Tips for easier loading?

[mattlisa15]

Howdy. I got my first muzzleloading rifle a couple of months ago and have been experimenting to get the best accuracy. I had started shooting my Traditions .50 Kentucky flintlock with a .015 patch but didn't have much accuracy and when I found the shot patches they were burned all the way through. So I switched to a .018 patch and found that my accuracy was great and the patches appear to be surviving with only minor burning. The only problem is, even though I am using a prelubed patch, it is hard as heck to ram that ball home. I find myself having to pound on the rod to get it completely seated. I never had that problem with the .015 patch. Is this typical or can I do something to seat the ball easier? Maybe put extra lube on the patch? Thanks --Matt

 

[rabjr]

Thats pretty typical when you start using thicker patches. You can try a slightly smaller ball and see how things are. Your probably using a .490 ball right now?

 

[nchawkeye]

Smaller balls and thicker patches...This is why many roll their own...

You could also try using a .018 patch as the first shot and then load a .015 without cleaning...I've got one rifle that shoots much better with a thicker patch but once the bore fouls will do fine with a thinner...

 

[mattlisa15]

Yes, a .490 ball. I hate to change anything because it is shooting so well now. I may just accept the tighter fit.

 

[armymedic.2]

also, you can forget a "prelubes" patch if you are having trouble loading. you gotta lube em. any recipe will do but i use-
murphy's, alchohol, hydrogen peroxide, equal parts.

i was using hoppes patch lube stubbornly until i had to have my buddy help me pound a ball in my .36 one time, and he "made" me try his home brew. second ball to go down with that recipe went slick, with no "ramming" necessary, and every other one has too. so nice to push a ball instead of beat a ball. The right lube can really make your life easier.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Yes, a .490 ball. I hate to change anything because it is shooting so well now. I may just accept the tighter fit.

Several things to consider.
Is the ball pure soft lead? It needs to be. Hard cast is hard loading.
You will (probably) not be shooting only 'X's in competition. Guns devoted to range work frequently have very tight ball patch combos and hard loading is de riguer.
For field work (hunting, rendezvous, etc.) minor changes with slight loss of accuracy is not a problem. Many, myself included, drop a ball size when loading from the bag.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I like a heavily lubed patch with a leather wad between the prb and the powder. I find that the leather wad helps clear any fouling left from swabing,as well as protecting the powder charge from the lube. To give this a try just fold over some dry patches and push them down after the powder, then your lubed prb.Try it You'll like it! :idunno:

 

[roundball]

also, you can forget a "prelubes" patch if you are having trouble loading. you gotta lube em.

Wonder if that might be a unique problem to your situation...not sure that's an across the board problem.
Always used .010" under bore sized balls with .018"-.022" pillow ticking, for about 14,000 shots now from several caliber barrels over almost 20 years I've never had that experience...have always used precut/prelubed factory Oxyoke and/or T/C labeled patches and they've always worked like they should.

In the cold winter months when its dry/low humidity I do add some Hoppes liquid lube to a bag of patches keep the bore fouling soft so I don't have to wipe between shots at range sessions...but so far, never just for loading.

 

[C Barker]

Always used .010" under bore sized balls with .018"-.022" pillow ticking, for about 14,000 shots now from several caliber barrels over almost 20 years I've never had that experience...have always used precut/prelubed factory Oxyoke and/or T/C labeled patches and they've always worked like they should.

In the cold winter months when its dry/low humidity I do add some Hoppes liquid lube to a bag of patches keep the bore fouling soft so I don't have to wipe between shots at range sessions...but so far, never just for loading.

Where do you find .022" pillow ticking? .018" no problem, but .022"? :idunno:

 

[tg]

How much powder are you using? cutting back in powder charge can get good groups with a looser combo at times.

 

[MSW]

I agree with the consensus: you shouldn't have to whack the ball. this can only lead to busted ramrods, deformed or marked up balls, and all manner of unpleasantness.

I would try a smaller ball. If you go to Track of the Wolf's website, you will see a section where you can buy a few hundred hand cast balls of various diameters, and try them out. once you hit upon a combination which works, get a mold in that size and a source of pure lead and cast your own. It's easy, not complicated, and safe if you use common sense.

you might also want to check out Dutch Schoultz' monograph at
www.blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com/

this costs, if i remember correctly, twenty or twenty five dollars and will be among the best investments you've made in the hobby.

one guy's free opinion, and no doubt well worth the price.

