Cleaning between rounds

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Loading steps, always the same
I started shooting in the west. Could easily load ten shots without a wipe. Then moved to the Ozarks. Three or four shots my loads were tight, and had to hammer down more than one ball. Umph
I have used a lot of spit patch. It helps.
Learned to swab with a damp patch between shots from Rifleman76, it works for me.
Oh I have loaded without swabing, often since I started it, but it’s not what I normally do
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Get you your pattern and do it. Don’t deviate or if you do make sure you need to and you aren’t going to screw up.
Powder, projectile all the way down, prime shoot.
Everything else is fluff. Ml are very forgiving of ball/patch size or conicals or lube.
A real man shoots flint, a wise man knows to use caps, if God wanted you to shoot smoothbore he wouldn’t have created rifles, if you can’t hit with a smoothie maybe you need another sport, bore butter will make your children stupid, bore butter saves ml for another century.
Learn what you do, watch and learn from others, pick up your ‘best’ and do it, cause your way is the best way.
By the by
Any man who doesn’t swab between shots would pun, eat mayonnaise on his French fries, put fruit slices in his beer and turn up his nose to haggis
In other words be an unsavory person to be around

I’ve shot matches in two different clubs. One was using a percussion rifle in 45 cal and the other was using flint in 40 cal.
I wiped between shots. I had to. Shooting 20 plus rounds in an afternoon I had to wipe and then almost clean after the third or fourth shot. If I did not I would maybe shoot three rounds and then have a stuck ball.
Wiping is a wet patch followed by dry patches. Then working out fouling if needed.
You have to find what works for you.

This does count shooting on my own or with family.

Barrel Powder, load all contribute to how often you clean or wipe.
I’m sure the smart guys will have fun with how often do you clean or wipe.

And... I forgot to add, when I was shooting my flintlock without wiping at the club I was outshooting the percussion shooting wipers.

And, my dad could have beat up your dad.

Personally, I think I developed wiping between shots from reading something from Dutch Schultz about maintaining the approximate same barrel condition for each shot. Also, shooting a flintlock, a slightly damp patch that goes down, then flipped goes down again, help to make sure no lingering embers in the barrel.
This is at the range. On a woodswalk, it would not happen after every shot.

I did not read all the responses....but...
Generally, most readers here shoot black powder. (most). I have shot T7, and it certainly is very clean burning, near smokeless in care. I still got best accuracy with it after a wipe every 3-4 shots. Ultimately I returned to black powder, as it was the most predictable, consistent and available.

fishmusic said:

Dutch had an excellent method of working up a load by methodically changing variables one at a time. That is a tried and true method for many things. I have tried Dutch's method with good result but when it came to the dry patch method I had some reservations. I have since learned that a wet patch seems better for my rifle,

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Yes, I learned from his method but the dry lube concept never quite worked for me, either. I have a couple of club friends who believe in the dry lube method but most of us continue to use a wet patch. I have long held that what works for one rifle does not necessarily work for another!

I'm new to traditional muzzleloading, and swabbing/cleaning has definitely been a learning experiance vs my in-line.

Dry vs wet between shots:
I found the quickiest (least swabs) method is to run a patch with a center "dot" of cleaner on it first. I dunno...maybe it makes the center 1/3 of the patch wet. If I do it right, plunging up and down as I go deeper, I can get all the way down. Then 2 dry patches after, and Im good. So 3 patches each time.

Jags:
This is interesting! I found .50 cal jags vary in width significantly. Never occurred to me to check (or care) with my in-line, but here one vs the other will make for an easier/tougher swab.

Rod:
An old-timer at the range (I'm just a 47 year old kid) told me to get a HEAVY brass range rod. "It's like a tractor...the weight, does the work."

Of course he was right. The heavy rod swabs easier, and rams better.

You don't know what you don't know until ya know...ya know?

Sentry44

Grenadier1758 said:

I do know that all of the best shooters wipe between shots.

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Not exactly. Maybe with patch round ball but not everybody shooting muzzleloaders shoot PRB


Back to the OP-

In the world of muzzleloading, there are a wide range of techniques and projectiles being used and guns are all over the place. What works for one gun may not work for the very next one off the production line. That's where the learning curve figures in.

