new-used GPR 54

[et]

I bought a GPR .54 cal last spring and just got it out last weekend. The rifle is very clean, no scratches with a Peep sight. I have become very comfortable with my T/C Hawken and wasn't expecting any surprises. The first round was easy to load but after that it became almost impossible to load. Starting is very hard (deforming the ball with the starter)and the difficulty continues until the last 1/3 of the barrel when it sets easily. Using .530 balls and .018 patches. I ordered .015 patches but it is hard to believe that .003 will make that big of a difference. Shooting FFG black powder. Any thing to do besides working the barrel with J B Bore paste? Thanks,
et

 

[Stringbean]

Try 100 passes with steel wool. Good patch lube is important. Worked for mine,
String

 

[BrownBear]

I'd bypass the steel wool (and certainly not 100 passes!) as well as the JB Paste for now. It may not be needed at all. I'm more suspicious of your lube and the "history" of the barrel.

Dropping down to a .015 patch as you propose would be my first step. I had to do the same on each of the new GPRs I've owned (both 50 and 54 calibers). That sounds more like a new bore than used, and Lyman's typically have some roughness to them. If it's a new bore, shoot it for a couple hundred rounds with the .015 patches and it will suddenly get almost too easy to shoot. Then it's time to step back up to .018 patches.

That's a pretty consistent story on GPR bores. It take some shooting (or very gentle bore smoothing) to bring them into prime shooting shape. Too sharp rifling and a too sharp crown can cut patches and affect accuracy, but they resolve themselves with shooting.

Most guys who don't want to wait through a couple hundred shots accomplish the same thing scrubbing the bore with a tab of green Scotch scrubbing pads on their jag- usually no more than a dozen passes. The sharp crown can be addressed with a piece of 400 grit sand paper layed flat on the muzzle and pressed down firmly with the ball of your thumb. Rotate it half a dozen times and the sharp crown is dealt with.

Meantime try your .015 patches. I bet they ease loading just right so you can get on with the shooting. Then it's up to you whether to keep it up or resort to the Scotch pad. I'd recover a few of your .015 patches and look for cuts. If you have them, try the 400 grit on the crown.

 

[et]

Thanks, My sense is that the gun has hardly been fired before I got. Nice to know that a little bit of patient work should address the issue. The patches I recovered are actually in pretty good shape. Hope to have it ready to go for the late elk hunt. Once again the help on this forum is exceptional.
et

 

[Tom Compton]

Loads easy the first shot then hard. What powder? What lube? Wiping between shots?

Hard to believe.003" could make a difference.

Remember the patch is .003" thinner on both sides so net .006" difference.
TC

 

[Grenadier1758]

So, the first ball loads easy. Then the second ball loads very hard. My first thought is that you are using a black powder that fouls quite a bit and you are using an oily lube in your patches. What I have observed in that type of loading practice is that the lube and the fouling makes a hard coating in the barrel. If you are not wiping between shots with a damp patch to remove the fouling then that will make second shots hard to load.

Try wiping between shots. Use a loose patch that bunches up to pull the fouling out.

 

[et]

Yes, I am wiping between shots. Just spit on shot two and then some T/C product (forgot the name)managed about ten shoots doing this before going home and scrubbing the barrel. Did wipe until patches were clean. In the afternoon the same pattern repeated its self. I will check to get the right name of the patch and lube that I was using. They were pre lubed but the bag was unopened.
Thanks,et

 

[maypo59]

My GPR has been very happy with .530 RCBS and a .010 pre-lubed patch. I use the "Wonder patches 1000".

 

[et]

Waiting for my .015 patches to arrive. I didn't see .010 patches but will look for them. Hopefully they will arrive by Saturday. I did work the crown but have left the barrel alone until I can try out the new patches. Is there much variability in powder regarding fouling? I did open a new can of Goex and it did seem to smoke more then the old can of Goex. I missed an F in my first post. I have been shooting FFFg. I will let you know how it goes thanks,
et

 

[artmechanic]

You may want to experiment with your own patches. Hit a JoAnne's (or other fabric store) and buy some pillow ticking or general purpose fabric (you should take a micrometer to gauge thickness). Try a bunch of different lubes (you can go with Dutch Shoultz's method, or one of the infinite number of recipes found around the forum...I like Sun-Coco oil from Von's). Not only is making your own cheaper, but it's another variable that you can control. I've found that my Kodiak dbl likes the general purpose in the right barrel and the thinner pillow ticking in the left. My other rifles are similarly idiosyncratic (oh boy, I got to use that word...and on a Monday). Have fun...it's always about the fun.

 

[BrownBear]

Is there much variability in powder regarding fouling? I did open a new can of Goex and it did seem to smoke more then the old can of Goex. I missed an F in my first post. I have been shooting FFFg.

There's not that much different IF your lube is doing it's job. My experience with prelubed patches is those lubes don't. There are lots of other lubes that will keep the fouling soft, at which point build-up just isn't an issue.

 

[et]

Thanks, using .015 patches did the trick. Multiple shots with out having to bear down on the ram rod. Guess .006 makes a significant difference. I will play with different lubes after my hunt. Muzzleloaders do come with their own personality, no (few) short cuts in this game. :wink: