help

[beartrap]

I got a new barrel from track yesterday for my GPR lyman in .54 smoothbore they got it from green mountain barrels and modified it for me. I am useing the thinnest patches i can get in 100% cotton but i have no way to tell how thick they are, i am shooting .530 round balls and they are so tight in the bore i have to pound them down after the first shot. I shot a few with no patch at all but am worried will this hurt anything?? they grouped about 7 inches at 50 yards with or without patches. i am shooting 1fg goex as this is all i have. when i went to wipe the bore with a damp patch my ramrod got stuck and i had to shoot it out with a bit of powder down the touch hole, needless to say the rod that came with the barrel [ a skinny thing you can hardly get a grip on as it is too slippery and thin] was ruined. I recall the "F WORD" coming to mind a few times. What i need to know is, would a .495 round ball with thick pillow ticking patches shoot and load good in this .54 smoothbore barrel??. I dont believe a .526 ball would make any difference. I hope some of you will be able to give me some advice whrn you are done laughing, oh well it was a POOR ramrod anyway.

 

[cayugad]

Warren Muzzleloading make many different diameters that would probably work in your smoothbore. A .526 or even .520 with a normal patch should load much better. They also have a great selection of patches in different thickness.

Also get rid of the 1F powder. :imo: the is too course. I would be shooting 3f actually. Also you do not need to load it up too hot. I shoot a smoothbore .62 caliber using a .600 or .610 roundball and 80 grains of Goex 3f. The accuracy out to about 40 yards is outstanding...

 

[Wes/Tex]

I agree with Cayugad, you need to put the Fg aside. Large granulation powder like that only adds to the fowling in a serious way in smaller bores. FFg would be better and if you don't load real high, FFFg would be even better. It's strange that a .530" ball is so tight, but it's possible the patching is thicker than you think. Lyman, and others, can custom cut a mold in many sizes once you get a good idea about what you need. You might try contacting Track Of The Wold, Dixie Gun Works or October Country. They can provide balls in many sizes, especially Track, so you can experiment with ball size and patching & lube types till you find what works best before investing in a mold. Good luck.

 

[jim gray]

I know at this point this isn't very original, but you gotta get 2Fg or 3Fg first, Shooting without a patch shouldn't do any damage, but I'd think that you'd see some serious fouling without it. The patch spreads lube in the barrel on the way in and out, softening your fouling and keeps the hot gasses from melting your balls.

 

[Rebel]

Normally with a smoothbore you need a ball .020-.025 under bore diameter. There are no grooves for the patching to compress into with smoothbore.

 

[nvbirdman]

You say you have no way to measure your patches. FIND A WAY.
Around here I can find electronic calipers for 20 bucks or less. Measure your patches, measure your bore, measure your balls. You should not have to pound your balls. Oh this is getting terrible, I can't go on.

 

[amccall]

The advice here is great and one tool for blackpowder, if you are going to be serious about it, is a good caliper. I use it all the time to check ticking thickness and lead ball diameter, when I make my own. I bought a digital caliper under $20 that I use when I go to buy ticking at a fabric store. The ladies look at me funny when I pull out my caliper. I tell them I am making a summer thong and if it is over 0.20 thick it will chafe me awful. The sales people do not bother me anymore and that's not a bad thing. :haha: :results: