Houston, we have a problem...

[Grenadier1758]

Fibreglass rods are not good for extensive use. When they wear a bit, the glass fibres get exposed. They are harder than steel and will erode the muzzle. Stick with wood, metal or pvc/abs. If you do go with metal, be sure to use a muzzle guard.

Especially if you use a fiberglass rod, a muzzle guard is mandatory. I have seen more wear from a fiber glass rod than from any other material. I wore out a brass muzzle guard using a fiberglass rod. I have yet to wear out a muzzle guard with my brass or stainless rods.

Take a look at my post form 2018:

Guess which one was used with the fiber glass rod?

 

[DuncNZ]

I owned a Uberti Hawken which I could not get to shoot , I tried different lubes and found it shot better with a dry lubed patch , it just hated anything slippery . I then started putting a lightly lubed patch on the rod jag as I loaded so I wiped the bore as I set the ball home , this cut down loading time and cleaned the bore as I shot . The rifle ended up from being one I was going to give away to the most accurate round ball rifle I had used . I have noticed my Flintlocks with round bottom rifling are fussy when it comes to Schuetzen powder , which seems to foul more than Goex and need slightly different dry patch 5/1 Ballistol /water ratio than the previously used 7/1 ratio . I think each barrel is a law unto itself and each likes to be treated differently . That is why my firearms all have ladies names .

 

[granth]

I use a wet lube that I apply when I'm cutting a patch. The wet lube I use is a 1:1:1 solution of Murphy's Oil Soap, Denatured Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide. Fouling isn't really an issue when I use this wet lube.

 

[COTNTOP]

I polished my bore with Kroil and JB using scotchbrite pad. When shooting now I use TC T17 barrel cleaner and never have a problem loading. Use just enough to lightly dampen patch, barrel stays clean. Have not been able to find any T17 in liquid spray lately.

 

[Hawthorn1213]

A little late to the part on this but, Schuetzen powder fouls the barrel like crazy for me. I've never had an issue with Goex, but I do swap between each shot on my rifles. As it turns out though, I do not have to swab between each shot with my shotgun when using Goex (but I do with Schuetzen.)

 

[waksupi]

The pre-lubed patch is your problem. Go buy some material of the proper thickness, and use moose milk.

 

[Relic shooter]

I use a wet lube that I apply when I'm cutting a patch. The wet lube I use is a 1:1:1 solution of Murphy's Oil Soap, Denatured Alcohol and Hydrogen Peroxide. Fouling isn't really an issue when I use this wet lube.

Ditto, an old timer at Friendship gave me that same formula about 45 years ago & have been using it since.
After operating a ML store for years & carrying & trying numerous brands of ML bore cleaners & lubes I & still found the above 3-part mixture worked the best as as bore cleaner & patch lube combination in my personal replica & original muzzleloaders.
Relic shooter

 

[smoothshooter]

Finally got out to the range yesterday. Fired a few rounds. My biggest problem now is the fouling caused by using real black powder. After the third shot, if I don't swab the barrel, it takes a feat of strength to get the patched ball down the barrel. I am shooting 75 gr. of FFFG Schuetzen black powder, .490 round ball (Hornady), and a .010 pre lubed patch, winchester magnum percussion cap. Is this too much powder, not enough, what? The first round slides in like it's on greased rails. The second shot, requires a bit of effort. The third round requires some force. After that, forgetaboutit.

The rifle is a Pedersoli Traditional Hawken Target Rifle, .50 caliber. When I first started shooting it, all that was available was pyrodex. I have tried RS, P, and Select. I didn't have much problem with fouling. After finding a couple pounds of Schuetzen FFFG, that's all I have been using. I like the accuracy I get with Schuetzen but the fouling makes it a S.O.B. to shoot without "swabbing" way too often at the range while shooting and takes forever to remove the fouling from the barrel when cleaning it. I clean the rifle after every trip to the range and upon observation, there is no rust in the barrel. I am kind of at a loss. I could try a thinner patch maybe but I don't want the ball bouncing down the barrel. Thanks in advance for any help.

Change to patches you lube yourself, and/or go with a smaller ball and thicker patch.
I always go with the thicker patch because it holds more lube.
Buying pre-lubed patches is almost always a mistake. Almost doubles the cost per shot, and the lube is usually ineffective. Making your own is easy.

 

[OldSmoky1967]

My experience with Schuetzen has been that it creates a drier or stickier fouling. When I was using grease lubed patches I would have to swab after about 5 shots. I switched to using a little Dawn detergent in water as a lube. That is like swabbing everytime you load and takes care of that issue.

Exactly!

 

[Steve Wagner]

Especially if you use a fiberglass rod, a muzzle guard is mandatory. I have seen more wear from a fiber glass rod than from any other material. I wore out a brass muzzle guard using a fiberglass rod. I have yet to wear out a muzzle guard with my brass or stainless rods.

Take a look at my post form 2018:View attachment 135594

Guess which one was used with the fiber glass rod?

I picked up a nice 5/16" stainless steel range rod w a wood handle from TOW for about $25-30. Comes w a solid brass muzzle protector. Very handy w little flex. Especially when you really need to cram one home. You won't be pulling the end off w one of these either unless something really, really fugly has happened. The other rods are for hunting. SW

 

[waksupi]

Would brass be better? I would be concerned that the steel ramrod might damage the barrel. The one I use is fiberglass, it's my "range rod". That thing is really tough, it will flex a lot but it hasn't broken yet.

Steel or brass are fine. Fiberglass is highly abrasive. Rub it back and forth on a piece of steel, you can see you could saw it in half without too much work.

 

[waksupi]

Some random thoughts.

It's good to test different brands of powder. Each may have a characteristic that lets it work better for your purposes, depending on your local climate. I would hate to be limited to one powder to try when working up smokeless loads!

If you shoot in cold weather, avoid any lube containing beeswax. That includes the pre-lubed and Bore Butter types. You will find you can only shoot a couple shots before you need to find somehow to warm the barrel enough to let you get the patched round ball down the bore. A range rod won't help, they are just plain STUCK!