Pocus said:
I make sure the patch is pretty saturated. I squirt the stuff on the loading bench, and tap my patches into it.
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I make sure the patch is pretty saturated. I squirt the stuff on the loading bench, and tap my patches into it.
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Dear Mr Pocus - what a fine and graceful-looking musket that is, to be sure!
Did you have it converted to percussion?
More to the point - where can I find one like it!
I live mostly in the UK, BTW, but I'm looking for an excuse to do some family research in Skane.
Best
tac
Did you have it converted to percussion?
More to the point - where can I find one like it!
I live mostly in the UK, BTW, but I'm looking for an excuse to do some family research in Skane.
Best
tac
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Thank you, Mr pocus.
tac
tac
Are you using hoppes no 9 or Hoppes No. 9 black powder solvent and patch lube?
The first is used to clean firearms the second is used for Black Powder guns if I have my facts correct. This could be part of your problem, but as others have said it sounds like a fowling problem.
Good Luck
The first is used to clean firearms the second is used for Black Powder guns if I have my facts correct. This could be part of your problem, but as others have said it sounds like a fowling problem.
Good Luck
paulvallandigham
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When I lube my patches, its done at home the night before. I am using up the last of my Young Country 101 lube, a predecessor to the current T/C Bore Butter and " Wonderlube". You can make up the same kind of lube using Ballistol( mineral oil with an attitude), or Olive Oil, mixed with Beeswax. Try 50/50 on the mix, but you may find you need more oil in the mix for cold weather, and less for hot weather shooting. Heat up a shallow pan with some water in it, and put a smaller tin or pan inside the one with the water. This creates a " double boiler" effect, without going bankrupt buying special cooking equipment at the Gourmet Cooking supply stores! Put the wax and oil in the smaller tin, and let the water come up to a boil. turn down the heat so you don't get burned, and wait until the wax has melted. Now stir the wax and oil together.
When you are satisfied they have mixed will. Remove the small tin from the water, and either put it on ice to solidify, or pour it into another container, and put that on ice. I put mine in the freezer compartment of my refrigerator, and it only takes an hour or so for the mix to solidify. Then I check the stuff. If its too soft, or oily, I put it back in my "double boiler", and add more wax. If its too HARD, I cook it again, but add more Oil. NO rocket science with this stuff, to be sure. The members of your family household, who are not used to seeing you at work in the kitchen, will want to know what you are cooking, and that is the time to play Dr. Jeckyl with them, laughing maniacally!
Some people add scents or perfume to the final mix as it cools so it smells good to them. I don't want that stuff going into the woods with me when I am hunting, as i take particular caution to use plain soap to bathe and shave before going in the woods. I put baking soda in the rinse water of the washing cycle to remove the aromas of laundry soap from my clothes. I try very hard to minimize the range of odors I might 'wear" into the woods, and use baking soda on my clothes to help neutralize my own body odors. Its hard enough dealing with all the foreign odors in my truck without adding some scented perfume to my patch lube! Bore Butter apparently comes scented with Wintergreen. No, thank you. Its just not me.
To mask my scent, I rub ground covers and branches from bushes and trees, if evergreen are there, all over my clothing before I had to the woods. I limit the amount of solvent and oil I put in my gun to eliminate those odors. I wear rubber boots, with my pants cuffs tucked into them to limit how many dead skin cells( rafts) fall to the ground with each step I take.
I cover one side of the patch and then put a clean patch on top of the lube. Then I lube that new patch, and put another clean patch on top of it, until I have a STACK of patches to let me shoot as much as I want to the next day. I put them in a microwave oven and " zap" them for about 5 seconds. Then I check them, and zap them again- always in 5 second intervals, so I don't stink up the kitchen with burning oils!
I want the lube melted enough that the entire patch is "soaked" in the lubricant, for consistency. The stack of lubed patches then goes in to a container. I have used plastic sandwich baggies, and even oilcloth, or wax paper, or plastic wrap in the past. I bought a couple of Tedd Cash brass tins to hold my cleaning patches, and decided they worked so well, I bought another to keep my lubed patches in my bag.
I have a " range box" that carries extra balls, patches, lube, tools, powder, flint, percussion caps, liquid " Moose juice" for cleaning, and a lot of other " stuff " that has made it into the box over the years that should probably be taken out, and left at home. I just haven't made or purchased another container for all that stuff! I have extra tools, and prizes, in there, and sometimes that comes in handy to help other shooters, or to have a Prize to put down on a Blanket Shoot.
