaul1]

I am new to the BP world so here goes. I went to shoot my TC .50 val Hawkens for the second time.The first time I used pyrodex this time Schuetzen 2f. After three to five shots I ran a wad thru it and it got stuck so bad I had to end the day because I didn't have wad puller. Yesterday I changed to BP and the same thing happened. What am I doing wrong or should I clean after every shot ? .490 ball with .005 patch and 70 grs of BP.

 

[david w]

I am new to the BP world so here goes. I went to shoot my TC .50 val Hawkens for the second time.The first time I used pyrodex this time Schuetzen 2f. After three to five shots I ran a wad thru it and it got stuck so bad I had to end the day because I didn't have wad puller. Yesterday I changed to BP and the same thing happened. What am I doing wrong or should I clean after every shot ? .490 ball with .005 patch and 70 grs of BP.

What are you using for lube? .005 is very thin for patches. I think I would try .010.

 

[smokepolehall]

I use an alcohol wet patch after each shot. I also run a dry patch after the wet one. .005 is too thin, its letting the powder a charge foul the barrel too bad

 

[tenngun]

Humidity affects fouling.
What are you using to lube your patches?
After cleaning your gun run a tight patch on your jag. Push real slow
Is there a tight spot? You might have a rough area.
I do swab between shoots routinely

 

[TDM]

As said, a .005 patch is too thin. With a .490 ball in your TC you can use .010, .015, and .020 patches. I prefer tight patches. Go with a thicker patch and use some Track of the Wolfs mink oil for lube or something equivalent. And use enough lube to saturate the patch.

 

[oldwood]

Get a Compression micrometer (not the mic. with the duck bill blades.) to see what the real thickness of your patching is. FYI......A precut patch from a plastic bag retailer ...Package labeled .015 thick , mic.s at .012 to.013. .. This thickness works for most .50 cal. bores using .490 ball. My experience is with custom rifle barrels ,Colerain , Rice , Getz , etc.. Not familiar w/ modern factory m/l ing bores.
I use one of the grease lubes. The trick is to , remove as much grease from each patch as possible . I lube with minimal grease , by greasing my patches , before going shooting , thus eliminating one chore at the range. Another thing , FFFg black powder , burns a little cleaner than FFg. To eliminate powder ash rings in your bore , wipe as often as needed. Commercial bore cleaners work , but so do the home brew bore cleaners . Keep the bore free of ash , and you will do well. .......oldwood

 

[david w]

Get a Compression micrometer (not the mic. with the duck bill blades.) to see what the real thickness of your patching is. FYI......A precut patch from a plastic bag retailer ...Package labeled .015 thick , mic.s at .012 to.013. .. This thickness works for most .50 cal. bores using .490 ball. My experience is with custom rifle barrels ,Colerain , Rice , Getz , etc.. Not familiar w/ modern factory m/l ing bores.

T/C barrels had shallow rifling. Custom barrels have deeper rifling. The purpose of the patch is to make a good seal so the gasses from the powder doesn't slip by. This not only causes poor accuracy, but the "blow by" will cause heavier fouling. The OP should try, if he can that is, find one of his .005 patches. The patch shouldn't be blown to smithereens!

 

[kyron4]

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 !

 

[david w]

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 !

Good question. Was the T/C purchased used, and is the bore in good shape? Still, the .005" thin, NOT thick patch, needs to be addressed.

 

[grimmpaul1]

Sorry my mistake, I meant to say a .495 ball with a .005 patch. Bore looks nice with a bore light

 

[grimmpaul1]

Also using bore butter after cleaning

 

[david w]

Sorry my mistake, I meant to say a .495 ball with a .005 patch. Bore looks nice with a bore light

I beg your pardon, but a .005 patch is simply too thin. Even with a .495 ball, you should use no thinner than a .010 patch. When I owned a T/c Hawken, I used a .490 ball and a .015 patch. What is as important is to properly lube your patch. What ate you using for lube?

 

[FishDFly]

Also using bore butter after cleaning

Dump the Bore Butter.

 

[oldwood]

Using any bore butter/animal fat , etc to "season and protect"
, against rust , is bad.

 

[lou puleff]

I am new to the BP world so here goes. I went to shoot my TC .50 val Hawkens for the second time.The first time I used pyrodex this time Schuetzen 2f. After three to five shots I ran a wad thru it and it got stuck so bad I had to end the day because I didn't have wad puller. Yesterday I changed to BP and the same thing happened. What am I doing wrong or should I clean after every shot ? .490 ball with .005 patch and 70 grs of BP.

I once shot a match without cleaning between shots but I use a special "moose juice" on my patches so in essence it's cleaning every time I load that's shooting 60 grains of Swiss 2f powder

 

[Thingamajiggy]

I know it's overkill but for me, I shoot 2 then wet/dry patch and repeat. At range, it's not a big deal to do and I like knowing my shots are going to be reflective of what I should expect when hunting. Woods walks and shoots like that, I tend to shoot 5 or so till starts getting tight, then will wet/dry patch. Lots of ways that work, this is just mine.

 

[Sprglde]

Shutzen burns very dirty compared to goex. I have to run a spit patch after 2, or 3 shots max when using schutzen and can easily go a dozen shots with goex before using a cleaning patch.

 

[TexiKan]

My early years encountered the same issues. Back then, the tight patch combination was the thing. Well, it became a loading issue and one never knew when the ramrod would get stuck. One thing you will find, and I am already seeing it, is that there are many variations on what will work. I ditched the .495 for a .490 and a proper fitting patch. Used several lubes and found one that worked well and didn't cause me to doubt if the rod would not come out. Oh yes, I also changed to a steel range rod. Found the right combination FOR MY GUN and it seems to work.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Load. Shoot. One damp patch, followed by one dry patch. Load. Shoot. All day. Same bore condition, better accuracy. No stuck balls or patches.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[Dale Allen Raby]

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.