Fouling problems with Triple 7 pellets

[tomsmith]

I just purchased my first muzzy, a CVA Wolf .50cal. I use 2 50gr equiv. triple 7 pellets with the recommened primers, and 295gr. powerbelt aerotip bullets and i'm having major fouling problems. after 2, maybe 3 shots it becomes impossible to load another round because of fouling. was wondering what the problem might be. my buddies use the regular hogden pellets and don't have any problems with fouling until maybe 8-10 shots.

does the powder burn too hot and melt the plastic seal on the bullet?
should i switch to different primers? different powder? different bullets? or is it normal for triple 7 pellets to foul like it does?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kevinbrian]

You are experiencing the famous 'crud ring' which triple seven is famous for. The remedy: run a damp patch and then a dry patch between shots. Triple seven is still the best black powder sub as far as I'm concerned. Hope this helps. Kevin

 

[Spitpatch]

Kevin is right. Spitpatch between shots and you will load easier,AND have better accuracy.

 

[gconway]

I have a CVA Optima...had my heart set on using 2 - 50gr Triple Seven Pellet load even after a guy at Cabela's recommended AP Sticks. Bought a box of Triple 7 & some Shocky Gold Sticks from local sports shop....Triple 7 pellets with the T7 primers...couldn't get a good group no matter what I tried. When swabbed between shots had major build up....shot up the entire box of Triple Seven & was left wondering if there was something wrong with my gun.

When tried 2 - 50gr Shocky Gold Sticks was able to get it to get approx. 5" group @ 80 yards using 250 Hornady SST. Kept same load & switched to 250gr Super Glide Shockwave & now my group is approx. 3" at 80yds. I also swabbed between shots with a cleaning patch (would squeeze moisture out of patch before use) followed by a dry patch.

I am happy with the load I've settled on & with more practice I hope to get an even better grouping as my shooting ability is average at best. I did all my shooting off a chair & shooting sticks w/ Bushnell Cantilever Shotgun Scope 1x - 4x.

I have a neighbor who owns a CVA Optima Pro who has excellent results with Triple Seven Loose Powder...shoots around 80gr. I think? If I ever decide to use loose powder I definately will give Triple Seven another look & start at 75gr. & work my way up to see how it groups.

Hope this helps.

 

[tomsmith]

thanks guys. i think i'll go with the swab between shots. the accuracy is pretty good in my opinion. i had a 3 shot group i could cover with a quarter @ 50yds. with iron sights using a sandbag for a rest so i'm pretty happy with the components i'm using, except for the aptly named "crud ring", lol. going to invest in a scope for it in the next few weeks.
Ever since my shoulders went to crap and i can't bowhunt i'm kinda stuck with the gun seasons this year and I want everything as close to perfect as i can get before i go out.

and as for the swabbing between shots, should i pop off a primer before i reload to make sure the "chamber" is dry?

 

[cayuga]

Tom - welcome to the forum. A simple swabbing solution is go to the dollar store and buy a bottle of window cleaner. Spray your patch to "dampen" it and work it down the bore in short strokes of about three inches. Pay special attention to the breech area when you get there. You will feel a hard build up down there. All you need do is keep working those short strokes over the area and suddenly it will give way and you will feel the cleaning/loading jag hit your breech plug. Work it back up the barrel the say way you went down, in short strokes. Flip the damp patch and repeat the process. Then one or two dry patches and you're ready to load and shoot again.

Another solution you can make at home is a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and car windshield washer fluid. Again, swab the barrel between shots, and that crud ring you are experiencing will disappear. Also you will or at least normally see, even better accuracy.

Good luck and keep shooting. Hunting season is almost here.

 

[Anonymous]

and as for the swabbing between shots, should i pop off a primer before i reload to make sure the "chamber" is dry?

Yep,,,,just to be sure.... :wink:

 

[encore4me]

777 primers will also help with the crud ring problem.



Matt

 

[tomsmith]

777 primers will also help with the crud ring problem.



Matt

that's what i'm using and if it's this bad using the recommended primers i'd hate to see what it would be like if i weren't. lol.

again, thanks for all the help guys, i really appreciate it.

 

[cayuga]

Perhaps you want to shoot them off and switch over to Pyrodex Pellets. While you still get fowling, the crud ring is soft and easy to work with and remove...

 

[choc-dog]

Tomsmith,

Some ML rifles after swabing to remove the fouling or crud ring need to be very dry to shoot well.

I have one T/C pro hunter that needs 2 patches that are flipped so that is 4 swabs to keep its bullets touching at 100 yards.

choc-dog

 

[tomsmith]

I'll be heading down to salt fork state park in mid-october, I'll be bringing my ML and my AR15(need to get that sighted in correctly) and i'll be bringing some regular pyrodex pellets with me to do some comparisons. I'm hoping the accuracy will be about the same as with the T7's. Going to load up on extra patches and bullets. If the accuracy suffers with the reg pellets i'll just have to bite the bullet and deal with the crud ring. although in a hunting situation i doubt it will cause too much trouble as i don't see myself getting off 3 shots at the same deer, lol.

Again, thank you all for the help. Really put my mind at ease about the whole situation.

 

[DVR]

I'm a newbie (1st post) and just bought a cva wolf as well. So far I like it. I wanted to keep the cost down and it had all the features I wanted.
Started with three triple 7 pellets and 295gr powerbelts. Now i'm shooting two pellets and 245gr powerbelts. After some adjustment I was hitting a 3in bullseye at 65 yards. I plan to try it out on a whitetail October 1st.

 

[cayuga]

I'm a newbie (1st post) and just bought a cva wolf as well. So far I like it. I wanted to keep the cost down and it had all the features I wanted.
Started with three triple 7 pellets and 295gr powerbelts. Now i'm shooting two pellets and 245gr powerbelts. After some adjustment I was hitting a 3in bullseye at 65 yards. I plan to try it out on a whitetail October 1st.

Welcome to the forum and maybe even the sport. A few years back a women I know, bought her son a Beartooth Magnum made by New Frontier. It is the same thing as a CVA Wolf. She wanted me to teach him how to shoot it and work up a load for it.

We took that to the range with loose Triple Se7en 2f. I told him to load 85 grains and a 245 grain powerbelt. Right out of the box, that kid shot three rounds at 25 yard and clover leafed it. At 50 yards he could hold them in a 2" group with the open sights all afternoon I think. He shot off his whole pack of powerbelts. And was having the time of his life.

Then we tired some 240 grain XTP's and that rifle shot them with the same powder charge just as well.

He then took the thing out that deer season and shot his first deer with a powerbelt and 85 grains of powder. The deer was a little over 30 yards away, and he said he fired and it never took a step. So those rifles will shoot good. All you need is the right load.

 

[huntthehunter]

Thanks guys for all the information on the Wolf! I will be hunting with my new one this season (first time ML Hunting!), and am learning a lot.

 

[Buglemintoday]

I love my Triple 7 but I do run a wet patch followed by a dry patch after each shot. It doesn't bother me though as that is just the joy of Muzzleloading

 

[tomsmith]

well, the testing i had hoped to do at the range down at salt fork was a bust. never even got to fire a round. when the range was first built it was class c but not posted as such, so it was shotguns using #6 or smaller and clays only. after a few years people generally shot whatever they wanted, and particularly during the deer gun season people would use the range to get zeroed in and maybe have a little fun with their kids. well it was brought to the attention of the park officers that the range was being used for other than it's designated purpose and was posted this year as class c. so needless to say i'm going to have to join a club.