Hawkens green mt barrel

[oldhunter1954]

Liquid lubes are good for target shooting. Not so much for hunting.

I have Bear Grease for hunting.

 

[gabedard]

Since I’ve steel wool my barrels before the 1st outing they load easier/easier on patches/shoot more consistent from the get go

 

[user 36911]

I have Bear Grease for hunting.

Good choice. I use the same bear grease for lube. I keep it simple though. I use the same load for hunting and all practice. I use one powder and an antler powder measure. The same cast ball and patch. Nothing to mix up or even think about. Grab my stuff and go shoot or hunt. Nothing changes.

 

[M. De Land]

Good choice. I use the same bear grease for lube. I keep it simple though. I use the same load for hunting and all practice. I use one powder and an antler powder measure. The same cast ball and patch. Nothing to mix up or even think about. Grab my stuff and go shoot or hunt. Nothing changes.

Sound advice !

 

[Rudyard]

The only GM I own was a' reject' non I could discern but said to be. It shot fine but then' went off '.Slick perhaps ? I never got to peeing down it or steel wooling ect but I should. I think they are basically a fine barrel . & more a case of ' user error '. Its 54 but the stock takes 1" and the rifle has a 45 & 50 cal besides being only suited as a target rifle (Too heavy for the bush ) . Or me too weak for it & the Bush ? dosnt matter I do more bush than ranges these days so go for light and don't use elastic gun powder .I don't really want rifling just slows loading and fouls more but regulation calls for rifling so I use rifles nearer to 5 pounds as I can make them ..I was told by a noted barrel maker" Its a bad barrel that wont shoot " Meaning I believe its the shooter is the prime factor . & its sensible to run a fine steel wool to take the sharp edges off in RB rifles . The only Rice barrel I stocked up for a patron (Up market' customer' !) looked brilliant & shot fine from the giddy up & I don't have shares in them. But the lowly est CVA can shoot gang busters so its all part of the great mystery called muzzle loading ..Ive shot since school days and still find I can learn things ..Keeps me young . Nothing else is working .
Rudyard

 

[user 36911]

You need to start working out. My gun weighs 10lbs, i'm older than dirt, and I hunt at 11,000ft in the Rockies.

Just in jest but really? 5lbs?

 

[Rudyard]

I know about 11,00 feet mountains, walked round Mt Waddington enough its 13,177 feet. BC coast range . 10 pounds ? Why on earth do you consider that sensible ?" If your going to carry weight make it edible" is my maxim. How old is your particular dirt may I ask ?. mine is 76 .
Rudyard

 

[user 36911]

I know about 11,00 feet mountains, walked round Mt Waddington enough its 13,177 feet. BC coast range . 10 pounds ? Why on earth do you consider that sensible ?" If your going to carry weight make it edible" is my maxim. How old is your particular dirt may I ask ?. mine is 76 .
Rudyard

I'm 78 and the gun is a Hawken. They weigh a lot but I love them.

 

[Rudyard]

Rather you than me. My rifle is flint English mid 18th and 50 cal. I have made two Hawkens in my life ( The patron is allways right )even if I wouldnt dream of lugging such an affair anywhere .Recoil is transitory. gravity never go's away , I have an awfull lot of' bush miles' on my clock .
Regards Rudyard

 

[necchi]

Anybody else experience this?

Yeah, mine started to come in after about 200 rounds,
,found out it likes .535 ball.
If ya can't get a GM IBS barrel to shoot right,,(?) It's not the barrel that's the problem.

 

[popgun54tc]

will probably get hazed for this suggestion, however here goes, get a long cleaning rod remove the handle attach a bronze brush wrapped with steel wool put in your drill and put some bore lapping material or bore cleaning solution on it, and work it up and down the barrel. works for me..

 

[bigted]

Thankyou everybody. Appreciate every reply.

No will not be sending it anywhere. I have had very poor results in returning things so I seek to do the "fix" myself which does a couple things for me ... gets me more sweat equaty in my weapon ... gives me a better aquantance with my weapon with an intimate feel with and for it. Little stubborn I guess but I will be polishing it to be sure.

