To clean or not clean??

[Hesp]

Shooting my Lyman GP 54 cal with 80grs FF Triple 7 . Lee REAL 300gr. Great accuracy!! Go home clean the bore thoroughly . Go out & shoot again, first shot way low & left. Second shot , up closer to center. Next shots shoot clover leafs, dead center. Great.. Then clean, & it starts all over again. I'm using Bore Butter 1000 + as a lube. It states not to clean after shooting, except if the rifle will be sitting for an extended amount of time. The bore is now seasoned. They say just wipe the bore down with a patch , with some BB on it. . I was at the range this morning. Same story. Rifle shooting great now after a couple of shots. So, my elk hunt starts this Saturday, the 9th. Did not clean it today. Wiped the bore with a light coat of BB 1000, & left it. Your thoughts??

 

[nchawkeye]

I sight in with a clean bore, then take a couple of shots without cleaning to see where she hits, in case a follow up shot is needed quickly...This is for hunting...When I shot in competition, I cleaned between each shot...

 

[deerstalkert]

i have a TC new Englander with a bore like an Idaho dirt road that the first owner did what you are asking about.

 

[TreeMan]

There is no such thing as seasoning a steel barrel. That was a bore butter marketing gimmick. You season cast iron not steel. If your gun doesn’t shoot well with a clean bore then work up a load that does. That includes changing projectiles. Always clean your gun even when using triple 7. Do not let it sit with a fouled barrel.

 

[Sam squanch]

Clean it or be sorry. More rifles have been ruined by all this “ seasoning “ BS than anything else. When I went to look at a gun for sale, I would make it a point to look around at the guy’s shooting supplies. If I saw bore butter, TC bore cleaner, or jars of pyrodex, 99 times out of 100 the rifle for sale was a rusty mess inside.

 

[Phil Coffins]

It’s too late to redevelop a load, go hunt with what works then after the hunt you can learn a better way to get predictable results.

 

[Hesp]

Thanks for all the info. I have kept my bore sparkling clean so far. Shines like a new nickel, top to bottom. Have not had a problem with the Bore Butter. Has worked perfectly for me. Never have shot any real black powder thru this rifle. Only substitute black powder. Seems you all have answered my question.
I have cast my Lee REAL 300gr bullets from a 90% pure lead, mixed with 10% scrap wheel weights to make it a bit harder. Wonder if they were cast from pure lead only, would that make a difference?

 

[TreeMan]

Thanks for all the info. I have kept my bore sparkling clean so far. Shines like a new nickel, top to bottom. Have not had a problem with the Bore Butter. Has worked perfectly for me. Never have shot any real black powder thru this rifle. Only substitute black powder. Seems you all have answered my question.
I have cast my Lee REAL 300gr bullets from a 90% pure lead, mixed with 10% scrap wheel weights to make it a bit harder. Wonder if they were cast from pure lead only, would that make a difference?

Yes pure lead is the ticket.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have cast my Lee REAL 300gr bullets from a 90% pure lead, mixed with 10% scrap wheel weights to make it a bit harder. Wonder if they were cast from pure lead only, would that make a difference?

Don’t know how hard an alloy you ended up with, but it’s possibly a contributing factor. Pure speculation on my part, but could see the Lee REAL made out of a harder alloy when compared to pure lead not fully upsetting (sealing the bore) as quickly in a clean bore vs a fouled bore, possibly changing the POI as the barrel fouls. Two things to try, one at a time, time permitting before hunting begins, would be a slightly oversized felt wad, or maybe a veggie wad. Should seal the bore up better to get some consistency. Another thing to try is FFF T7 if you have any. Will build pressure quicker and help seal the bore when the bore is clean, if my assumption is correct.

Personally, don’t care for TC Bore Butter for lubing conicals. Runs everywhere in the summer heat and gets hard as rock when it’s below freezing.

Have found the Lee REAL to perform best when cast from pure lead (5 BHN), and in some guns, a 40:1 alloy (8 BHN).

Rifle shooting great now after a couple of shots. So, my elk hunt starts this Saturday, the 9th. Did not clean it today. Wiped the bore with a light coat of BB 1000, & left it. Your thoughts??

Thoughts? With season days away, go with what seems to work. I do have question for you though. How does the gun shoot after it sits for a few days or week with a fouled chamber and bore, not just consecutive shots during the same range session?

Hope things go well for you come Saturday.

 

[Hesp]

I went out & fired up my lead pot. Before I knew it I had 65 pure lead Lee REAL 300gr bullets. Definitely softer than the ones I was using. I will go to the range ( about 3 miles ) in the morning & do another shoot. Let you know what happens tomorrow.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Shooting my Lyman GP 54 cal with 80grs FF Triple 7 . Lee REAL 300gr. Great accuracy!! Go home clean the bore thoroughly . Go out & shoot again, first shot way low & left. Second shot , up closer to center. Next shots shoot clover leafs, dead center. Great.. Then clean, & it starts all over again. I'm using Bore Butter 1000 + as a lube. It states not to clean after shooting, except if the rifle will be sitting for an extended amount of time. The bore is now seasoned. They say just wipe the bore down with a patch , with some BB on it. . I was at the range this morning. Same story. Rifle shooting great now after a couple of shots. So, my elk hunt starts this Saturday, the 9th. Did not clean it today. Wiped the bore with a light coat of BB 1000, & left it. Your thoughts??

