PRB in 1/28 twist barrel

[RDavis]

Is it possible to shoot PRB from a rifle with a 1/28 twist barrel or should I just stick to shooting conicals?

 

[paulvallandigham]

RBs work fine. You can't overstabilize a RB. Go ahead and shoot them. You may find that accuracy requires you to use a pretty tight ball and patch combination, and your rifle may be a little fussy about the powder charge used for consistent hits, but it will shoot RBs just fine. Usually, you will find accuracy with a RB in a fast twist by keeping the powder charge in the modest ranges for that caliber. If you want to load the gun for hunting, try using a filler( corn meal works well, is cheap, and available in most houses) or OP wad to seal gases behind the PRB and protect the patch from burning from a heavy powder charge. Barrel harmonics of YOUR barrel control how much accuracy you will get with heavy loads behind a PRB. Use a chronograph to work up loads. When you find a powder and PRB combination that give consistent velocity readings, it will also be the most accurate. Use FFFg in your percussion gun, compact the powder, but don't distort the soft LEAD Ball by pressing on it or banging your ramrod down on it. If you hold the barrel vertical when you pour in the powder, the drop of the powder to the breech will compact it better than all the pressing you can do on your RR. Compacted FFFg powder give more consistent velocities than loose powder, in a percussion gun.

Competition shooters use a drop tube that is inserted in the barrel to allow the powder to drop all the way down the barrel to the breech, so it does not cling to the sides of the barrel as it drops. Using a drop tube allows them to load a barrel that has wet oil, or lube, or even residue in it, without fouling the powder charge.

 

[Jerry Coffee]

I often wondered how to keep the BP off the bore walls when reloading. Now I know target shooters use a "drop tube". I have never seen any advertised from the usual BP on-line suppliers. I would like to try using one. I suppose I could make a drop tube out of a length of .500" brass, copper or aluminum tubing. If they don't use a drop tube, target shooters swab the bore between shots.

Loading a PRB or minie ball should wipe the unburned powder from the bore although the wiped powder may be contaminated a little by BP residue or bore lube from the previous shot.

A Williams cleaner minie ball was included in every ten round package of minie balls during the civil war in order to fire and clean the powder residue for the bore. The Williams cleaner minie ball had a zinc washer in the base that cleaned lead and powder residue for the lands and grooves of the bore. The base of the Williams patent cleaner minie ball was not hollow and were used by Union infantrymen. They were not very accurate and most Williams cleaner minie balls are found as "dropped" on the battlefields.

 

[Larry Pletcher]

I often wondered how to keep the BP off the bore walls when reloading. Now I know target shooters use a "drop tube". I have never seen any advertised from the usual BP on-line suppliers. I would like to try using one. I suppose I could make a drop tube out of a length of .500" brass, copper or aluminum tubing. . . . .

I went to an archery shop and found aluminum arrow shafts that telescoped inside one another. By sliding one inside the other, I could match any barrel length I needed. A piece of electrician's tape held it together. You can change to a different barrel length by removing the tape. Tape keeps the aluminum off the barrel walls too. I used a plastic funnel from one of the reloading companies - RCBS I think.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[paulvallandigham]

The problem with the Cleaner Minie, if you think about it, is how to get the darn thing down the barrel when you are under fire! Its a good idea, but not very practical for a battlefield! :hmm:

As to Drop Tubes, look at the suppliers for Black Powder Cartridge reloading supplies. In fact, I think I saw a drop tube being sold by someone like Cabelas in their catalogue.

Most drop tubes are made for a specific gun. The shooter goes to a building supply, or hardward store, and buys a length of aluminum or copper tubing, small enough in diameter to easily slide down the barrel. The tube is cut to length so that it stops short of the bottom, and forward enough to allow the powder to settle in the powder chamber and breech with just the use of Gravity. A funnel is then either taped, glued, or welded( brazed) to the top end of the tube. Wah-Lah! You have your loading tube.

I have seen a few shooters at Friendship using drop tubes. Mostly they show up on the Slug gun range, but I have seen them on other rifle ranges, too.

This is for target shooting, only. I know of no one who drags a drop tube out into the field when hunting. :hmm: :thumbsup:

 

[Jerry Coffee]

I think I had rather just swab the bore with rubbing alcohol between shots instead of fumbling with a drop tube if I am target shooting. The alcohol will be dry a few seconds after pulling the swab out of the bore. Then your bore will be nice and clean for loading powder for a second shot. The lube in the grooves and base of the minie or lube on the patch will then lube the bore as you ram the projectile down. I personally think people are too concerned about lubing the bore and use too much lube. All you need for a PRB is pre-lubed OX-Yoke (or equal) patches and hold the lube to the minimum on minie balls, that is fill the base and grooves and that is it with no lube in the bore.

Leading is a different problem and alcohol will not help. Ballistol (or equal)is needed to clean the leading from the bore but Ballistol that will leave a surface that will collect powder when you reload. In order to avoid leading, don't use tight fitting minie balls (.0015" clearance or less). For example always use a .575" minie ball or .570" PRB in a .577" or .58" caliber rifled bore and you will not have any leading problems. I have no leading at all with Lyman 575213-OS minie balls sized at .575" in my P53 Enfield 3-band .577" caliber rifle musket. The Johnny Rebs did not use the Williams cleaner minie ball.

 

[Zonie]

As I see it, the problem with shooting a patched roundball in some of the barrels with 1:28 and faster twists is that these barrels were made for shooting unpatched elongated bullets.
Because of this, they tend to have very shallow rifling which does not grab onto the cloth patches unless the ball/patch combination is very tight.

The best patched roundball rifling will be at least .007 deep while many of the fast twist barrels have rifling that is .005 or less deep.

 

[nw_hunter]

I had a TC White Mountain carbine that loved prb's.

 

[deanscamaro]

I am one of the the newbies and went to the Rio Salado Range in Mesa, AZ today to watch the State Championship Shoot kicked off (Thursday thru Sunday). I spent a lot of time watching and learning. I especially watched two guys who have been in long rifle shooting for around 30 years each and from what I could learn, were two of the best shooters. One of them was using automobile windshield washer fluid as patch lubricant and cleaner. He lubricated his shooting patch with the fluid, then after every 5 shots, he put a cleaner patch soaked with the fluid for cleaning then followed with a dry wipeout patch before continuing as before. He claimed he had never had any problem with fouling or pitting. Do any of you have feedback on that?

 

[paulvallandigham]

There is a good article in the April issue of Muzzle Blasts that indicate that cleaning between shots will give you better performance. Other than that, the cleaning fluid works.

 

[hepburn4590]

I have a friend that has a Wesson target rifle with a Badger 45 cal 1-18 twist barrel. He has shot PRB in it with sucess. Uses around 70gr of Swiss 3f and a very tight patch/ball combination. I thought it a little heavily charged but the gun shoots center.

 

[CZMark]

Windshield washer fluid works. It is mostly water (60%-80%, depending on brand), mixed with methyl alcohol. Most add a little detergent and possibly a touch of ammonia, and all have blue or purple dye.

 

[Brik847]

My White Mt. Carbine shoots PRB's great.

 

[deanscamaro]

The recommendations I got out at the Rio Solado range were to keep the load somewhere between 20 to 50 grains when shooting paper. They said if I ever wanted to hunt with it, which I probably won't, to shoot conicals or sabots. Thanks for the feedback!