Could my Smoothbore be "Leaded up"?

[Leatherbark]

My 20gauge Carolina smoothbore flintlock has been shooting pretty darn good until this last shooting session...........I could find no consistancy at any range.
I've been shooting 3 shot groups around 3-4 inches in qroup size at 50 yards........This past Sunday I could hardly hit the target.One shot would land OK and the other would land a foot away. The third might not even hit the target.....My load consists of:
70gr of 3fg Goex
Nitro wad
Crisco lubed Cushion wad
.610 Bufflo swaged round ball
.025 wad
This load chronographs at 1250fps from the 42 inch barrel.........When I got home Sunday I scrubbed the bore with a brush and Kroil and swabbed with "JB bore paste"..............Patches kept coming out black,leading me to think Leading was my problem.........I've probably shoot this load around 75 times since buying it,only cleaning it with ballistol or Le high and a jag.............The bore looks like a mirror now......So I will repost to let you know it it has settled back down............Any input appreciated..............Bob

 

[roundball]

My 20gauge Carolina smoothbore flintlock has been shooting pretty darn good until this last shooting session...........I could find no consistancy at any range.
I've been shooting 3 shot groups around 3-4 inches in qroup size at 50 yards........This past Sunday I could hardly hit the target.One shot would land OK and the other would land a foot away. The third might not even hit the target.....My load consists of:
70gr of 3fg Goex
Nitro wad
Crisco lubed Cushion wad
.610 Bufflo swaged round ball
.025 wad
This load chronographs at 1250fps from the 42 inch barrel.........When I got home Sunday I scrubbed the bore with a brush and Kroil and swabbed with "JB bore paste"..............Patches kept coming out black,leading me to think Leading was my problem.........I've probably shoot this load around 75 times since buying it,only cleaning it with ballistol or Le high and a jag.............The bore looks like a mirror now......So I will repost to let you know it it has settled back down............Any input appreciated..............Bob

I'm sure you know that a skinny little .005" patch would eliminate the leading concerns...you're already using a wad so the paper thin patch would survive the firestorm and prevent the leading
:m2c:

 

[Mike Brooks]

Yep, yer leaded up. I used to have that problem with my old 28ga after shooting a bunch of shot out of it. You gotta get the lead out of it now. I've used 0000 steel wool lubed with shooters choice on a jag or there's a yellow material you can get from a gun shop that's called "lead out" or something that helps too. You just use it on your jag like a patch.

 

[Leatherbark]

Since Ive got her cleaned up agin......I'll go to .600 balls and a patch ,instead of bare balls............That should cure it.............Bob

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Likely unrelated, but. I once made up an aluminum cleaning rod for my fusil, when using it, cleaning patches came out black no matter what I did, until I stopped using said rod.

 

[mike alexandre]

Shouldnt be lead if youve been using a patch. If you clean a bore and lead is on the cleaning material it will be a different colour from the black of powder fouling. Usualy more solid and maybe even flakes of it. It may be that youve had a build up of fouling just around the area where the ball seats, just the place where a bore light wont show it.

 

[Leatherbark]

Been loading a Bare pure lead ball .610 no patch. This is why I figured it had leaded the bore at 1250fps......The soft lead ball skipping off of the sides of the bore or maybe swaging to bore size upon firing and smearing the bore with lead streaks........Any way I'll find out how she shoots this weekend.....I'll go back to a patched ball I guess...............Bob

 

[musketman]

Been loading a Bare pure lead ball .610 no patch. This is why I figured it had leaded the bore at 1250fps......The soft lead ball skipping off of the sides of the bore or maybe swaging to bore size upon firing and smearing the bore with lead streaks........Any way I'll find out how she shoots this weekend.....I'll go back to a patched ball I guess...............Bob

You know, you could try dipping the roundballs in candle wax (paraffin) a few times to build up the layers, then load them between the card wads like before...

The wax will help prevent leading and lube the barrel some too...

Just dip them in molten wax and stand them on their flats (spure cutter mark) to dry...

And the best part about this is when your wife ask you "What in the heck are you doing in the kitchen?", you can tell her you are waxing your b, er, projectiles... :crackup:

 

[Leatherbark]

I thought about that since she likes to make candles on the stove........Or maybe lube them with Lee tumble lube................Bob

 

[Jon in MI]

I know it's not PC but I just had a thought, I moly-coat my jacketed bullets, could you moly-coat pure lead? I would think it would be easier to embed it but would it help. I think I might try it to see. :hmm:

Jon

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Jon,
Have read of others that are moly coating their cast (lead alloy) bullets for use in gas operated semi-autos. Don't know if it would be a problem with the softer pure lead.
Best Wishes