Just Starting

[ib4elk]

Just started shooting muzzleloaders and got into it so the kids could hunt with me while I did archery (there is a short overlapping muzzleloader/archery season here in Colorado!). Anyway, seem to have made many mistakes so far but having a lot of fun with it.

I do have a question. I have .490 balls and using 0.015 prelubed patches and getting them bloody things into the barrel and all the way down is just short of a herculean feat. Using a short ball starter we get it in the first inch, then use the 5" length on the starter to get it a little further and then it's all elbows and gymnastics trying to get it the rest of the way down without smashing the fingers with each short push and hoping not to drive the ram rod thru my hand for the last few inches driving it home. My son managed to break the ram rod this afternoon on only our third load - good thing I just ordered one of them unbreakable rods so it will be here in a day or two.

Do you suppose I am doing something wrong? is there an art here I am not aware of? Should I go to a thinner patch like 0.010? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jmullins555]

Definitely a thinner patch so long as it doesn't effect accuracy, and swab the barrel after each shot to ensure there is no build up causing the ball to not pass smoothly down the barrel.

 

[jimbowie1]

HELLO, i use 490 ball and 05 lubed patch in my CVA mountain rifle i bought back in the 70s. 490 + 05 doubled brings it to 50 cal. Now my pedersoli rocky mt hawken has deep rifleing and i use a .10 lubed patch. different depth in the rifleing will make a difference as far as ease of loading.
JMO.

 

[BullRunBear]

Welcome to the forum!

Most 50 calibers can use that .490 and .015 patch combination with no trouble. There should be resistance as you seat the ball but it shouldn't be a major battle. Try the .010 patch and see if it helps. There is some variation in barrels so you may need that thinner patch. Also, it might help to swab the barrel between shots. Some guns foul up faster than others. Just make sure it is dry before you load the next round.

What make and model are you shooting? Are you using black powder or one of the substitutes?

Good idea getting the unbreakable ramrod. I assume it is one of the delrin types. You may want to get a muzzle guide/protector that will fit the rod.

Let us know how your next session goes.

Jeff

 

[Strawstalker/NM]

ib4elk - Welcome to the site, you should learn all you need to right here. Where are you in CO? I live in Grand junction and if your not too far I would be willing to help you and the pups learn the sport. for your 50, a .490 ball and .10 patch should load fine. I would try a very damp liquid patch lube. I lube with a homemade lube - 1 part WSO (water soluble oil - plumbers cutting oil), 1 part MOS (murphy's oil soap)& 6 parts water. This lube is only good for range/plinking. It is too wet for a hunting load. Best of luck - watch the skyline, Strawstalker

 

My Hawken likes .490 balls with 0.010 patches.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

You don’t say which rifle you have or whether you bought it new or used. Without that information it makes it a little harder to help you. But if you haven’t already done so, get a solid steel or brass range rod with a muzzle guard. Why? Because if it is a new rifle the barrel is going to need break-in of 1 to 200 rounds. Doing this will be easier if you have a range rod. You should only use the wooden ramrod in the field. Also the range rod will make it easier to clean and to pull a ball when you forget to pour powder down the barrel before you ram the ball down. This is known as dry balling.

If you are using .010 patch you may need to use a felt wad under the patched ball as this will prevent burn through on the patch. Which will affect accuracy. And welcome the to forum.

 

If you are using .010 patch you may need to use a felt wad under the patched ball as this will prevent burn through on the patch. Which will affect accuracy. And welcome the to forum.

Or you could put a couple of grains of cream-o-wheat over the powder charge.

 

[Leatherbark]

It should go down easier than that. It sounds like you have a gun with a pitted bore. When you clean it is the bore smooth when pulling and pushing the jag?

If you have old patches they might have sort of dried out. Olive Oil them some and squeeze out the oil and try it again.

Good Luck

Bob

 

[ib4elk]

Thanks everyone for the help. The rifle is a TC Hawken I purchased from this Forum. The barrel, as best I can tell is clean and bright all the way down. There is no roughness when running a patch up and down it. I don't know how much it has been shot but from the looks of it, I would say it has had at least a hundred or more rounds thru it - definitely not brand new. Powder is Hodgon Triple 7 FFg. I tried some newer 0.015 patches (prelubed) but that was no better. I will get some thinner patches and see how that goes. Will also look for a better range rod. I was only using the wood rod as that was all I had at the time...

Strawstalker, I am in Palisade. Wouldn't mind meeting up some evening to talk and shoot.

 

[AZbpBurner]

I have an older rifle that was neglected by a previous owner, & there a couple of huge pits near the muzzle.

I'm using a .535" RB with .015" lubed patch. I can beat on it all day with a short starter & only result is sore hands for the rest of the week. A quick tap with a wooden mallet gets the ball properly seated, and from there it takes a little more force to ram it home, but not at all difficult or inconvenient. And it's not so tight that the patch gets cut by rifling.

I've found that a stiffer ball lube works for tighter patches, so just pouring on a thin lube & working it in by hand prior to loading, doesn't work that well.

I Heat up my tallow + beeswax + olive oil patch lube, then dip the patches. excess solidified lube is scraped / squeegeed off with the flat of a butter knife.

While a brass rod may be nice, but after 45 years of burning BP, I've never felt compelled to need one. The wooden mallet was easier to make & carry.

Whether you make or buy your ram & cleaning rods, it's a good idea to check your brass rod ends have been cross-pinned to ensure they never come off.

 

[cynthialee]

thiner patches
range rod

If it is a TC Hawken you should be able to get them .015 patches down the muzzle without too much effort. I am using them and have gone up as high as .018 patches without issues. Yes the .018 patches are harder to seat, but I get them down the barrel.
What about your lead? Are you using store bought bullets or were they given to you or purchased from someone?

 

[Moe1960]

ib4elk hete is a stup question lol..Could it be you are using two patches at once and thats why its hard to load?? It may sound like a dumb question but I've done that. Iam new to muzzleloading and I'm learning as I go along and having fun too. Enjoy.....

 

[Little Wattsy]

I like a tighter load myself... I shoot a .535 ball and a .015 patch, you can do the math. BUT I learnt earlier on to NOT be hesitant nor delicate. Smack that short starter and get it in there and then ram that ramrod straight down - no bows nor bends in the rod) and it should seat in one fluid motion....

 

[mooman76]

Also if you have something to measure the balls with they can be oversized sometimes.

 

[bpd303]

I have run into that problem. I bought some .454 balls that miked at .457 and have cast .490's that measured .495...if that's the case a .10 patch should cure the problem.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Here's the math:

Measure your bore groove-to-groove diameter.

Measure the actual diameter of your ball.

Subtract ball diameter from bore diameter, then divide the result by 2. This will be your recommended patch thickness.

 

[Leatherbark]

You wouldnt by any chance be using balls made out of wheelweights would you? The reason I ask is that out of a regular mold they are much harder to load and ar larger in diameter than pure lead.

Bob

 

[Strawstalker/NM]

IB4ELK - Glad you live so close. I have four .50 cal. guns, so have all the gear to shoot your 50. Been shooting black powder for a little over 25 years. Willing to help get you started. I 'am retired so free to talk or go shoot anytime. Give me a call and we can set something set up - 970-241-0787. Strawstalker (Dan Bromley)

 

[kodiakmarine]

If by unbreakable rod you mean a synthetic rod, then it will not help. It bends too easily to ram a tight ball & patch down the barrel :shake: . Definitely try a brass rod. Good luck. - John