Short Started / Ringed / Bulged Barrels

[roundball]

I can apreciate your caution and that's as it should be...if you run up to the range, try 50/60/70grn charges at 25yds and see what accuracy you get.


As a food-for-thought reference, even T/Cs published load data charts for a .45cal show the max recommended PRB charge up at 110grns Goex 2F.....and from a liability point of view, you know they have plenty of safety margin built in even to publish that max listing...so a 60grn charge is roughly only 50% of their freely publicized max.

 

[mbokie]

Pedersoli lists 90 grns.

My camera is a crappy one. But I may still give it a go and see if I can get you guys some better evidence.

When I cut off that piece, maybe I'll donate it to MLF and we can use it as a bad example. :haha:

 

[roundball]

When I cut off that piece, maybe I'll donate it to MLF and we can use it as a bad example. :haha:

Different strokes...but don't forget the other opportunity.
Rather than waste that much of an investment in a barrel that's already specifically fitted to that stock by cutting it up into little pistol barrel pieces...check to see if you could get Ed Rayl to bore it out smooth.
If so, you'd have a fitted interchangeable smoothbore barrel for small game shot loads for probably no more than $75.

 

[mbokie]

Yeah, you're right.

I'll explore that option with Ed just for the sake of doing it. If Ilike the deal, I'll probably take it.

I've got a smoothie kit coming in January, but you can't have too many flints. The one from Chambers will be a 10 gauge. so I could use a smaller bore for other game.

 

[Stumpkiller]

When I cut off that piece, maybe I'll donate it to MLF and we can use it as a bad example. :haha:

We can display it in the lobby of Muzzleloading Forum Towers next to the 30ft gold statue of Claude in a breechclout.

 

[BrownBear]

Not fair!

It's one thing to make a guy spray hot coffee out his nose, but another to expect him to clean it of his computer! :rotf:

 

[mbokie]

I never knew. :rotf:

Well then, maybe I'll make it my avatar if Ed Rayl says it can't be saved.

 

[contenderfan]

Well, some would say this isn't "fact based" but in my opinion if the bulged barrel shoots good groups it is probably OK. Especially if the bulge is at the muzzle where the pressures during firing are greatly reduced.

That said, I'll now give a "fact based" comment. :grin:

A number of years ago I was visiting a pawn shop and lo and behold! They had a CVA Mountain Rifle!

I looked it over briefly and it seemed to be in good condition so I bought it.

Taking it to the range I found that it couldn't hit a bull in the butt at 50 yards! I'm talking about loose 12 inch groups!

I tried several different powder charges and they didn't help.

Examining the .012 thick patches I was using showed them to be blowing apart so I switched to some .018 thick pillow ticking.
While loading I noticed they started tight for the first 5 or 6 inches and then loosened up, only to return to tight after being rammed another 8 or 10 inches. All indications of a bulged barrel.

These .018 thick patches didn't improve the accuracy and after finding some of them I saw they too were being blown apart.

I should note here that visually the barrel looked fine from the outside. It sure wasn't fine from the inside though.

Following this bad experiance with a bulged barrel I ALWAYS check the bore of a used muzzleloader with a tight fitting oiled patch on a jag before I buy it.
Any sign of looseness as I'm ramming it down the bore will automatically make it a NO SALE.

I agree whole heartedly with this...and I speak from experience. A few years ago, I bought a used .45 t/C Hawken. I ALWAYS run a tight oiled patch down the bore of any muzzleloader I buy used, and this one proved to be fine. My very first range session with this rifle and I was getting 2" groups at 50 yards with the first roundball load I tried. A friend of mine was with me that day and we were talking about how well the rifle was shooting...and before you know it, I short started a ball and shot it without ramming it home.
I really didnt figure it hurt it, so I continued shooting. My 2" groups dissapeared and became shotgun patterns. I checked the bore and sure enough, I had ringed the barrel. The load was only 70 gr. of 3F Goex.
Now Im not saying this will happen to all rifles that get ringed/bulged...but I know for fact that I ruined a damn fine shooting rifle that day for sure. There were no outwards signs of a bulge either, but inspection with a borelight made the ring obvious.

 

[buckhorn]

Some one may have already mentioned this, but I remember reading that the closer the ball is to the powder, there is more likely to be a ring.

One guy at the range had a .45 cal 13/16" barrel
(Green Mountain) and when he first started shooting, short started a couple of times. The patched ball was down the barrel 3" or 4" and there was no bulge after firing.

 

[contenderfan]

My barrel ring was right behind the short started ball...the length of my short starter from the end of the barrel...6" maybe? I definately can happen.

 

[Billnpatti]

I have a fact based experience with a barrel having more than one loose spot in the bore. These loose spots were not due to loading errors but were a manufacturing defect. In talking with one of our better barrel manufacturers, I was told that it occurred when the barrel clamps were over tightened as it was being bored. The over tightened clamps caused a compression of the metal at the location of each clamp. After the clamps were removed, the metal relaxed resulting in a loose spot at each over tightened clamp positions. In the case of my barrel, there were 4 loose spots that could be felt with a tight patch on a jag. The result of this manufacturing error was that the rifle would not group no matter what load/ball/patch/lube combination you put down the bore. Some may suggest that I should have returned it to the manufacturer but it was Italian made. Anyone ever try to deal with any foreign manufacturer? Way more headache that it is worth. I just sold it and bought another rifle. As a result, I will not buy any rifle or smoothbore that has a loose spot anywhere in the bore. Just one of my many peculiarities, I guess.