Not my first rodeo but was a bit disappointed in a "quality" barrel that I was so confident in because of the reputation that I put it away for the length of time I did till I could give it the attention it deserved.

First time I have heard of a Green Mt barrel needing "help" before being its best. But not surprised at my ignorance here as my ""assumption" is based on an older group of reports on these particular premium barrels.

Ho hum, just wondered if others had this kinda experience with their GM barrels. I have a non-mentional rifle that I installed a GM barrel on and was tickled with rite away ... but ... anyway ... more results when I get the opportunity to smooth it and retry.

Thanks again all. Like all the advise and suggestions.

 

[Eric Krewson]

Back before I knew squat about black powder rifles I bought a GM drop in match barrel for my Renegade expecting great things from it, I couldn't hit the side of a barn with it. Back then we just loaded them and shot them, no load work-up, if they shot poorly we traded them off.

A guy at work who said he shot some B/P heard me talking about the barrel's poor performance and told me I needed to lap it, I didn't have a clue what lapping was. I ended up selling him the barrel for less than I paid for it just to get rid of it.

Over the years we have become good friends, although he didn't mention it at the time but it turned out he was and is one of the top B/P shooters in the country. He lapped my barrel, mounted on another TC stock and made a tack driver.

 

[Josephg]

No problems with my .58 GM barrel. You just got a bad one I guess. I do have a .32 GM that has burrs on the edges of the lands. I can feel them when I push a lead bullet down the bore. Not a problem like you're having.

 

[beardedhorse]

An old Mountain State MuzzleLoading Supply catalog from W. Va had an ad for Green Mountain barrels. It said the .54 caliber 36" long barrel was one twist in 72 inches. It recommended a .535 ball and .10 or .015 inch patch. Too tight. I now use .530 round ball and .015 lubed patches - spit, 103 lube, Gene High Bore seasoning lube, OX yoke Wonder lube, some other commercial lube with 1000 in the name, my own bear-beeswax and sparingly, vintage sperm whale oil. Experiment with lubes. My barrel is at least 30 years old and didn't really need a breaking in period.

 

[Walkingeagle]

The only GM barrel I ever owned (recently sold) was bought about 20+ years ago in .54 cal, 32” and 1-70 twist. It loved Goex 2fg, 100gr charges under a .530 Hornady ball and .015” lubed patch. It was a tack driver from the get go. 4” groups from the bench at 100 yds. Most of that was likely my inability to hold a consistent aim point With the factory sights.
Walk

 

[bigted]

Lol. Yep shame that I outshot it with my smoothy 62 at 100 yds.

Needs the swabbing/smoothing and some crown work. Will be at least 2 weeks for I get opportunity to get back at it.

 

[Walkingeagle]

The only GM barrel I ever owned (recently sold) was bought about 20+ years ago in .54 cal, 32” and 1-70 twist. It loved Goex 2fg, 100gr charges under a .530 Hornady ball and .015” lubed patch. It was a tack driver from the get go. 4” groups from the bench at 100 yds. Most of that was likely my inability to hold a consistent aim point With the factory sights.
Walk

Should be 110gr charges. Sorry.
Walk

 

[bigted]

Walks ... so I should be rite there with my 80 grains of Old Einsford 3F powder. Should be very close to 110 grains 2F. I do not know what brand of 2F but if it is regular GOEX powder, My experience is that the Old E powder is a smack bit more powerful then GOEX. I do know from experimenting that Ol E is cleaner then stock GOEX. It seems a bit more sparky as well.

Long winded way of sayin that I betcha we are within 100 FPS with our individual powders and charges.

 

[Walkingeagle]

Walks ... so I should be rite there with my 80 grains of Old Einsford 3F powder. Should be very close to 110 grains 2F. I do not know what brand of 2F but if it is regular GOEX powder, My experience is that the Old E powder is a smack bit more powerful then GOEX. I do know from experimenting that Ol E is cleaner then stock GOEX. It seems a bit more sparky as well.

Long winded way of sayin that I betcha we are within 100 FPS with our individual powders and charges.

Likely as it is regular Goex 2fg.
Walk