PRB stuck in barrel

[Dr5x]

Sergeant Major.

A patch's purpose is to creat i perfect seal around the ball so that none of the powder power bypasses the ball.
If a person uses two patches he has found that his material is way too thin to create that seal but two times that thickness better serves his purpose.
The ,015 and .018 patches you mentioned are not those thicknesses when they are crushed between ball and barrel wall. When crushed tightly in the jaws of a micrometer you can see how thick that material is when in use. If you buy six different materials that measure .018 for instance and crush them one at a time with a micrometer you will probably find six different measurement usually a boy 60% as thick as the stated measurement from seller.

Getting that perfect for your rifle can give amazing results. In my experience. Pyrodex is OK for percussion rifles but requires extra care in cleaning.

Why did you switch from conicals?

DutchSchoultz

 

[SgtMaj65]

Got tired of conicals and cost went way up, plus I really only hunted deer and wasn't much into targets with muzzleloaders. We got a new outdoor range near my town, and I go there every week, and love burning BP once again. Plus, I had always been interested in patched round balls, but I had a friend way back tell me they were just not accurate at all. I shouldn't have listened. I've found them to be more accurate than conicals, after messing around a bit with different configurations, patches, lubes and powder loads. I love 'em now. :thumbsup:
Plus, I like the tradition of the PRB.

 

[don hepler]

I have run in to the same problem. I had a turkey down and was trying to reload. I put so much pressure on the ram rod, that I broke it off in the bore. I could not get it out. Lucky, I did not need a follow up shot. But it did cause me to rethink my shooting process. First, I got a heavy aluminum rod, second, I use a thinner patch for my follow up shots.

I tested the thinner patch and it did not shoot as good as my .018 patch, but, it was acceptable for a follow up shot.

I was using Pyrodex, also. I went to Black MZ, because it has very little fouling. Of course it's not really a fair comparison, because I am using the Black MZ in small caliber rifles. .32 and .36

I think you should go to "Walley-World" and get some various sizes of duck cloth and pocket drill. They will sell you small pieces.

I have some rifles that use .018 and a .32 that only needs .010. A lot depends on the ball size and depth of rifling.

 

[JKushner]

That is pretty much what I did before going back out. Loaded the gun and one reload with same patch. Next reload had thin patch. Will be trying different patch thickness in the future. When the temp gets out of single digits. Yah, I'm a whimp.
Never noticed any ignition issues with Pyrodex but will take all the helpful suggestions here into account when shooting. Thanks much everyone.

 

[Captjoel]

I also live in northern MI and can very easily relate to having to wait for the temps to go back up a bit before shooting fun can still be considered FUN! It is currently 8 below zero with a fairly brisk breeze a blowin' :shocked2:

 

[don hepler]

I went to "Wally-World" and bought 1/2 yard of a couple different types of cotton material. I cut them into round patches and then tested them at the range. Try different thickness and different lubes and stick with what works.

I shoot several different rifles, from .32 to .54 and keep notes on each. It's still a work in process and probably will continue to be.