Bore swabbing between shots

[MtnMike2]

I've used a modern inline muzzle loader for years with black powder substitutes. Started w/ Pyrodex, then 777, now blackhorn 209. But now I'm using Goex ffg in my Great Plains rifle and it's a bit messy-er (sp?). I've been using TC No. 13 for cleaning between shots. I use TC 1000 butter for lubing patches and after cleaning. According to Fadala in his Black Powder Handbood, I should be able to reload without cleaning between shots after using the "butter". What is your-alls experience? Is it really possible to reload without cleaning? Even hunting with substitute BP, when I reload for a second shot or a potential second shot I've run a cleaning "spit" patch followed by a couple / few dry patches. At the range I tried reloading two in a row and the second patched ball is much more difficult to get down the muzzle. Opinions? Experience?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[Mr. 16 gauge]

My experience is that I can probably get 1-2 more shots w/o swabbing the barrel of my Hawken, but that's it.....and the successive shots each go down a little 'harder' that the previous one. I have never liked BP substitutes......the only one I used extensively was pyrodex, and it took 3 caps to set off a charge one season (the last one being a seriously long hang fire).
....and to be honest, when using pyrodex in a traditional BP rifle, I've had the same problem with fouling! Successive shots go down the barrel harder than the first.
One little trick I use while hunting is to use a slightly thinner patch (.010 instead of .015) for successive shots....it goes down without to much force and I'm ready quickly to dispatch a wounded critter, if needs be.
Others here are more experienced than me, but I've heard that as time goes on and more and more shots get fired, the gun becomes 'seasoned', and successive shots aren't as difficult to put down the barrel.

According to Fadala in his Black Powder Handbood, I should be able to reload without cleaning between shots after using the "butter".

I've heard this as well, both in Fadala's book and from salesmen......not from an practical source, such as shooters. I will say that the bore butter works better for successive shots that the tallow product I was using previously.
Good luck!

[MtnMike2]

Thanks Mr 16 Gauge. Good idea on the patches. I'm currently using .015" patches with .530" round ball.

BTW, I was thinking of trying .535" balls with .010" patches and comparing the accuracy (but with iron sights might not be obvious). Can anyone tell a difference?

Mike

[Adam Helmer]

Mike,

I use .010" precut patches in the .45, .50 and .54. I get good accuracy and shoot 3 to 5 balls before I need to swab the bore. Some guys use a .015" patch for the first loading of the clean bore and use .010" patches thereafter.

I use .440, .490 and .530 balls with very good results.

Adam

[Skinny Shooter]

While shooting my squirrel rifle and musket I found that light charges foul less than heavy charges and patch thickness plus ball size also figures in to how hard subsequent balls get seated.
Aways back I ordered a TVM rifle and not wanting to have to spit patch after a few shots, I had a Colerain swamped barrel installed. http://colerainbarrel.com/

While at the range last weekend using 90 grains of FFg, .020 patch and .530 ball I shot about 30 rounds without swabbing the bore.
Haven't tried more than that cause thats usually all time allows when at the range.
Oh yeah, I've noticed humidity will also factore into how hard a ball goes down the tube.

[roundball]

Originally Posted by MtnMike2

Opinions? Experience?

Moisture is the key to being able to shoot without wiping between shots...it has to be in the bore to keep the fouling soft...it gets there by either being sucked out of humid air immediately after a shot if you happen to have high humidity the day you're shooting, or the lube being used has to be wet enough.

If the fouling is kept soft with moisture, each next patched ball will wipe the bore clean as its being seated...that little bit of fouling will be ejected on the next shot and the bore will have quantity one shot's worth of fouling on it again. Then the next patched ball wipes the bore again, the cycle repeats for every shot, over and over.

In late spring & summer months here in NC the humidity is usually high enough that I can use Natural Lube 1000 prelubed patches and run 50 shots without wiping. But in the colder / drier air of late fall and winter, I have to switch to a liquid lube to do that and use Hoppes N09 PLUS BP.
I take a bag of NL1000 prelubed patches and just squeeze in a few squirts of Hoppes into the bag...squish them all around so the patches get glistening wet and shoot a whole range session that way.

Moisture in the bore is the key...

[MtnMike2]

Great info! Thanks for posting. I'm gonna work on it. Getting 4 or 5 shots between swabbing would be a big improvement for me.
Skinny Shooter - Had never heard of Colerain swamped barrel until now. I'll have to read up on them.
RB - I'll look into those chems. It is very dry here in CO. Our humidity is very low, about like Arizona usually. So I won't have the humidity softening up the fouling like you describe.

Mike

[roundball]

Originally Posted by MtnMike2

RB - I'll look into those chems. It is very dry here in CO. Our humidity is very low, about like Arizona usually. So I won't have the humidity softening up the fouling like you describe.

Then this is the best liquid lube I've used:

[MtnMike2]

Thanks RB. I'll try it.

Mike

[MtnMike2]

Good tip from Roundball! I was at the range yesterday and used a few drops of Hoppe's BP Solvent on my TC Butter Bore rubbed patches and got 15 shots without swabbing. Also used .010" patches only with .530" ball in my .54 cal and never had a problem with feeding. Accuracy might have suffered a little after about 10 or 12 shots but I'm not sure - might have been me.

Mike