keeping your powder dry

[melissa1]

I have used an in-line for several years and now stepping up to a Hawken .50. I once greased the threads to the breech plug (in-line) and the powder sucked it up like a sponge and made mud. (blew two caps at a crotch horn)
I have been wondering if the powder will be effected using a lubricated patch or lubricated conical. :shocked2:

 

It depends on how much you use and how runny it is. What kind of patch lube are you using?

 

[Zonie]

As Cooner says, it depends on what kind of patch lube and how much you use.

Most people lube their patches with just enough lube to soak the material. While this will contaminate the very small amount of powder that is in contact with the lube it won't amount to much more than a few grains of damaged powder.
Also to be considered is that the contaminated powder is up at the front of the powder charge next to the ball so it will not affect the ignition of the powder at the rear of the chamber of a sidelock gun.
This is notably different than what one of those new things does.

 

[playfarmers]

I always use a felt wad between the patch/ball and the powder.

 

[longfowler]

I know a guy who has a bad habit of leaving his gun loaded for 11 months with a lubed maxi ball from last deer season, and it always seems to fire on the 1st try. It's stored muzzle up, in a muggy upstairs closet, thru the hot humid new hampshire summers with no apparent affect on the powder. If that doesn't melt the lube enough to cause a problem, you shouldn't have one as long as you don't go crazy with the grease. I always swab the bore with a dry patch and fire several caps before loading to prevent the problem you expirenced.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I recently finished an 11 month experiment where I left a patched ball on top of a vegertable fiber wad and that went off first shot. The four remaining 11 month old patched balls in a wood ball block went in next and, though the group was slightly high and 2X larger than normal they all worked. I did have to wipe after two shots.

When hunting I use one of those fiber wads as I occasionally leave a rifle loaded for a week during the season. Even without that the amount of powder contaminated by the lube seems to be contained to the first few kernels deep near the patch. As others have said, depends on the lubs & amount used. Everyone has a different technique

 

[OTHERN]

Stick a folded piece of aluminum foil between the power and the patch or slug and you should be fine.

Othern

 

[Walks with fire]

Someone said on another post that Sahran wrap could be used to keep moisture out and keep the lube from contaminating the powder. They said it was not plastic but cellulose and would burn but not melt. I don't know for sure but it seems like it would work. They just put a piece over the muzzle before they drove the patch and ball down.

 

[Zonie]

Saran wrap is PVDC.
A quote from a web site:
:Saran polyvinylidene chloride or Saran resins and films (called PVDC) have been wrapping products for more than 50 years. Saran works by polymerizing vinylide chloride with monomers such as acrylic esters and unsaturated carboxyl groups, forming long chains of vinylide chloride. "

Sounds like plastic to me, but the small amount of it that would be between the powder and patch would vaporize and is unlikely to be noticeable in the bore after the gun is fired.

 

[melissa1]

Thanks for the advice. I just got the .50 from my cousin and have not shot it yet. Will be shooting it soon.

Thanks.