New to Goex

[Bob K]

I’ve been shooting BP rifles for a few years now and mainly using Pyrodex RS powder. Yesterday I decided to use Goex FF powder with my New Englander 50 cal. Things were going smoothly and when loading my 4th shot it was nearly impossible to get mini down the tube. It was lodged tight midway. Long story short, unable to extract it I pounded it home and will try to shoot out the mini. I’m curious now, if I assume this is due to fouling, what should my expectation be for normal cleaning? After every third shot?

 

[deermanok]

Yup, swabbing the barrel after each or at least every other shot is probably a good idea.
When I'm at the range, I bring a bottle of Windex. After each shot, I do one damp patch and 2 dry.
Some people just use good old spit on a patch.
Black powder, Pyrodex, Triple 7, they're all dirty. Best to keep the barrel clean as you can while target shooting.

 

[ELewis]

I'm not familiar with the New Englander.....are you shooting Patched Ball, Maxi ball or a true civil war style minnie ball?? Your post stated "mini". I too am kinda new and learning this, but I have found with my 1861 Springfield that shoots .58 caliber true "Minnie" balls with the skirt, that the lube that is on the bullet makes a pretty big influence on how many shots you can get off before fouling becomes and big issue. I "dip" lube the bullets in a mix of beeswax/lard/olive oil that's about 4 parts beeswax, 2 parts lard, and 1 part Olive oil.....I melt it in one of those cheap wax melters that the wife uses for the scented wax melts you get at Walmart-mart. then I grab each bullet by it's nose with a pair of pliers and dip it skirt first into the mix, then place it on a piece of wax paper to cool, stiffen up. The lube seems to do a good job of keeping the BP fouling soft, and each successive shot just pushes a good but of the crud down the barrel and on top of the powder charge, where its blown out on firing. I can normally fire about 25-30 rounds and don't really have issue.

 

[centershot]

Some years back, Dutch Schoulz (may he rest in peace) told me that one of the keys to accuracy in muzzleloaders is to keep the bore in as stable a condition as possible from shot to shot. So, yes, wipe the bore after each shot, thereby keeping the fouling the same for each shot. Made sense to me.

 

[TDM]

I’ve been shooting BP rifles for a few years now and mainly using Pyrodex RS powder. Yesterday I decided to use Goex FF powder with my New Englander 50 cal. Things were going smoothly and when loading my 4th shot it was nearly impossible to get mini down the tube. It was lodged tight midway. Long story short, unable to extract it I pounded it home and will try to shoot out the mini. I’m curious now, if I assume this is due to fouling, what should my expectation be for normal cleaning? After every third shot?

And your “mini” needs adequate lube too.

 

[TreeMan]

It’s been a few decades since I shot any pyrodex but the Goex fouling should be about the same as pyrodex fouling. Wipe between shots and lube those minies.

 

[jambuster]

I have a Lyman GPR 54 (1 in 60" twist). I can just barely load two shots without swabing . So I swab between each shot. I swab with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. This gun only has about 75 rounds through it. I am hoping that this will improve. Currently I am loading a Hornaday .530 ball, .015" patch , mink oil lube, with 110grs of Graff fffg.

 

[Fastleo]

I have a Lyman GPR 54 (1 in 60" twist). I can just barely load two shots without swabing . So I swab between each shot. I swab with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. This gun only has about 75 rounds through it. I am hoping that this will improve. Currently I am loading a Hornaday .530 ball, .015" patch , mink oil lube, with 110grs of Graff fffg.

That’s on the hot side of life, be careful

 

[david58]

2F is going to be dirty compared with 3F. I shoot 3F in my .50 scratch-built Hawken, 36" Sharon barrel. I use spit patched round balls, and might clean every 5-8 shots. When I wipe between shots, I usually use a spit patch, tho in NM I run out of spit sometimes and resort to a cleaner - plain old Windex. I kinda remember wiping more often in my TC Hawken, but the rifling is less than half as deep as in that Sharon barrel.

 

[david58]

I have a Lyman GPR 54 (1 in 60" twist). I can just barely load two shots without swabing . So I swab between each shot. I swab with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. This gun only has about 75 rounds through it. I am hoping that this will improve. Currently I am loading a Hornaday .530 ball, .015" patch , mink oil lube, with 110grs of Graff fffg.

As stated above, that may be a wee bit hot. But that's from the perspective that 2F is a better powder for .54, but in reality I don't know if 0.040" difference really and truly requires a change to the larger grains. I used to shoot 110 grains in my Hawken - and hunted with 140 - but I have found it much more pleasant to shoot with 70 grains. I still would hunt with a hotter load, but I am past needing to pound myself at the range or trailwalk.

 

[dave951]

Before we can make any kind of truly helpful suggestions, we need to know exactly what you are doing that is leading to the problem. What kind of bullets- conicals, round ball, "minies"? Lube- type, brand, composition?

If you are truly shooting minies, you should be able to shoot without wiping till you run out of daylight, shoulder or ammo. Get a minie load in balance as it was designed and it's a wonderful thing.

 

[Omega Vision]

I have a Lyman GPR 54 (1 in 60" twist). I can just barely load two shots without swabing . So I swab between each shot. I swab with 70% Isopropyl alcohol. This gun only has about 75 rounds through it. I am hoping that this will improve. Currently I am loading a Hornaday .530 ball, .015" patch , mink oil lube, with 110grs of Graff fffg.

I'll bet you leave a noticeable trail of black residue in the snow after firing that heavy load using roundball and patch.

Are you generally always hunting after elk-sized game beyond 100 yards? I've found that the best sweet spot was 70-75gr FFF using 50-cal and when I hunted with my former 58-cal, I found good success on whitetails at about 100 yards using 90gr FFF.

I once tried 120gr FF powder at the range with the 58-cal and did not hit the paper target at 100 yards. My right shoulder wasn't happy with that shot either. It also left quite-a-mess inside my bore.

The Range Master commented on the noise and all the smoke. I quit that nonsense right then & there. My percussion nipple and hammer survived. But I never found any trace of the CCI-Mag cap.....lol

 

[jambuster]

I've never hunted elk , however wild pigs are everywhere. Most I encounter are 300+ pounds . I find 110grs to be very accurate in my gun. Regarding a trail of black residue in the snow I wouldn't know cause we rarely have any.