Assessing crown / barrel wear

[cjsoccer3]

I’ve made a few range visits with a pretty new flintlock and think my ramrod has been a bit abrasive on the crown. It’s made of fiberglass and I’ll be switching back to wood. I’ll also work on improving my reloading practices since the wear is on one side across from my reloading hand. This is maybe after around 120-150 shots. The top photo shows “square rifling” while the bottom one is starting to ware into “polygonal rifling”

Makes me wonder. At what point do you call a barrel worn out, and how do you assess wear?

 

[IanH]

How does it shoot?

Try a steel range rod and brass muzzle guide. If it bothers you, have it lightly coned.

 

[cjsoccer3]

How does it shoot?

Try a steel range rod and brass muzzle guide. If it bothers you, have it lightly coned.

Doesn’t bother me. Although I’m still tinkering with loads it seems quite accurate. Holes touch one another with frequency.

 

[deerstalkert]

real fiberglass rods are very abrasive. use it for your first "I shot my ramrod today" post.
as IanH says get a steel rod and a guide. guides are a pain for me because i lose them so fast but they will help.
if holes touch that is a great barrel!

 

[wiscoaster]

real fiberglass rods are very abrasive. ...

Fiberglass did that to steel? Wow .... I wouldn't have thunk it. Learning lesson for the day today.

 

[NorthFork]

I don't see much wrong there. MAYBE some slight surface abrasion that would be impossible to measure. Fiberglass rods are known to be a killer to crowns and barrels. Use your good HICKORY rod in the field and a decent brass or steel rod plus a brass rod guide and use them at the range and for cleaning. Small investment pays big dividends down the road.

 

[waksupi]

I did a demonstration years ago of how fast a fiberglass rod can saw a barrel. I didn't go all the way, just enough to prove the point.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have shown the adverse effects of a fiberglass rod on the brass bore guard I had the foresight to use.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/houston-we-have-a-problem.145903/page-4#post-2055343
I do not recommend the use of a fiberglass rod unless you want a randomly coned barrel.

 

[hanshi]

With sandpaper and your thumb you can polish the crown down to about 1/8" into the bore and by rotating the barrel it will even it out. Another benefit of polishing is that it will make loading much easier plus allows you to use thicker patches.

But OTOH if it shoots great already just throw the glass rod away and keep the hickory rod.

 

[NorthFork]

I have shown the adverse effects of a fiberglass rod on the brass bore guard I had the foresight to use.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/houston-we-have-a-problem.145903/page-4#post-2055343
I do not recommend the use of a fiberglass rod unless you want a randomly coned barrel.

Yup! I agree!

 

[LANEY REECE]

To me it looks like it has been coned.

 

[M. De Land]

I’ve made a few range visits with a pretty new flintlock and think my ramrod has been a bit abrasive on the crown. It’s made of fiberglass and I’ll be switching back to wood. I’ll also work on improving my reloading practices since the wear is on one side across from my reloading hand. This is maybe after around 120-150 shots. The top photo shows “square rifling” while the bottom one is starting to ware into “polygonal rifling”

View attachment 233044


View attachment 233045

Makes me wonder. At what point do you call a barrel worn out, and how do you assess wear?

Fiberglas rods should never be used as they are very abrasive to the crown mainly but also to the lands down bore as they flex into it with loading presser applied to them. You need to make a one piece steel loading rod ( I recommend 5/16s diameter rod stock) with a large ball threaded on the end and a collared muzzle protector that just fits the bore and slides down about an inch. This insures the rod never making contact with the all important land ends (crown) or land edges down bore. I make mine of brass or hard plastic both work very well.
Keep the wood rod for minimal use when hunting as wood will also accumulate grit and wear a crown out.
Your crown needs a touch up into fresh steel to be as accurate as it can be.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Never use a fiberglass rod without a bore protector. I used to work for a company that made fiberglass body parts for the automotive industry. They made Corvette bodies along with others. Fiberglass will eat a steel barrel up in no time.