I will say this, read all you can, keep the information in mind. Test in your gun, look at the results, change only one variable at the time. Test again. Keep at it till you find what works for your gun to your satisfaction. Also know that environment will play a part in how your gun behaves. Dry environment v wet ones will be a variable you must account for.

Welcome to a very deep and fun rabbit hole

Regardless of what one shoots in their muzzle loader, the bore is "wiped" between shots. The very wet patch of those that never "wipe" or "swab" does the cleaning as the patched ball is loaded. The grooves in a Minie' ball do the wiping as the skirt in properly fitting Minie' ball expand to fill the grooves and the grooves scrape out the fouling from the previous shot. It's all about how the shooter conditions the bore for the next shot.

Bottom line as always, if your method of taking care of the bore while shooting works for you, continue!

I do it on the advice of a target shooter. His logic was consistancy In the bore for each shot. If I were shooting offhand or hunting I might not bother but from a bench, I see the logic. I use spit. I believe I can control the consistency of the moisture better.

Caveat, my range is 110 yards with inconsistent wind. I am happy with a three inch group.

This year I plan to work on a clean barrel zero before deer hunting.

Anybody remember Stumpy's Moose Milk? I got the recipe for it here years ago when I first registered.
Worked real good for me when shooting repetitively at the range for lubing patches with no swabbing between shots, really seemed to keep the loading friction consistent. Pretty wet though, don't think I'd trust it sitting on a charge for extended time as in hunting.

Not the right way, not the wrong way, just my way!
I noticed after my first shot, my shots seem to be unpredictable. It could be I just didn't study it enough but I'd swab a wet patch then a dry patch and shoot. First shot, right on the money! Second shot, up a notch. Third shot, maybe on the paper, fourth shot , who the hell knows?
So I started wet swabbing, followed by a dry swab, every shot. Same size ball, same thickness lubed patch, measured BP. My shot groups are just great! I couldn't be happier and I'm on the paper every shot at any range out to 100 yards so much so I can boast groups! Not dime size groups but all together. I love hitting the target at 100 yards and the guy next to me is missing his 25 yard target with his AR "combat system"
I'm not the shooter I was in my 20s but it's hard to argue the results of swabbing.

Wiping between shots, theoretically it ought to leave a bore that is pretty much the same, shot to shot, which would improve accuracy. One issue, is this a psychological thing, you think it helps so you have confidence and shoot better. I usually used a fairly tight patch and maybe that's why the nipple area was getting plugged up. If the patch is loose- it seems it wouldn't remove much fouling.
In any event I started off using conical projectiles as I thought they were better and the fit is so tight you have to swab between shots. That is conical balls, not some sabots like CVA power belts, etc.
In any event I switched to PRBs after a pal pretty much dropped an elk (20 yards) with a 50 cal PRB. That improved things immediately. It is what a muzzle loader was designed for. Try this scenario 1. Pour powder,2. then PRB. If fouling is making seating the PRB difficult, then powder, wad, PRB.

I shot several diffent caliber muzzleloaders and found out the smaller the bore the more you need to clean. My .58 shoots miniballs and can get over 30 shots hefore I clean it. The .32 cal not so much.

French Colonial said:

And... I forgot to add, when I was shooting my flintlock without wiping at the club I was outshooting the percussion shooting wipers.

And, my dad could have beat up your dad.

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My wife can beat up all of you's dads.

Welcome to the Forum!

I haven’t shot Pyrodex for years. I can’t remember if it’s less dirty than Black Powder.

Patches treated with a liquid lube help keep the bore cleaner as they “wipe” the inside of the barrel every time you load, pushing the fouling down onto the powder charge. I use a greased patch because I feel it seals better. I have Arthritis in my hands, and they go down the barrel easier. I’ve also heard of folks either putting a damp patch on the end of the jag when they load or running one down after they load. This would be more for accuracy than cleanliness, I suppose. My Patch Lube is Bumbling Bear Grease (bear grease & bees wax) from October Country.

I tried running a damp patch in between shots on a Percussion gun and was plagued by misfires. Possibly from the patches being too wet. So, I switched to every five shots as we normally shoot that many at a Paper Target. I then pop a cap before I load for the next Target. I was able to wipe between shots on my Flintlock with a touchhole pick inserted without any problems. The Shooting Matches went too quickly for me to continue that practice with everyone always waiting for me to finish. So, back to every five shots.

