What am I doing wrong? Confused
- Thread starter Rusnapperhead
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2013
- Messages
- 20,091
- Reaction score
- 1,023
You can fix that problem by using MAP and swabbing after each shot. or you can forego swabbing and use Pyrodex P
Confusuious say if you use dry patch in barrel you be back wanting more help soon. NO DRY PATCHES. You been purrty lucky so far, dry patch only after cleaning and followed by oil/barricade etc.
As others have stated, don't use "Wonder Lube". As I've always contended.....what's so "wonderful" about Wonder Lube?
Go to your local pharmacy and pick up a box of alcohol swabs. They are cheap and easy to keep a bunch in your possibility bag.
When you think you need to swab the barrel, just pull out an alcohol patch and run it down the barrel.....ONLY ONCE. Alcohol will take out a good bunch of crud....plus...the alcohol dries quickly and will not be in the barrel to get absorbed by your next powder charge.
Go to your local pharmacy and pick up a box of alcohol swabs. They are cheap and easy to keep a bunch in your possibility bag.
When you think you need to swab the barrel, just pull out an alcohol patch and run it down the barrel.....ONLY ONCE. Alcohol will take out a good bunch of crud....plus...the alcohol dries quickly and will not be in the barrel to get absorbed by your next powder charge.
Do you have a flash hole pick ? Just clear out the flash hole every few shots if your using a lubed patch and round ball you should be okSo; I’m shooting my flintlock for first time. Shot great first 3 time then wouldn’t fire.
after each shot I swabbed with dry patch; using wonder lube with patch before ball. Shooting 3f Goetz powder started with 50 grains. Successfully pulled ball with range rod. Didn’t have a pick liner.
returned home; cleaned well with hot water and dawn soap. Oiled with crc 3-36 and left upside down in house for the night.
today; took back out shot 5 times then wouldn’t fire again. This time found a piece of copper wire and ran it through vent line after each shot along with dry patch swabbed barrel. Again was able to pull ball with range rod
just finished cleaning again; what am I doing wrong? Suggestions? Before next shooting?
You could use Hoppes black powder lube and solvent as a patch lube and keep on shooting without any swabbing, each shot cleans after the last one.
Some say not to leave a ball patched with this stuff in the barrel for an extended period of time (months) as it might form a rust ring. If you are going to clean after you shoot it won't be a problem.
Some say not to leave a ball patched with this stuff in the barrel for an extended period of time (months) as it might form a rust ring. If you are going to clean after you shoot it won't be a problem.
I have a 54 cal and I can load and shoot and load and shoot. No swabbing between shots. With help from the guys at my club I discoverded that with a tight patch and ball combo with just enough lube the gun fires every time. No need to swab the barrel between shots.
Let me add my 2 cents.
When I am at the range or club shoots and going to be shooting 10-40 rounds, I use a water soluble oil based patch lube. "moose milk" or the equivalent. I think there are about a bizilion mixes that are in the web, or you can get it commercially. I use a mix made from Ballistol.
This lube swabs the bore as you load the next round. I shoot literally all day with no swabbing. The added benefit is it minimizes the smoldering patches that we are firing into the woods.
If I am hunting, I use a greased patch and plan to shoot once!
When I am at the range or club shoots and going to be shooting 10-40 rounds, I use a water soluble oil based patch lube. "moose milk" or the equivalent. I think there are about a bizilion mixes that are in the web, or you can get it commercially. I use a mix made from Ballistol.
This lube swabs the bore as you load the next round. I shoot literally all day with no swabbing. The added benefit is it minimizes the smoldering patches that we are firing into the woods.
If I am hunting, I use a greased patch and plan to shoot once!
Some great answers and I have little to add. A better lube like Young Country allows me to shoot over 200 shots a day without swabbing and if a ball gets a little harder to get down I add more to the patch for the next shot and it clears it up.
I let wonder lube grow moss.
I let wonder lube grow moss.
Eric Knows. Another benifit from Hoppes Blk Pwdr solvent and patch lube is your push the crud down onto the powder for the next shot and shooting it out! I have used this for years prior to getting the Dutch system and still use it for plinking n such! Gettcha some! Make sure it say Black Powder as there is a real similar product for CF rifles (also a great product).
RG96
32 Cal
did you clean the frizzen in between shots?
ya! could easily be a flint issue (needs knapping etc.).
I wipe the pan, frizzen, and flint after each shot. That way you don't end up with soup in the pan.
ADK Bigfoot
ADK Bigfoot
Flinty Scot
40 Cal
You could try alcohol for you wet wipe; works well for me. Dries quickly, so you don't dampen the next charge.
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 3,240
- Reaction score
- 7,178
Use a cleaner for swabbing, not a lube! No dry patches before a wet cleaner one! When I swab between shots, I stop short of the breech plug 1" by use of a mark on the RR.
Another helper........ if you swab up and down once, then pump it a few times quickly, so the pumping will help clear the touch hole. A touch hole should really be named "TOUCHY HOLE". If there is fouling plugging the vent, your flinter will either not go bang or fizzle like a roman candle.
Crow-Feather
32 Cal.
A Windex with Vinegar and water 50/50 mix works best if you have to swab. But I can not believe that in the middle of a battle with whatever, fur trappers swabbed their bore tween shots nor faced a sticking ball using their wooden ramrods because they didn't. The one item we use that was not used back when, was petroleum. I use moose milk, bore butter, and no swabbing tween shots but I never use petroleum products (oil) in or on my rifles. Ever wonder why people say to store centerfire rifles barrel down in the safe? So the oil in the action and barrel won't soak into the stock.
hanshi
Cannon
That's the reason I use Barricade in the bore. It dries and leaves a molecular film that doesn't have to be swabbed out and you don't have to store guns muzzle down.
Spit patch without wiping between shots works for me. Might not work with heavy loads. Heavy charges might have to wipe with a damp patch once in a while. I'm sorta new to flintlocks myself so crud in the breech blocking the vent might get me one of these days. No, probly not, I only shoot light loads. That powder don't grow on trees, you know.
I'm not a fan of using an acid such as vinegar for cleaning or wiping the barrel. Unless the vinegar is thoroughly washed out, there is a possibility of forming rust. For wiping between shots, rubbing alcohol does a great job and dries quickly. Too much anti petroleum based misinformation out there. Advocates of the animal based lubes use WD40, Ballistol and Barricade, all petroleum based. Use a good neutral ph based lubricant and you will be protecting your barrel from fouling build up.
I fully agree with all who are telling you to lose the greasy patches; you will get a nasty build-up just above where the ball seats within a few shots. The only time to use grease of any kind is in situations where the gun will remain loaded for an extended period (hunting?) I use only water with dish detergent. Soak a stack of patches in that (I use pill bottles to carry my wet patches around) To use the patch, squeeze as much water out as you can before loading. Each load removes the fouling from the previous shot, if therew is any. If you think you are getting some build-up, slobber on the next patch to get it really soaked, and load s l o w l y so that the slobber has time to soften the fouling on the way down. You should pretty much be able to shoot all day that way.
