.32 fouling ?

I was getting ready to order a .32 flintlock but several friends have told me stories about them needing to be kept very clean between shots or they would not be reliable. Any thoughts?

I have no problem with fouling. I use 3F Swiss and sometimes Schuetzen or Goex. None of these powders give me any fouling problems. But, there is no question, Swiss so clean much cleaner.

What make of lock are you useing?

I used to have a .32 caliber percussion Pedersoli rifle and it seemed to be more prone to fouling than my other rifles. It was sensitive to which lubes I used. I tried several different commercial lubes but they all seemed to give more fouling in the .32 than I had when using them in my .50 caliber T/C Hawken. But, when I used straight Ballistol on my patches (moist but not real wet) I got a lot more shots between needing to wipe my bore. What really solved the problem was when I started wiping between each shot with a patch with just a bit of water on it. Damp, not wet. Just run it down in one stroke and out in one stroke with no pumping. That little .32 will shoot like a dream once you find the load that it wants. Squirrels, bunnies or paper targets, they won't stand a chance. Talk to Tim Hamblin. He has built several small bore rifles and will know more about them than I do. Chuck Paul is another good source of info. :hatsoff:

I will give them a call. Good to hear from you again.

no fouling in my 32 , only lube I use is pure neatsfoot oil.

My pedersoli .32 was a PIA. I sold it due to the fouling issue. My crocket has no issues nor does a .36 CVA i have. Good luck! May r=try other patch lubes as suggested but I tried bout all I knew of (not ballistol) and all were a PIA!

Most any grease lube will turn fouling into a gooey mess that prevents more than two (maybe three) shots from being loaded without cleaning the bore. Liquid lubes are more forgiving. I shoot both a .36 and a .32 and don't have to swab the bores even after dozens of shots.

The "secret" is that I use Hoppes #9 Plus BP lube and I load a "snug" ball/patch combo. The Hoppes lubed prb pushes the fouling down on the powder when it's seated; a loose fit doesn't work. When the rifle is fired you end up with ONE (1) shot s fouling in the bore. Spit patch works almost as well. I save my grease prb for the woods so if I don't get a shot I can leave the gun loaded. If multiple shots are expected to be (squirrel) fired I have the option of carrying several Hoppes lubed patches to save time. My small bores foul no more than the large ones.

I use Hoppes #9 as well and t didnt work in mine. Works in all the others though (and the crockett), I swear by it!

Like the rest, I have no issues with my 32 Left Hand Finter fouling using 3F Goex. It has a Douglas 35" barrel.

Target shooting I use water for lube. Winter I use Windshield washer fluid. When I first started shooting it I wanted to see how long it would take to foul because I heard all these stories too. I can run 30 or more shots with no extra wiping except I get a bit of a ring where the powder meets the ball after about 20 shots. I used a wet patch to get rid of that, wipe dry and keep shooting. I tried the many shots no wiping 4 or 5 times and it worked out the same way each time. Most I put through was 58 shots.

Now when I target shoot, I use a wet patch every 5 shots, because that matches what I do hunting.

I use Mink Oil or Hoppes for hunting lube. When I hunt, I use a wet patch after every 5 shots but there aren't many days hunting where I shoot more than 10 or 15 shots sand I have had no issues with fouling.

Spit for lube during extended range sessions. No wiping necessary.

I've been studying the MSDS for Hoppes 9 Plus, trying to work out why it seems to be good for BP. Allowing for the fact that the quantities given for the ingredients are deliberately vague, at best it's 50% water, at worst 86%. In reality it's probably somewhere in between.

Tends to support hanshi's comment about liquid lubes, at least in small bores.

+1 on spit lube

I had more fouling in my 32 but others say no difference. Mine wasn't bad enough for me to give up on and it was only a little worse, not real bad. I just had to swab between shots or accuracy would suffer. On another not since some see no real difference or problems it would seem it depends on how you load and your shooting regiment. Change it till you find what works best for you.

I had a .32 rifle and I solved the problem very easily. Just swab the barrel down and up once with a damp patch between each shot... Even when hunting it only takes a second. And if your at the range why hurry enjoy the fun!

How many of you fellows are shooting flint vs percussion. Could that account for the different experiences? I was looking at a flinter.

Both my examples were cap sorry (i dont believe it matters though, flint woulda been worse in mine due to pushing fouling down as for some reason there was ALOT of it! (using same can of powder for both the pedersoli and the crocket). Not sure crocket comes in flint? That would be nice.

I shoot a 32, however it is a caplock, but the tiny barrel, and tiny ram rod seems to make it worse. I use a very light charge, and a felt wad, between the patched ball and powder. I got a strong aluminum ram rod, and that makes a lot of difference. Getting the ball/patch diameter is critical. The ram rod was a gift, so I don't know who made it. It is anodized, copper colored, and very stiff.

Swiss 3F and some spit or Lehigh Lube will cure the issue. Swiss 3F is the cats me-ow in small bore rifles.... :thumbsup:

Keith Lisle

I have a Pedersoli .32 Frontier Flint. I use Spit patches except when I hunt and sometimes I need to wipe the bore with a spit patch to make it easier to ram ball but that is like every 4-5 shot.(Sometimes I think it depends more on the humidity) Takes a second and back to shooting. I love that gun very fun to shoot.