When I’m done at the range, I “Field” clean it by running a few wet patches followed by some dry ones. I also take a damp patch and remove the cap and powder residue from around the top of the barrel and nipple area. Most of my guns have a drum which tends to leak a little. Yours has a bolster with a flat surface so it shouldn’t be too dirty there.

I use a mixture of 1/3 Murphy’s Oil Soap, 1/3 Hydrogen Peroxide, and 1/3 91% Isopropyl Alcohol for cleaning at the Range. I use warm soapy water for the final scrubbing at home. I then pour warm clear water down the barrel. I used to put my mouth over the muzzle and blow out as much water as I could. I now use an air compressor and blow from the breech end. I use 91% alcohol on a patch to get the moisture out followed by some dry ones. Lastly, I treat the bore to keep it from rusting, then put it away until next time.

There are hundreds of recipes for both patch lube and cleaner. Some folks use the same for both.

Good Luck!

Walt

In the spirit of answering your question I offer my opinion. Part of the question about wiping depends on if you are hunting or target shooting. The VAST number of folks that claim they never wipe the barrel and anyone is a dingus if they do - are at the range and shooting relatively soon after loading. For sure - spit/wet patches let you shoot without wiping. I'd hate to leave my gun loaded for a few weeks with a spit patch though. Maybe they do... In any case what they do clearly works for them.

I lube my patches with mink oil because I'm primarily a hunter. I may load and leave the gun loaded for days at a time. I only get 2-3 shots before I need to wipe the barrel. When I'm target shooting I wipe after every shot for consistency. This works for me and the way I hunt and shoot.
Edit: I'll add wiping between shots has its drawbacks too. I've noticed that when I go to a match and wipe between shots I have to scape the breech face every 10 shots or so. If not, sooner ot later I'll get enough buildup to interfere with ignition. Wiping pushes crud down the barrel it seems. Again, not a problem when hunting.

The cool part for you is going to the range, shooting a bunch, and seeing what works for you.

Grenadier1758 said:

We need to be clear about the difference between cleaning and wiping the bore to maintain a consistent level of fouling in the barrel for best accuracy.

Cleaning is what I do when I am done at the range and shooting is over. All the fouling is removed by my special fouling solvent, (warm water with a tiny bit of dish soap), the barrel is dried and the parts lubricated for storage.

At the range when shooting, I maintain a consistent level of fouling in the bore by using a slightly undersized jag with a damp patch to ride over the fouling. The undersized jag will bunch up the wiping patch and pull a lot of the powder out of the barrel. Whatever fouling is left is softened by the damp patch so the next lubricated patch and ball can engrave on the rifling for best accuracy on target.

Everyone, whether they wipe the bore between shots, every two shots up to never wiping between shots, do wipe the bore for every shot. Some wipe by using a very damp patch to lubricate wrap the p\ball and push fouling down the bore when loading. Some use a wet patch atop the patched ball to push the fouling down with the ball and to pull some of it out.

I do know that all of the best shooters wipe between shots.

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Thanks very much

May want to take a couple different patch materials with you. I tend to go with a looser fitting ball since I reload on hunts without swabbing between shots. You'll have a great time. Nothing like shooting the old style rigs.

Grenadier1758 said:

We need to be clear about the difference between cleaning and wiping the bore to maintain a consistent level of fouling in the barrel for best accuracy.

Cleaning is what I do when I am done at the range and shooting is over. All the fouling is removed by my special fouling solvent, (warm water with a tiny bit of dish soap), the barrel is dried and the parts lubricated for storage.

At the range when shooting, I maintain a consistent level of fouling in the bore by using a slightly undersized jag with a damp patch to ride over the fouling. The undersized jag will bunch up the wiping patch and pull a lot of the powder out of the barrel. Whatever fouling is left is softened by the damp patch so the next lubricated patch and ball can engrave on the rifling for best accuracy on target.

Everyone, whether they wipe the bore between shots, every two shots up to never wiping between shots, do wipe the bore for every shot. Some wipe by using a very damp patch to lubricate wrap the p\ball and push fouling down the bore when loading. Some use a wet patch atop the patched ball to push the fouling down with the ball and to pull some of it out.

I do know that all of the best shooters wipe between shots.

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Your first sentence says it all,wipe don't clean! You will have more accuracy shot to shot.