 

[armymedic.2]

possibly, rb

i have had that issue with a 54 and a 36. if it was tight enough to shoot well, a prelubed just wasn't gettin it done. sad to hear that might be unique for all the learnin i had to do, but happy to hear everyone elses experience has been more pleasant.


the worst was the 36, new poder charge in, had powder stickin to the sides, and it woujld straight up stop the ball halfway down, needed that wet lube to keep it soft and moving. silly easy with it, impossible after 4-5 shots wihtout.


i also guess i should state i do not swab my bore until im cleanin it at the end of the day.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

My first flinter could shoot bug hole groups but was hard loading with a .020 patch. Switching to .015 made easier loading but accuracy was not as good. So I struggled with jamming that load down the barrel. Then I was told about using some dry lube felt wads. Wow, what a difference. Now using a dry lube felt wad, from TOW, on top of the powder charge I can even use .010 patching and still get the gild edge accuracy I got with the heavier patch. Try it, it is a cheap experiment and it might work for you. YMMV

 

[paulvallandigham]

We ask a lot- some say too much-- from a piece of cloth and a round lead ball- hoping that the combination and some lube will seal the bore, grab the ball, impart the spin from the rifling to the ball, and center the ball in the barrel on the lands. When you find the right combination of ball diameter, for a particular bore diameter barrel, and then the correct thickness of fabric to use for patching, and add the correct kind of lube, it all comes together and is a thing of beauty.

You went from .020" thick patching, down to .015" thick patching. You need to try .017 and .018" thick fabrics to see if they don't give you the right combination in that gun to both seal the bore, and provide the kind of accuracy you had with the thicker material.

Wash the fabric( even pre-cut, DRY patches) a couple of times to remove the "sizing" a starch-like product put into the cloth at the mills to help it lay flat for shipping. The companies who pre-cut patches, and sell them without lube, don't remove the sizing. The sizing does not affect their machinery for cutting the patches. Washing will "soften" the fabric, and make it stretch easier. You might find that by washing that .020" thick fabric, you can now used it without help getting it started in the muzzle. :thumbsup:

Washing the fabric also allows the fabric to soak up lube faster, and more thoroughly, and that also helps the fabric stretch when needed to get the PRB down the bore. :hmm: :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

Where do you find .022" pillow ticking? .018" no problem, but .022"? :idunno:

Oxyoke precut/prelubed heavy cotton patches labeled .020" actually measure .022" with my calibers.

And to give you a comparison...their bags of precut/prelubed pillow ticking labeled .018" actually measure .018" with my calipers.

 

[majg1234]

I'm with FPD on this one,I use dry lubed 45 cal patches(from my ruger old army pistol) on my 40cal TVM and 015 patches prelubed with homemade beeswax and olive oil,"'ole smokey" usually turns in a less than 1/2" 3 shotgroup @25yds and less than 1" @60yrds,seems the wool patch clears fowling on the way down,I've shot as many as 15 shots with no problems with loading,don't think I'll try anything else @ this point

 

[C Barker]

Where do you find .022" pillow ticking? .018" no problem, but .022"? :idunno:

Oxyoke precut/prelubed heavy cotton patches labeled .020" actually measure .022" with my calibers.

And to give you a comparison...their bags of precut/prelubed pillow ticking labeled .018" actually measure .018" with my calipers.

Sounds good. Will try. Thanks. :bow: :hatsoff: :thumbsup:

 

[RBrooks]

Help me out Flash Pan...I went to TOW site and
the offer a wool felt "dry" wad or patch but
they do not mention lubed. Is the dry felt
patch what you are recommending? I'd like to
try that technique

 

[roundball]

Oxyoke 'Wonderwads'...they're prelubed with 'Wonderlube'.

 

[BrownBear]

I haven't tried the Oxyoke prelubed, but I greatly respect RBs reports and experience with them.

I will add that I gave up on .018 ticking prelubes after shooting up several packs of TC brand I got. Those things were stiff as boards, and really hard to load, clearly because TC didn't even bother to wash out the sizing (sort of a starch) before lubing. Those patches were a train wreck from beginning to end.

Turns out there is .018" and then there is .018". My solution was to buy pillow ticking from the Walmart fabric department, run it through the washer and dryer, then cut and lube my own patches. The resulting ticking and patches are soft as a baby's behind and load with about 10% of the effort of those TC prelubes. Yet they're still .018 and enough fabric for close to 1,000 of them cost less than a pack of 100 TC prelubes.

One thing not mentioned so far: If you're still having difficulty loading the Oxyoke .018" prelubes and go back to .015", you can use a folded patch on top of the powder rather than a lubed felt button. I don't know if it would be any cheaper, but at least you could get by with carrying one less thing in your bag.