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Questions for the guys that can "shoot all day" without swabbing

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1BadDart

45 Cal.
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Dec 26, 2021
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I didn't want to muck up Troopers thread in flintlock rifles, "swabbing between shots", so I thought I'd start a new thread here. What patch lube are you using? Bore and ball diameter, patch thickness?

Some may have seen my .40 build thread a couple months ago. The rifle is purpose built for 25 yard offhand matches. Rice barrel that measures .401 in the lands, haven't measured the grooves yet. I'm shooting a .395" ball, with patches that are .016 or .018 depending on the material I use. They are lubed with a 6-1 mix of water/ballistol and dried flat in the sun. The powder charge is 45gr of Schutzen 3F. I'm currently wiping between shots with one patch dampened with a 1-1-1/2 parts of peroxide, alcohol and Murphey's oil soap, followed by one dry patch. The damp patch comes out with what looks almost like tar, even the second patch comes out dirty.

I think I could get three or four shots without swabbing, but anything after that it would take a hammer to load it. I'd like to find a handful of .390" balls to try before I buy another mold.

Thanks guys.
 
Try Swiss powder. I have less fouling with it.

Past that, I have one 50cal rifle that will only shoot well with a .495 ball and a .015 patch soaked in Neetfoot oil. To keep it from contaminating the powder, I use an over powder wad. I use Swiss in that gun. I haven't tested to see just how many I can shoot but I've gone as many as 15 shots with that combination and no real issues.
 
I have never done any type of classic "firing line" type of competition; only woods walks. I have never swabbed a barrel at a woods walk; My only lube is the classic "spit patch". Shooting on my home range I use a patch slightly wetted with a mixture of Murpheys, WD-40 or Ballistol, and water. I end up wiping the barrel each time I load. When hunting I use mink oil or Crisco as I don't want the wet patch sitting in the barrel for very long.
 
As I mentioned in the other thread I do swab while trying to figure out the sights. The idea being that the "cold bore" shot is what Ill be hunting with. Anyway, this past Saturday I sent 22 balls down range no problems not one swab. No real resistance due to fowling either Now get this, I use bore butter on my patches! o_O:oops::eek: very thin and sparingly. I use a .490 ball and 0.015 patch with 70 grs of Goex 3F and the patches could almost be re used.

RM
 
The gun I mentioned leaves patches looking like Cujo's chew toy. The gun is a sewerpipe on a stick but with the load I laid out, darn if it won't shoot.
Ha! I wouldn't change a thing then! Sometimes its just better to let sleeping dogs lie! I don't know for sure what barrel TVM uses but I believe its a round bottom rifling. Don't know if that has anything to do with it.

RM
 
Try Swiss powder. I have less fouling with it.

Past that, I have one 50cal rifle that will only shoot well with a .495 ball and a .015 patch soaked in Neetfoot oil. To keep it from contaminating the powder, I use an over powder wad. I use Swiss in that gun. I haven't tested to see just how many I can shoot but I've gone as many as 15 shots with that combination and no real issues.

Schutzen was all I could find when I bought powder, I bought 10 pounds of it.
 
My current thought is the barrel might benefit from some break in. I wouldn't fire lap it but it could be polished some. The micro marks from rifling will catch and hold fouling.
I polished the barrel a little before I fitted the breech plug. I've been chasing a hole in my patches, after firing of course. So, I wrapped my jag with oiled 4/0 steel wool and made 100 strokes each way, changing the steel wool three times. The bore is as slick as glass, it has around 120 shots through it.

I also touched up the crown too but still have a hole in my patches about 70% of the time, but that's the subject for another thread.

Thanks, Justin
 
My 54 loads with the wood ram rod, 80 grains of GOEX 2F, .530” ball, heavy pillow ticking cut at the muzzle and #11 cap. I use spit except on very hot days then I pour a bit of water on the patch to help the spit. No short starter or wiping and I do well at the matches. The barrel is a Green Mountain 32” long and after 45 years has a bit of pitting. The muzzle has only a tiny bit of crown.
 
I polished the barrel a little before I fitted the breech plug. I've been chasing a hole in my patches, after firing of course. So, I wrapped my jag with oiled 4/0 steel wool and made 100 strokes each way, changing the steel wool three times. The bore is as slick as glass, it has around 120 shots through it.

I also touched up the crown too but still have a hole in my patches about 70% of the time, but that's the subject for another thread.

Thanks, Justin
have u tried double patching to stop the main ball patch from blowing out?
 
My wife has begun shooting matches with us lately and placed in the last two. She shoots a 50 Green River Rifle Works barrel with 70 grains of 2F GOEX, .490 ball, heavy pillow ticking and #11 cap. This last match she used an old bottle of Hoppys Spit Patch that she found in our stuff. Her wood ram rod loaded 30 shots with out a wipe.
 
Mixture of 75% wax and 25% veggie oil congealed together. 0.010 patch, 490 ball.
80% wax to 20% veggie oil for stiffer stuff for revolver over ball.
Makes a good general lube and waterproofing.
Leaves crud soft.
 
I only shoot on a range of sorts (desert canyon) and I'm not ever in any kind of a hurry to reload so I spit patch between every shot with every one of my long guns. I don't even know if I don't have to do it. It's just part of my loading regimen and I'm happy with the results. Just do what works best for you and don't worry about how others do their thing.
 
I grew up and first started shooting ml in New Mexico. Was in California in the navy and shot a bit there, then went to Wyoming for some time, and could shoot lots of shots without having to swab.
Then I moved to the Ozarks and suddenly I notice that by five shots my load was real tight.
Over the years I’ve noted that dry days are a whole lot different then humid. But even a dry day in the Ozarks is a lot more humid then all but rain in the west.
Spit patch works best. But for many a year now I swabed with a damp patch between shots.
A couple of years ago I made up a bunch of paper cartridge for my TFC. 80 grains two, and a .575 ball. Even with a ‘loose load’ I started getting tight at five shots, and it was at least as tight as a patched .60 ball at ten shots.
 
I didn't want to muck up Troopers thread in flintlock rifles, "swabbing between shots", so I thought I'd start a new thread here. What patch lube are you using? Bore and ball diameter, patch thickness?

Some may have seen my .40 build thread a couple months ago. The rifle is purpose built for 25 yard offhand matches. Rice barrel that measures .401 in the lands, haven't measured the grooves yet. I'm shooting a .395" ball, with patches that are .016 or .018 depending on the material I use. They are lubed with a 6-1 mix of water/ballistol and dried flat in the sun. The powder charge is 45gr of Schutzen 3F. I'm currently wiping between shots with one patch dampened with a 1-1-1/2 parts of peroxide, alcohol and Murphey's oil soap, followed by one dry patch. The damp patch comes out with what looks almost like tar, even the second patch comes out dirty.

I think I could get three or four shots without swabbing, but anything after that it would take a hammer to load it. I'd like to find a handful of .390" balls to try before I buy another mold.

Thanks guys.
The answer you are looking for may not be entirely about patch material and lube. The smoothness and condition of the gun’s bore may need to be addressed. I have posted the following many times, but the process in the video or one similar can really help.

Your particular gun just may have sharp/rough edges left in the bore from the manufacturing process. There are many ways to polish and smooth it up. Here is a @duelist1954 video showing the process he used on a difficult to load GPR.

I have used a similar method with Scotch-Brite for some time, but Mike explains his very well. I started doing it after speaking to Don Getz (Getz Barrel) years ago before he passed, and he recommended using the green (600 grit) Scotch-Brite for smoothing up barrels that were cutting patches. Said it wouldn’t hurt the barrel.
 
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