QLA muzzle and coned muzzle

[Frank Briggs]

I've been reading a lot on this forum.

I've noticed that there are a lot of people that don't like the QLA muzzle.

They post lots of stuf...

"QLA makes it hard to get the patch right"

"Qla hurts accuracy"

"Qla is a gimmick, and does nothing".

Then, I read about coned muzzles.

"Coned muzzels make it easy to load"

"Coned muzzels make it easy to get the patch in"

"Coned muzzels help accuracy"

Now, wait a minute.

Isn't a coned muzzel and a QLA muzzel just different ways of doing the same thing?

Don't they both take the barrel out to groove diameter?

Isn't a QLA pretty much a coned muzzle that's recessed a little bit?

I don't get it!

Can somebody shed some light on this for me?

 

[jim gray]

I've never used a gun with a coned muzzle, but I have a T/C renegade with the QLA. The QLA is like a deep counterbore it is designed to make it easier to load conicals, not roundballs. I shoot roundballs only out of mine and the QLA does make it more difficult to align the patches. It is not a major hindrance, but does slow the loading because I have to make certain that the patch does not slip when I load. To compensate I find that I have to use oversize patches or cut them at the muzzle.

For what it's worth I don't have any complaints about the accuracy as long as I load carefully.

 

[bob1961]

i have a T/C hawken wit the QLA barrel and it makes it easier fer me anyway to load a PRB....cause when i just start the PRB i find i can roll the ball and patch before i shove it level with the muzzle and get it straight then short start it and ram it home with my ram rod no problem....opening mourning of PA's deer season i was at the range to see how my gun was still shooting and with 2" groups at 50 yds and 3" inches off the bullseye at a 100 yds i'm good to go :v ................bob

 

[roundball]

Isn't a QLA pretty much a coned muzzle that's recessed a little bit?

No.

A QLA isn't coned at all so there is no cone effect to make it easier to load a PRB, which is the primary purpose of coning a muzzle;

Just the opposite for the QLA...it is a deep, straight walled false muzzle designed to improve the alignment of conicals to the axis of a bore.

Serves no purpose for a round sphere, adds an additional requirement of special attention when loading PRBs into a QLA, the ability to thumb start a PRB is lost forever, and an inch of rifling is given up for this conical oriented feature.

The only thing in common between a coned muzzle and a QLA is that they're both at the muzzle end of the barrel.

 

[Stubert]

I have a 62 cal. flinter that has a coned barrel, I leave the short starter home. With a coned barrel I can start a ball with my finger and push it down below the crown,then push the load down with the ramrod. This is the first rifle I have that is coned, It is definatly on the list of must haves for any other rifles.