How many shots until you clean the barrel?

[Gonzo]

After reading the responses to the Pedersoli ignition fix it occured to me that there are plenty here who think shooting is more labour intensive then it needs to be.

How many shots until you clean barrel? I myself clean the barrel when the ball feels like its hanging up. It gets worse after about half way down. I get about 10 shots off before this happens.

If I never have to clean when shooting I would be happier. Any ideas out there?

Lube of course helps keep the fouling soft.

Overly tight patch ball combinations makes things worse. If I need to use a ball starter to start the ball its too tight for me. I can load with a ramrod alone.

Daniel Boone didnt clean between shots with swarms of Indians about and I bet he didnt use a ball starter so why should you have to? Unless of course you have the beloved "patent breech" you will have to clean it carefully or it wont shoot at all

My Pedersoli frizzen spring is overly tight and is tearing up my flints. I spent more time messing around with the flints then I did with anything else last week end. I am going to take the fellows advice on the other thread and thin it down on the grinder.

 

[David W.]

Well, when Faulkenberry juice was available, I could shoot all day long and the last shot was just like shooting the first. Wet patched Ballistol does pretty good though. However, I now use dry patches (either Ballistol or cutting oil) and clean every third shot with denatured alcohol, 91% isopropyl, or windex.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For target shooting I swab between every shot, For hunting after three or so. Which usually is at the end of the day since I rarely shoot more than three times when hunting. :hmm:

 

[longcruise]

If shooting spit, Hoppes liquid lube, Dish soap and water, etc. I never wipe between shots. If grease lube or dry patch I wipe after every shot. My patch/ball combos are very tight.

 

[BrownBear]

With mink oil grease or my own deer tallow/olive oil blend, a moderately tight patch and ball (needing a short starter but barely so) and 3f Goex powder, I usually can go over 20 shots before cleaning or swabbing. I could probably go longer, but that's about as many shots as I can make before it's time to sit down and take a break. That's when I swab with a wet patch, then dry patch, the another lubed with my shooting lube.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Correct me if i'm wrong. (I know you will :grin: )

I think the gun Daniel used had a gradual taper at the muzzle to ease loading. So, a ball starter wasn't needed.

I've read barrels aren't built that way now, because it's too time consuming.

Can anybody confirm this?

 

[ebiggs1]

I never clean when I am out shooting. A session for me is from 20 to 35 shots or so. I use Bore Butter and/or olive oil. I think folks do make muzzleloading more labor intensive than needed. I'd rather shoot!

 

[hanshi]

All my loading requires a short starter; too easy loading equals poor accuracy in my experience. Most of the time I never clean during any shooting session. I'd rather shoot. If, on occasion, seating becomes a bit too difficult I'll clean the bore as often as necessary. Seldom is it truly necessary. Hoppes is my lube of choice.

 

[Mike Brooks]

I can shoot indefinately with out cleaning.

 

[jaw69]

I will bite. How? :idunno:

 

[Trot]

I never clean until I am done shooting. Never see the need to.

 

[napolean]

Yes, shooting at the range with spit patches, I do not need to clean unless I'm gonna stop for awhile, which I usually do as I have to shoot the breeze also. At some matches if there is lag between shots I will swab more often as that spit don't keep the fouling soft for long. I wipe the pan, flint & frizzen more often than I swab the bore.
Jon D

 

[wattlebuster]

All of my barrels are coned so I never need a short starter an as far as shots without cleaning Ive never counted but a rough estimate would be 15 to 20 I use mink oil and bear grease both an am happy with results :thumbsup:

 

[biliff]

I don't clean until I get home. Fire 20-30 shots at the range. Spit patch. .562 ball and drill for patching (about 0.18") in my flintlock rifle.

Same for the pistol, but that's .433 ball and 0.10" patching.

 

[Stubert]

I am also of the smaller ball school, .433 in my 45 and .527 in my 54. less fouling, easier to load. I use .610 in my 62 cal, but it is coned. I clean after shooting, once and a while I may need to run a wet patch down while at the range, it depends on the humidity I think.

 

[nchawkeye]

Daniel didn't pick a fight when he had "swarms" of Indians around...In fact, he felt that he only killed three Indians during his lifetime...Seldom did he take more than a couple of shots...The exception was during the Siege of Boonesboro and then he was behind a stockade...

I go to a thinner patch after the first couple of shots and can shoot several after that...

 

[roundball]

it depends on the humidity I think.

Several things affect the number of shots without needing to wipe between them for sure...and humidity is a big one.
90% humidity can be a little miserable but as long as I'm under a shelter from the sun, I like shooting 50 shot range sessions in that kind of humidity as fouling just stays damp all the time and wipes right off the bore walls with each seating of the next patched ball.

The type of powder, granulation, amount of powder, type of lube, amount of lube, how much time lapse occurs between shots, etc, all enter into it for me as well.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Five to ten with lightly greased or dipped & dried patching. (Humidity does make a noticable difference). With a liquid lube indefinately.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

When the temperature is high here the humidity is very low. Grease lubes won't work for extended shooting without cleaning.

Using a water-based lube, I've fired as many as 30 shots without cleaning, in the heat.

Last Sunday, it was cold and foggy here, the humidity very high. I used spit for lube and fired 25 shots. The last shot loaded as easy as the first.

GW

 

[lockjaw]

...after every shot...