QLA bad or good

[marwat06]

I thought I saw a response that suggested that QLA was a bad thing. I did a search and couldn't find anything, so if this repeat please direct me to the thread.

Is QLA a bad thing? I have a Hawkin T/C 50 Cal with QLA barrel and don't have a problem with it. I am able to seat my ball and patch easier than my non-QLA, a CVA Bobcat 50 Cal.

 

[silverfox]

mwindy: I think the answer you seek is. The QLA is a good thing to have if you shoot maxi or conicals as it allows you to start them straighter in the barrel, should equal better accuracy. Now with PRB several have said they have trouble with the patch sliding off the ball in the QLA due to no rifling to hold it together until engageing the rifling. This would be bad. If you have no trouble loading PRB in your rifle I wouldn't worry about it. Personally I don't have a barrel with the QLA and see no need for one as a quick second shot rarely happens and I can load the first straight.
Does blowby around a PRB in the QLA area effect accuracy I don't know.
Your Bobcat should load harder because you are starting the patch and ball into the rifling at the end of the barrel not 1" deep. You probably hold your short starter or ramrod differently on the Hawkin than on the Bobcat also when your are starting a PRB.
Fox
Fox :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[marwat06]

Thanks for your answer.

 

[Landngroove]

silver fox is correct about loading a PRB with QLA. I use the next larger size patch, (.54) when loading a PRB in my T/C Penn. Hunter Carbine, .50 caliber with QLA. If I use a .50 caliber sized patch, I have to be very careful loading, or else the ball will slip by the patch. Using the .54 sized patch, helps to make loading easier.

 

[gordy]

I have a TC renegade .54cal.with QLA As I shoot only PRB,it serves no purpose for me.Those that shoot conicals seem to think its a good feature.Its even a problem when cutting the patch at the muzzle.I can't say for certain,but I think it tends to destroy accy. when using loads of over 65grs.of powder with PRB.(both Goex BP and Pyrodex) I intend to ream it out to a .56cal. smoothbore before long. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

I have a TC renegade .54cal.with QLA As I shoot only PRB,it serves no purpose for me.Those that shoot conicals seem to think its a good feature.Its even a problem when cutting the patch at the muzzle.I can't say for certain,but I think it tends to destroy accy. when using loads of over 65grs.of powder with PRB.(both Goex BP and Pyrodex) I intend to ream it out to a .56cal. smoothbore before long. :thumbsup:

Gordy, you might consider selling that TC barrel rather than paying to ream it out...then your could just buy a new GM .54cal smoothbore barrel...I got one in 15/16" for a Hawken and it's outstanding...surely they'd have them in 1" barrels for Renegades...you might poke around their website

 

[marwat06]

silver fox is correct about loading a PRB with QLA. I use the next larger size patch, (.54) when loading a PRB in my T/C Penn.

Ok my pre-lubed CVA patches (.015) are for .50 -.58 Caliber. So I assume I am using the "larger patch" for a .50 Cal?

 

[Mad Professor]

I've never loaded a conical in QLA barrel and don't really understand why you need it (for conicals)?

I shoot conicals out of all my guns primarily buffalo and hornadays. They drop down far enough so half the bullet is already inside the muzzle before the rifling is engaged by the bullet, so why do you need a QLA? I push the conical with the heel of my palm to get it flush with the barrel then seat it with the ramrod. Seems getting the conical started into the rifling with the "QLA" with a ramrod/starter will cause more misalinment/deformation than my palm? My experience is for various rifles in 50, 54, and 58 cal. The only time I've ever used a starter for conicals is during a long range session where the callous on my palm is wearing thin!

If anyone IS SHOOTING CONICALS WITH EXPERIENCE with normally crowned barrels AND "QLA" please let me know your thoughts.

P.S. all the PRB shooters please excuse my rantings......

 

[Rebel]

It could be another one of those solutions to a problem that never existed.

 

[frenchymanny]

Stupid question :redface:

What is "QLA"?

Thanks,
Manny

 

[twsteven]

Manny: QLA stands for Quick Load Accurizor. It is something that Thompson Center came up with a number of years ago for their muzzleloader barrels. It consists of overboring about an inch of the barrel at the muzzle end. This results in sort of a false muzzle effect and is supposed to aid in the loading of conical bullets. The thought is that the conicals will drop right in to the first inch of the barrel and stop when the base comes into contact with the rifling. This holds the bullet straight in line with the barrel and keeps it from tipping while being started in the rifling. I rarely shoot conicals and have no problem loading them when I do. And QLA has no beneficial effect when loading round balls. In fact, it seems to make the loading of round balls more difficult. In my opinion, the QLA concept is basically nothing more than a marketing ploy.

 

[roundball]

Well put...and an inch of rifling is lost in the process.
TC has had such an amount of negative reaction to it that they've softened their original stance and now allow barrels to be ordered/specified with or without the QLA design.

 

[frenchymanny]

Thanks for the answer!
I learned something today.

Manny

 

[Landngroove]

The precut T/C .50 caliber patches are 1-1/8" diameter. The .54 precut patches are 1-1/4" diameter. I suspect your patches, are at least 1-1/4". I have other T/C muzzleloaders with QLA, that load a prb somewhat easier than my Penn. Hunter Carbine with QLA. However, overall I see no advantage to QLA when shooting prb's. My T/C muzzleloaders with a regular barrel, load a prb, with a positive feel. I can actually see that my ball is centered in the patch, when using my short starter. With QLA I can't see that it is actually centered as it starts into the crown.

 

[Pittsburghunter]

I have never shot PRB's out of a QLA barrel they do help loading the conicals and sabots I shoot out of them though. I now cut my own patches when shooting roundball but I have not tried doing that yet with a QLA barrel :hmm:


I always wondered if it hurt accuracy but so far they don't seem too.

 

[ryoung14]

I've got QLA in each of my TC inlines, my .50 Greyhawk, and my .50 Black Mountain Magnums. It helps loading the conicals and the sabots, which I normally use for hunting with these guns. Overall, accuracy ranges from good to excellent, but I can't say whether it's better with the QLA than it would be without.

In these guns I use the PRB for plinking with 30 gr. of Pyrodex P. With that load they're all tack drivers. I use a pre-cut Wonderpatch sized for .50-.59 and never have a problem with the .50s. The .58 System One barrel is a little tricky to load with the PRB because the pre-cut patch is barely large enough and the QLA makes it hard to keep it precisely centered. Just takes a little more care, is all.
Bob