I need to polish my bore!

[G. W. Gill]

I have allways used this as a shotgun. Now a change to roundball. At 90 ffg the first two patches come out great. The rest are in shards. I shoot an 1842 Springfield that has always been acceptable with two wads of news print under shot and one above. I have cast a couple hundred .660 and lubed old jeans material for patch. Nice fit. Not for iron ramrod but good for rangerod.
I am experienced and trust my weapon and load. I can fire 20 shots into a paper plate at 40-50 yds. I just don't like the way the patches come out. Just a shade below smooth. Any sugestions?
The musket is not messed with. I let my Dad shoot armidillos with it and would clean it as soon as i could. It is not pitted, just not shiney smooth. :yakyak:
By the way, this is a devastating round, whith a rifled musket like crack and surprising accuracy with no rear sight. Approx 1400 FPS and 2000 FT/LBS.

 

[arcticap]

Maybe the patch material that you are using is simply too soft due to previous repeated washings. As the material thins, maybe the fibers weaken, and possibly the threads were finer (less coarse) than some other patch materials are to begin with.
How about using an overpowder wad?
Why mess very much with a musket that's never been messed with? Maybe some elbow grease and a chemical black powder solvent would help to polish it up, but then, I wouldn't recommend even using a metal brush unless you really think that it's absolutely necessary. :winking:

 

[gmww]

J-B Bore compound from Brownells maybe?

 

[paulvallandigham]

Definitely try polishing the bore with JB bore cleaner. It is inexpensive, and works well. You only have to do it once, unless you let the bore rust again. Use either WD40, or ballistol, as both are very good rust prevention fluids, and out do others in test, described here in a prior post.

By all means, use a over powder card wad, .135" to seal the gases. Then run your PRB down on top with whatever lube you prefer, and works. You may have to experiment. You didn't say, but it sounds like you are shooting a 14 ga. Round ball in that gun. Or possibly a 16 ga. ball. Either way, those balls weigh almost an ounce.14ga. = 7/8 vs. 1 oz. for the 16 ga. That is a lot of weight to be moving at those velocities. I think you would get better accuracy if you tried a lighter powder charge. Move that back down to 2 1/2 drams( 70 grain) and then to 2 3/4 drams( approx. 80 grain) and see if you don't get tighter groups, and less recoil. The faster you push a ball out the barrel the faster it slows down. You don't have to exceed the sound barrier( 1100 fps. nominally) to maintain good penetration with PRB that weigh as much as yours do. You can take a lot of the recoil out shooting the gun, save your shoulder, and your brain from a flinch, and still kill deer dead with a good chest shot. Unless those balls hit bone, they will pass right through a deer broadside out to over 100 yds. Most deer are shot at less than half that distance. The sound barrier doesn't nasty things to a round ball. Stay under it and avoid those problems. No matter how fast you send that ball out your barrel, it will come down below the sound barrier between 65 and 85 yds out. Then you see the groups open up noticably. Stay under the sound barrier and you will good groups, much better than if the ball goes out over the sound barrier, as you are doing now, even out at 100 yds.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Definitely try polishing the bore with JB bore cleaner. It is inexpensive, and works well. You only have to do it once, unless you let the bore rust again. Use either WD40, or ballistol, as both are very good rust prevention fluids, and out do others in test, described here in a prior post.

By all means, use a over powder card wad, .135" to seal the gases. Then run your PRB down on top with whatever lube you prefer, and works. You may have to experiment. You didn't say, but it sounds like you are shooting a 14 ga. Round ball in that gun. Or possibly a 16 ga. ball. Either way, those balls weigh almost an ounce.14ga. = 7/8 vs. 1 oz. for the 16 ga. That is a lot of weight to be moving at those velocities. I think you would get better accuracy if you tried a lighter powder charge. Move that back down to 2 1/2 drams( 70 grain) and then to 2 3/4 drams( approx. 80 grain) and see if you don't get tighter groups, and less recoil. The faster you push a ball out the barrel the faster it slows down. You don't have to exceed the sound barrier( 1100 fps. nominally) to maintain good penetration with PRB that weigh as much as yours do. You can take a lot of the recoil out shooting the gun, save your shoulder, and your brain from a flinch, and still kill deer dead with a good chest shot. Unless those balls hit bone, they will pass right through a deer broadside out to over 100 yds. Most deer are shot at less than half that distance. The sound barrier doesn't nasty things to a round ball. Stay under it and avoid those problems. No matter how fast you send that ball out your barrel, it will come down below the sound barrier between 65 and 85 yds out. Then you see the groups open up noticably. Stay under the sound barrier and you will good groups, much better than if the ball goes out over the sound barrier, as you are doing now, even out at 100 yds.

 

[G. W. Gill]

I am using a smaller ball to comp the patch size problem. As I don't plan on shooting much farther than 50-60 yds. They are not burning. I am just finding pieces of them 15 to 20 feet in front of my shot. I am used to .58 patched round ball. This is different. A couple normal, the rest shredded.thanks!

 

[G. W. Gill]

I am going into town and buy JB bore cleaner. Thanks. My bore looks fine when I drop the mini mag lite down it. It is just not as shiny as some of my others. In other words I can see it it not as smooth. No pitting, no warps or other problems. Loadin isn't a problem even though I used two different sized material. Probably about .003 dif. This would not be an issue if I were a hunter. It shoots good and accurate. The patches are just not what I wan't. Thanks Guys!

 

[musketman]

Definitely try polishing the bore.

Any barrel (be it smooth or rifled) will benefit from polishing, removing the drill bit's "chatter" marks will make the barrel ultra smooth and mirror slick...

IMO, there is less place for fouling to accumulate if the chatter and pores of the barrel is polished out...

 

[riarcher]

To each their own and all,,, But,,,, If I could possibly offer a suggestion?
2 shots and you're happy with the accuacy and the patches. Third shot and you're concerned about the shreaded patch,,,, otherwise you're still happy, right?
You didn't mention your lube. I'd suggest trying a greased patch like bore butter on the patch you're using (or something simular). Really give that patch a heavy coating and melt it into the fibers before use (again-really satuate it).
I'm thinking the lube may not be keeping the fouling quite soft enough and allowing a harder build-up by the 3rd shot and/or by the 3rd shot the bore has tightened (with fouling) just enough to offer enough resistance to give the blast time to work on the patch. Obviously what you have is a changing condition that rears it's ugly head by the 3rd shot. Try more/better grease. What you got to loose? I know, the spit patch advocates will have a bimbo,,, but try it. You may like it.
The next idea wouldbe, IF your using 3Fg.,,,, try some 2Fg. I find it to be a bit kinder to the patch with a lower build-up of presure. May need slightly more powder though.
I really don't think your bore is a problem from the way I understand your descripings.

 

[paulvallandigham]

WADR, Musketman< Actually, one company was purposely cutting a groove in the barrel( looked like a missed tool mark ) near the muzzle, which grabbed the plastic shot collars or wads and allowed a quicker separation of the shot from the wad, given very dense patterns. This was a modern gun maker, and he made a number of these barrels, until shooters began to complain the patterns were too tight! So, everything has been, or is being tried to improve performance with smootbore shooting. As components are changed, new and old methods are tried again, and results sometimes surprise you. That is why the past 50 years with muzzleloaders has been such a great time. We have different powders, hotter caps, better locks, better shot, better lubes, and better wads. I also think we have better shooters.

 

[G. W. Gill]

Thanks, I think I will do a little more experimenting before I settle on a load. I will definitely reduce my load, try lube other than crisco, JB bore cleaner and card ontop of powder.
You guys are great!