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Cleaning/swabbing between shots
- Thread starter John Camp
- Start date
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Black Hand
Cannon
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Quit wiping between shots. It really isn't necessary........
flintlock75
45 Cal.
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Cleaning and swabbing between shots realy is not needed, But if thats what you want to do, buy a breech scrapper, they attach to your ramrod the same as the other tools.Dixie Gun Works sells them in all standatd calibers .32 to .62.
Blizzard of '93
Cannon
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using a looser fitting patch for wiping minimizes this. I dry patch thusly after every shot. about every 20 shots I brush and wipe and clean the flash channel.
Ditto and ditto. Find another lube that doesn't require wiping between shots. ;-)
mike alexandre
45 Cal.
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Jags are shaped to go down the barrel and pull crud up it on the way out.
Heres how old timer, older then me told me to do it . When you start the patch down the bore, you down just push the crud down in one pass, you push down then pull up all why down to pick up the crud on the patch. Been doing this since 82, no problem. If you do get some in breach just pour a little( map )down and it will clean it in a flash. Map- equal parts of Murphys oil soap-Alcohol-Peroxide. I mix 2oz each and put in a little bottle. Just plug the nipple or TH and pour in a little, then un plug and let run out. Turn gun so lock is toward ground so it runs straight down to ground, to keep out of gun. Might want to dry fire a cap or Flash. Dilly
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Gonna give that MAP a try. Thanks!
On the general subject of swabbing between shots, I'd rather not simply because I won't be doing it on a hunt. The only reason I'll do it on the range is to confirm where my first shot will be hitting out of a clean bore, then see if there's any change with subsequent shots out of a dirty bore. Never saw much difference, but precautions are cheaper than blown hunts.
If I was still a target shooter, it would be a different story. But thankfully I'm content enough in my aging that I don't need to compete to be happy any more. I got lotsa respect for good competitors, but I sure have a lot more fun if I'm not doing it myself.
On the general subject of swabbing between shots, I'd rather not simply because I won't be doing it on a hunt. The only reason I'll do it on the range is to confirm where my first shot will be hitting out of a clean bore, then see if there's any change with subsequent shots out of a dirty bore. Never saw much difference, but precautions are cheaper than blown hunts.
If I was still a target shooter, it would be a different story. But thankfully I'm content enough in my aging that I don't need to compete to be happy any more. I got lotsa respect for good competitors, but I sure have a lot more fun if I'm not doing it myself.
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Don't let it get on your stock finish!!!!! If you do, you may be very sorry.
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That's good (or bad?) to know. Thanks, I think. Second thoughts can be good.
rabbit03
50 Cal.
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Very simply!
Use what we use during the competitions here in Texas, Black Solve! It can be purchased from Dixie or any number of vendors. If you need the name and number for the guy we buy it from I will be more than happy to give it to you.
We use a cleaning jag and a patch misted with the Black Solve and run this down the barrel several times and then I personally reverse the same patch and go back into the barrel up and down several more times.
We shoot ALL DAY LONG with no buildup at all shooting hundreds of rounds.
Have a great day
rabbit03
Use what we use during the competitions here in Texas, Black Solve! It can be purchased from Dixie or any number of vendors. If you need the name and number for the guy we buy it from I will be more than happy to give it to you.
We use a cleaning jag and a patch misted with the Black Solve and run this down the barrel several times and then I personally reverse the same patch and go back into the barrel up and down several more times.
We shoot ALL DAY LONG with no buildup at all shooting hundreds of rounds.
Have a great day
rabbit03
campsite said:
An old feller told me when I first started into this "Racket" to stop 2 finger short of the breech.With a Ramrod marked on an empty barrell hold your 2 fingers under that mark whenever pushing a cleaning patch downbore.That prevents the crud from entering the breech.It's not a worry in patented breech guns like t/c and Lyman.I been swabbing between shot on nigh 20 years. :thumbsup:
campsite:
Swabbing basically means shoving a piece of cloth or similar material down the bore and then pulling it back out.
The reasons for doing this varies with the gun being discussed.
A cannon is swabbed with a very wet swab to not only soften and remove the fouling but to put out any small burning embers left in the barrel from the last shot.
The majority of these smoldering bits left in the barrel are remnants of the cloth powder bags which are used to contain the powder charges.
In my opinion, swabbing a rifle or smoothbore is done to soften and remove the fouling deposited by the previous shots to make loading the next shot(s) easier.
As rifles and smoothbores are not usually loaded with powder which is contained in a cloth (or paper) bag, the loose powder usually leaves no burning embers in the barrel after firing so many people feel that swabbing to eliminate them is not required. Of course, if the powder is loaded in a cloth or paper pouch the possibility of these burning embers is very good so swabbing with a rather wet patch would be recommended.
Generally speaking a rifle or smoothbore shooter swabs simply to remove the fouling to make loading the next shot easier.
As I don't use cloth or paper powder pouches and I load with loose powder the fear of burning embers is not great however when loading the next load of powder I always transfer the powder from the flask to a small powder measure and make sure the flask is closed. Only then do I pour the powder down the bore while keeping the muzzle pointed away from any part of my body "just in case" something sets off the new charge. I might add that in over 37 years of shooting muzzleloaders I have yet to have the new powder charge "fire" while loading.
Getting back to swabbing to remove fouling, I use a clean cleaning patch, dampened with water but not dripping wet. Using a bore size brass cleaning jag on my ramrod, I shove it down the barrel until it hits the breach plug.
Waiting a few seconds for the now wet fouling to soften I then pull the patched jag back out of the bore which removes a good 90 percent of the fouling. I next use a clean dry patch on the jag by shoving it again to the breech plug and then retract it to dry the bore. The gun is then ready to continue loading and shooting.
Swabbing basically means shoving a piece of cloth or similar material down the bore and then pulling it back out.
The reasons for doing this varies with the gun being discussed.
A cannon is swabbed with a very wet swab to not only soften and remove the fouling but to put out any small burning embers left in the barrel from the last shot.
The majority of these smoldering bits left in the barrel are remnants of the cloth powder bags which are used to contain the powder charges.
In my opinion, swabbing a rifle or smoothbore is done to soften and remove the fouling deposited by the previous shots to make loading the next shot(s) easier.
As rifles and smoothbores are not usually loaded with powder which is contained in a cloth (or paper) bag, the loose powder usually leaves no burning embers in the barrel after firing so many people feel that swabbing to eliminate them is not required. Of course, if the powder is loaded in a cloth or paper pouch the possibility of these burning embers is very good so swabbing with a rather wet patch would be recommended.
Generally speaking a rifle or smoothbore shooter swabs simply to remove the fouling to make loading the next shot easier.
As I don't use cloth or paper powder pouches and I load with loose powder the fear of burning embers is not great however when loading the next load of powder I always transfer the powder from the flask to a small powder measure and make sure the flask is closed. Only then do I pour the powder down the bore while keeping the muzzle pointed away from any part of my body "just in case" something sets off the new charge. I might add that in over 37 years of shooting muzzleloaders I have yet to have the new powder charge "fire" while loading.
Getting back to swabbing to remove fouling, I use a clean cleaning patch, dampened with water but not dripping wet. Using a bore size brass cleaning jag on my ramrod, I shove it down the barrel until it hits the breach plug.
Waiting a few seconds for the now wet fouling to soften I then pull the patched jag back out of the bore which removes a good 90 percent of the fouling. I next use a clean dry patch on the jag by shoving it again to the breech plug and then retract it to dry the bore. The gun is then ready to continue loading and shooting.
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