Different Steel in ML Barrels

[cannonball1]

I have and have had several different ML barrels from different companies. This one manufacturer's barrels leave a black residue on the oiled bore cloth. It doesn't matter how long you clean it and those barrels shoot really straight.
Any suggestions on what may be happening?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Must be carbon steel!

 

[cannonball1]

Don't some barrel makers get the blanks with a small amount of lead in them for smoother rifling? Or not? Somewhere I heard that. That might leave a trace of black on the oiled patches. Any knowledgeable ML'ers out there.

 

[NorthFork]

Don't some barrel makers get the blanks with a small amount of lead in them for smoother rifling? Or not? Somewhere I heard that. That might leave a trace of black on the oiled patches. Any knowledgeable ML'ers out there.

That would be 12L14 steel and it's still being used by Rice, Colerain, and Oregon barrels.

 

[Phil Coffins]

Yes some barrels are made with leaded steel alloy. This is for machining quality’s. 12L14 is one that’s be used. This doesn’t affect the patches in the manner you ask about.
I see North Fork responded before me.

 

[cannonball1]

It was a Oregon barrel that leaves the faint trace black marks on a oiled bore cloth. The gun shoots straight. I also just cleaned a gun with a Rice Barrel that I just completed - - The oiled patches come out clean. I just don't know.

 

[necchi]

Interesting, I'm sure with your experience your cleaning regime is fine, so it's no fault of your own that you find this.
I'm pondering if a well used brass jag with a tight patch might not be imparting some contamination??
I know I have favored jags I like to use because of the good fit they have while I clean,,
Just throwing out ideas,,
I wonder if a plastic or fiber type jag would change any apparent fouling,?

 

[cannonball1]

I have three 45 caliber barrels . Two are Oregon Barrels, one is a Green Mountain Barrel. The Rice barrel is a 54 caliber. I have a lot of other muzzleloaders and no problems with any of them. There is only the one Oregon Barrel that leaves a trace. Obviously it is an oddity. The same jag was used for all three of the 45's. Two of the twists are 1 in 18, the other 1 in 24. The difference is certainly apparent, but it appears that I will never find out why. Could it be that the steel of the one gun is softer than the others? Is it even possible? Shoots straight, guess that is enough. Apparently none of you have ever experienced this issue.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have several rifles and smooth bores that will present me with a black patch when I wipe the bore after storage. All are cleaned the same way and stored muzzle down.

 

[hanshi]

I've had that happen on occasion with some barrels and it remains a mystery to me. Doesn't seem to cause problems, however.

 

[cannonball1]

Just got back from running a patch down the three barrels again. All three came back clean so I added machine oil and two of them were still clean, but the barrel in question showed black again as you can see from the attached photo. I have been shooting paper patches all of the time. The yellow on the patch is just shadows from indirect lighting, but you can see the black.

 

[Sam squanch]

If there is no rust I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[Rich Wormington]

I have had some barrels do that too, but no rust. I don't think you need to worry about it.

 

[smoothshooter]

Yes some barrels are made with leaded steel alloy. This is for machining quality’s. 12L14 is one that’s be used. This doesn’t affect the patches in the manner you ask about.
I see North Fork responded before me.

Are the leaded barrels as strong as the others?
Do the threads in vent liners hold up as well in leaded steel as in non-leaded steel?
Less margin for error with breech plug and vent liner threads when they are being tapped?

 

[Phil Coffins]

Yes, any manufacturer of barrels uses an alloy that has a wide margin of strength for the intended use.

 

[Grenadier1758]

The leaded barrels (12L14) are not considered to be suitable for smokeless powder unmentionable gun loads. In an octagon barrel with reasonable wall thickness for round ball muzzle loading rifles using black powder, the leaded barrels are strong enough for our intended use.

 

[NorthFork]

12L14 steel being used for black powder firearm barrels is a long standing controversy. Both sides can present well thought out fact based arguments for their respective positions. I will not poke THAT hornet's nest tonight. That said I own barrels made of 12L14 steel and I shoot them often. I've got a better chance of being hit by a drunk/texting driver on the way to range or hunt than rupturing the barrel made from an inferior (for this purpose) steel. So I don't worry about it.

 

[cannonball1]

No worry, just out of curiosity as to how many of you see that in any of your guns, and if any had information of what was going on.