If you use the liquid Hoppe's No. 9 black solve and patch lube, soak a few at a time, put them together, and squeeze out the excess. Squeezing will make sure the entire patch is dampened with the stuff, and squeezing out the short stack will make sure there is NOT so much liquid in the patch that its going to foul much of your black powder. When in doubt, either use the vegetable oil/beeswax mixes, or use an Over Powder Card or Wad between the powder and the PRB.
I stopped using the liquid lubes/cleaners when hunting, as its way too likely that the patch will dry out in the barrel, and create a ring of rust in the bore right where the PRB is seated. UGH!
The vegetable/wax lubes are fairly water proof, so water down the muzzle won't usually get past the lubed patch to your powder charge. And, these lubes do a good job of protecting the bore in wet weather from rusting, and help seal the patching in the grooves to prevent gas blow by, which cuts and tears the patch, and melts or cuts the lead ball as the gas goes screaming by.
I know men who use their home brewed beeswax/oil mixes to dress the dashboards of their cars( if you put a drop of banana oil in the mix, you get that new car smell), and to even coat the sidewalls of their tires. It makes a fairly good Boot sealer, if you rub it in liberally along the welt of the sole, and then give the leather uppers a good coating of it, like you might put on saddle soap on a leather saddle. :thumbsup:
When you are satisfied they have mixed will. Remove the small tin from the water, and either put it on ice to solidify, or pour it into another container, and put that on ice. I put mine in the freezer compartment of my refrigerator, and it only takes an hour or so for the mix to solidify. Then I check the stuff. If its too soft, or oily, I put it back in my "double boiler", and add more wax. If its too HARD, I cook it again, but add more Oil. NO rocket science with this stuff, to be sure. The members of your family household, who are not used to seeing you at work in the kitchen, will want to know what you are cooking, and that is the time to play Dr. Jeckyl with them, laughing maniacally!
Some people add scents or perfume to the final mix as it cools so it smells good to them. I don't want that stuff going into the woods with me when I am hunting, as i take particular caution to use plain soap to bathe and shave before going in the woods. I put baking soda in the rinse water of the washing cycle to remove the aromas of laundry soap from my clothes. I try very hard to minimize the range of odors I might 'wear" into the woods, and use baking soda on my clothes to help neutralize my own body odors. Its hard enough dealing with all the foreign odors in my truck without adding some scented perfume to my patch lube! Bore Butter apparently comes scented with Wintergreen. No, thank you. Its just not me.
To mask my scent, I rub ground covers and branches from bushes and trees, if evergreen are there, all over my clothing before I had to the woods. I limit the amount of solvent and oil I put in my gun to eliminate those odors. I wear rubber boots, with my pants cuffs tucked into them to limit how many dead skin cells( rafts) fall to the ground with each step I take.
I cover one side of the patch and then put a clean patch on top of the lube. Then I lube that new patch, and put another clean patch on top of it, until I have a STACK of patches to let me shoot as much as I want to the next day. I put them in a microwave oven and " zap" them for about 5 seconds. Then I check them, and zap them again- always in 5 second intervals, so I don't stink up the kitchen with burning oils!
I want the lube melted enough that the entire patch is "soaked" in the lubricant, for consistency. The stack of lubed patches then goes in to a container. I have used plastic sandwich baggies, and even oilcloth, or wax paper, or plastic wrap in the past. I bought a couple of Tedd Cash brass tins to hold my cleaning patches, and decided they worked so well, I bought another to keep my lubed patches in my bag.
I have a " range box" that carries extra balls, patches, lube, tools, powder, flint, percussion caps, liquid " Moose juice" for cleaning, and a lot of other " stuff " that has made it into the box over the years that should probably be taken out, and left at home. I just haven't made or purchased another container for all that stuff! I have extra tools, and prizes, in there, and sometimes that comes in handy to help other shooters, or to have a Prize to put down on a Blanket Shoot.
If you use the liquid Hoppe's No. 9 black solve and patch lube, soak a few at a time, put them together, and squeeze out the excess. Squeezing will make sure the entire patch is dampened with the stuff, and squeezing out the short stack will make sure there is NOT so much liquid in the patch that its going to foul much of your black powder. When in doubt, either use the vegetable oil/beeswax mixes, or use an Over Powder Card or Wad between the powder and the PRB.
I stopped using the liquid lubes/cleaners when hunting, as its way too likely that the patch will dry out in the barrel, and create a ring of rust in the bore right where the PRB is seated. UGH!
The vegetable/wax lubes are fairly water proof, so water down the muzzle won't usually get past the lubed patch to your powder charge. And, these lubes do a good job of protecting the bore in wet weather from rusting, and help seal the patching in the grooves to prevent gas blow by, which cuts and tears the patch, and melts or cuts the lead ball as the gas goes screaming by.