Take a penny and tape it to the tube of Bore Butter and throw it as far as you can that way when some poor fool finds it , it will be worth something.

 

[R Ellis]

I went out & fired up my lead pot. Before I knew it I had 65 pure lead Lee REAL 300gr bullets. Definitely softer than the ones I was using. I will go to the range ( about 3 miles ) in the morning & do another shoot. Let you know what happens tomorrow.

Also try cleaning between shots. The first shot is always the one that counts so sight in for that shot with a clean barrel the other shots are not as critical really doesn't matter if the other shots move a little in a hunting situation to me anyway. I just want that first one on target where i am aiming

 

[Daveboone]

I shoot league using Bore Butter and patched ball. (heads up...BB is no longer made!!!!) . I do not do any cleaning or wiping between shots, and can usually go about twenty shots before I need to run a few patches. Fouling is minimal. BUT....absolutely without fail clean your rifle when your shooting for the day (one shot or fifty) is done. Nothing will prevent a rusted mess. and as much as I like BB, "seasoning" is horse poopy..

 

[morehops52]

I have always used BB for lubing my maxis (until lately). NEVER used it as a bore protectant. That's what high quality gun oils are for (or non-petroleum equiv). Every time it gets shot it gets thoroughly cleaned.

 

[SDSmlf]

I went out & fired up my lead pot. Before I knew it I had 65 pure lead Lee REAL 300gr bullets. Definitely softer than the ones I was using. I will go to the range ( about 3 miles ) in the morning & do another shoot. Let you know what happens tomorrow.

Sounds good, although I world have available a way to create a wad between the powder. If you don’t have a decent oversized felt wad, consider a couple folded patches (like the cotton or non-synthetic patches one would use with a roundball) rammed on top of the powder. I’ve seen this technique improve accuracy (group size) significantly.

Good luck at the range tomorrow.

 

[ETipp]

I have always used BB for lubing my maxis (until lately). NEVER used it as a bore protectant. That's what high quality gun oils are for (or non-petroleum equiv). Every time it gets shot it gets thoroughly cleaned.

Indeed. Despite what some may claim, I too, have gotten very good accuracy when using BB for conical(s) as well as PRB. Never had an issue with it. However, I did not use it as an anti-rust product.

I have since went to TOTW Mink Oil for lube and Ballistol for rust protection.

With that said, I never bought into the barrel seasoning hype of BB, not even way back when it first came out.

Also noteworthy, being solely a hunter first, I will always clean my ML's after use. If I cannot begin with a clean bore, then that ML will be finding another home.

 

[Wisconsin Relic]

Be aware of this: I’ve been shooting muzzleloaders for 50+ years with no problems. This year for the first time I used bore butter that I got from my brother in law. After a few afternoons at the range, made a final cleaning and lastly a patch with a bit of bore butter on it, before leaving for deer camp. My son and I prepped our guns the same way and we were each shooting .50 cal. plains type rifles. At the end of the second day of hunting we decided to fire the guns- only the caps snapped on both guns, neither main charge fired. (We had snapped caps before loading). Upon inspection, we found there was no powder in either percussion drum. We poured in some powder through the nipple hole, installed the nipples back in, put on fresh caps and both guns fired perfectly.

Apparently, the bore butter had prevented the powder from flowing into the drum. So, after loading your hunting load, I suggest removing the nipple and checking if you have powder in the drum.

 

[moonlori83]

I shoot league using Bore Butter and patched ball. (heads up...BB is no longer made!!!!) . I do not do any cleaning or wiping between shots, and can usually go about twenty shots before I need to run a few patches. Fouling is minimal. BUT....absolutely without fail clean your rifle when your shooting for the day (one shot or fifty) is done. Nothing will prevent a rusted mess. and as much as I like BB, "seasoning" is horse poopy..

I use the old fashioned spit patch for my match shooting. Seems to work just fine for my days worth of shooting real BP. 25-35 shots.
Then a regular hot water clean once I'm home. Lightly oil bore after dry with Breakfree CLP.
No issues with rust, etc. ever since doing it this way since the '70s or so.
Just some thoughts.

 

[SPQR70AD]

Clean it or be sorry. More rifles have been ruined by all this “ seasoning “ BS than anything else. When I went to look at a gun for sale, I would make it a point to look around at the guy’s shooting supplies. If I saw bore butter, TC bore cleaner, or jars of pyrodex, 99 times out of 100 the rifle for sale was a rusty mess inside.

yes real black powder prevents rust and actually cleans out old rust

 

[SDSmlf]

This year for the first time I used bore butter that I got from my brother in law.…………. Apparently, the bore butter had prevented the powder from flowing into the drum. So, after loading your hunting load, I suggest removing the nipple and checking if you have powder in the drum.

Comes down to a clean dry bore if you want that instant ignition.