I know men who use their home brewed beeswax/oil mixes to dress the dashboards of their cars( if you put a drop of banana oil in the mix, you get that new car smell), and to even coat the sidewalls of their tires. It makes a fairly good Boot sealer, if you rub it in liberally along the welt of the sole, and then give the leather uppers a good coating of it, like you might put on saddle soap on a leather saddle. :thumbsup:
i´m using Hoppes No. 9 black powder solvent and patch lube. I will hopefully get out on the range this comming weekend and try wiping between shots and also try a little more lube on my patches. Don´t know yet if i dare to put larger loads in. The musket have been checked and found ok, but after all shes an old lady =)
P.S
i´ve read another recipie for patch lube; melted lard and beeswax or if you find it hard to find the lard u can use coconut fat and beeswax. Was going to try that. what do you think? sounds close to the oil/wax mix
P.S
i´ve read another recipie for patch lube; melted lard and beeswax or if you find it hard to find the lard u can use coconut fat and beeswax. Was going to try that. what do you think? sounds close to the oil/wax mix
paulvallandigham
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Both the lard, and coconut fat will be more expensive than buying mineral oil at your grocery store, or pharmacy, or simply buying the cheapest vegetable oil you can find in the grocery store.
Unless a particular product just Has to trip your trigger, why spend money on expensive stuff for this work? If you already have these products in your home, it won't hurt to make up an ounce or two of the stuff to try. But I would not spend good money buying either lard or the coconut fat/oil.
Just my $.02 worth of advice.
Unless a particular product just Has to trip your trigger, why spend money on expensive stuff for this work? If you already have these products in your home, it won't hurt to make up an ounce or two of the stuff to try. But I would not spend good money buying either lard or the coconut fat/oil.
Just my $.02 worth of advice.
Va.Manuf.06
58 Cal.
Pocus, I have no comments on the shooting, you seem to be having good success with it and you have had good suggestions for solutions to any small accuracy problems you are having. I just want to say that, as a huge fan of military smoothbored muskets, yours is BEAUTIFUL! 
The condition is exceptional. Thanks for posting the pictures.
The condition is exceptional. Thanks for posting the pictures.Va.Manuf.06 said:Pocus, I have no comments on the shooting, you seem to be having good success with it and you have had good suggestions for solutions to any small accuracy problems you are having. I just want to say that, as a huge fan of military smoothbored muskets, yours is BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you!
She sure is a beauty. I borowed a friends bore light and had a look into the barrel and its as smooth as it just came out of the factory. Sure is a great buy. If i just get my shooting sorted out im sure it will do just fine! =)
Now if i just can find myself a Baker rifle aswell and i wont need another gun. =)
nice musket.
i bought some lard yesterday at walmart for 1.00 alb. went out and shot today with my hawken and tried the lard on patches and it worked just as good or better that the ballistol/water combo. i have a finicky tc barrel-1-66" that don't like anything i stuff down its neck, well the lard patch with 70 and 90 grs of fff did the trick. i even lubed the bore and outside barrel with it when i put it away. we'll see how it does.
i bought some lard yesterday at walmart for 1.00 alb. went out and shot today with my hawken and tried the lard on patches and it worked just as good or better that the ballistol/water combo. i have a finicky tc barrel-1-66" that don't like anything i stuff down its neck, well the lard patch with 70 and 90 grs of fff did the trick. i even lubed the bore and outside barrel with it when i put it away. we'll see how it does.
Grizzled Roberts
54 Cal.
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You can find lard in Wallyworld where you live! Down here you have to go to the hispanic groceries
to get it!!!
When you think about it, back in the day patches were greased with tallow. Lard is just modern commercial tallow!
I tried some pig tallow once ( bacon grease ) it worked well but I stayed hungry all dang day!
:bow:
to get it!!!
When you think about it, back in the day patches were greased with tallow. Lard is just modern commercial tallow!
I tried some pig tallow once ( bacon grease ) it worked well but I stayed hungry all dang day!
:bow:
Guys, be carefull with lard some has added salt!
Candle wax and olive oil I believe will work.
Brit.
Candle wax and olive oil I believe will work.
Brit.
Grizzled Roberts
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Very very good point! Be sure to read the label!
:thumbsup:
:thumbsup:
A little update; I went to the range again and this time i used more lube on the patches and wiped every other shot. This time the results were much more satisfying. I placed all shots within 8 inches with the odd one outside this radius. I shot 15 shots and 5 went outside the 8 inch radius, but all were on paper at least. The gun seems to put the shots a little high and to the left but atleast its somewhat consistent. Im rather happy with the results, now its just practise practise practise =)
Thank you all for the great advice and feedback!
Thank you all for the great advice and feedback!
