MUCH better

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Brownbear,
     Thanks for the info.  
I used OO steel wool on it and it feels a bit better when running cleaning patches but, the tail will be told at the range today.  I'll be posting the results here as I will use the denim patch material I cut a couple of days ago.

 

[patocazador]

Re: MUCH better

00 steel wool is pretty coarse. You might want to give it several strokes with bore paste (not valve grinding paste) or 0000 steel wool to polish it a bit. Jon's Shoot Out might do the trick too.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Re: MUCH better

We have put fine value grinding compound on <a href='/tags/0000' rel='nofollow' title='See all tagged subjects with: #0000'>#0000</a> steel wool attached to an elect. drill and ran that up and down a little. Then went to the cleaning rod and could really see a big improvement.

This was on a T/C Hawken .50 cal. that had sat for three years uncleaned and loaded. I was worried that my counter man made a mistake on what he allowed for this piece in trade. Thank goodness we went at this like I can always buy a new barrel to correct the issue. It worked on the T/C.... :thumbs up:

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

00 steel wool is pretty coarse. You might want to give it several strokes with bore paste (not valve grinding paste) or 0000 steel wool to polish it a bit. Jon's Shoot Out might do the trick too.

Yeah, I know.  The bore is really course too.    The range session didn't show any noticeable improvement.  This barrel will be replaced sooner rather than later. 
My "used denim" patches didn't hold up any better than the thin ticking and Tshirt material.  Holes were blown right through them however, some were seen smoking about 10yds down range.   

The .017 thick denim patches were used with a .490 RB at 50yds.  Group was nothing to write home about but, they all hit inside the 9 ring. My grandson and his friend were with me and most of the time was spent teaching /helping/supervising them.  I need to go back alone so I can focus on the task at hand.

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Went back to the range today to do a more complete evaluation of the the denim patches.  Results were the same as yesterday.  All 3 thicknesses of denim were blown out.  Today's session cemented my suspicion about the roughness of the bore.  A new barrel is definitely in order.  
Thanks for the suggestions/recommendations.

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

This old badly pitted barrel continues to surprise me with how well it shoots ....considering that it's blowing out patches.  Went to the range Sat. so my son-in-law could get a taste of shooting a muzzle loader and the dang thing produced 2.5 inch groups at 50 yds.  I'm pretty sure that's about as good as it will do but, it amazes me that's it's as accurate as it is.  If this old sewer pipe will do that well (see targets above), I'm expecting at least 1" groups at 100 yds with the new one.  We'll see. 

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Re: MUCH better

RowdyJoe, it's pretty obvious that you know how to handle that rifle.  I can't even get 1" groups with a scoped rifle let alone a muzzy.  Although, I gave my brother a CVA Hawken that I had re-bored to a .58 cal (from .54 to .58) does have a lot finer sights on it than my Cabela's Investarm .58 Hawken.  At 100 yards my front sight covers up quite a bit of the center on a target. 

Good luck with that new barrel!

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Hi Joe,
     Aiming and squeezing the trigger comes from muscle-memory and discipline.  I was a firearms instructor in the Air Force for 20+ yrs. and have fired much more than a bunch of rounds down range in practice, competitions, and demonstrations. 
  Getting a ML to fire accurately is a new challenge for me but, it appears that I found "the trick" to making this old barrel shoot consistently even though it's not that good.   I'm sure the component mix used in getting the new barrel shooting it's best will be quite different.
    Believe it or not ....the old barrel requires a slightly wet muzzle cut .014" Tshirt patch, a .490 RB, and 70grn of 3F.  Holes are still being blown through the patches.  :shock: ???? 

BTW ....when aiming with open sights, move your aiming point to a 6 o'clock hold instead of center (especially for a "bullseye" target) and watch your groups shrink.  If the group is low, adjust your sights to hit center but, keep your aim at 6.  Remember to focus on the front sight to make sure it doesn't move before the bullet leaves the barrel. Obviously, the other fundamental apply too. 

Scopes are a different animal.  They appear to be very simple but, not necessarily so.  More moving parts to go wrong and trouble shooting can be frustrating.

 

[exMember]

Re: MUCH better

I'd say its the t shirt material not holding up.

 

[Okie Hog]

Re: MUCH better

I have shot lots of originals with bad bores because a 100 plus years ago the owners just used them and they very seldom cleaned a tool.

From about 1955-1975 i owned dozens of original muzzleloaders.  The vast majority had bad bores.  

In the late 1970s i worked  part time as the mechanic for a trash hauling company.   One day a driver gave me three original guns he found sticking out of a dumpster around Alexandria, VA .   The bores of all three rifles were pristine.   The bores of two were filled with butter  and the third filled with something  lard or tallow.   One of those guns was made by Hacker Martin.

 

[Kentucky Colonel]

Re: MUCH better

Wow, Falcon.

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

I'd say its the t shirt material not holding up.

You're right but, it doesn't matter which material I use.  The bore is so rough that it tears the patch on the way out ....and maybe on the way in.  I've tried a few different patch materials and they all end up with a hole blown through the middle. 
I think the patches are catching on the pits, etc., on the way out and the RB is punching a hole right through it because the RB is moving faster than the patch due to the roughness of the bore. 

The new barrel will end this problem.  I should be able to get it blued over the next few days and mounted in the stock.  I'm anxious to start dialing it in.

 

[exMember]

Re: MUCH better

Ahhhh ok! I thought this was a different barrel lol. Yes, pitting is a ***** indeed.

You can always turn it into a conical shooter. Maybe shoot some lead slugs and let that fill in the pitting.

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Hadn't thought about using it for conicals.  Good idea.  I may try that after I get the new on shooting well.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Re: MUCH better

You can always turn it into a conical shooter. Maybe shoot some lead slugs and let that fill in the pitting.

good point .... :sunny:

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

The new barrel from Deer Creek is shooting very well.  Using 70gr of 3f, tpick patch lubed w/ballistol and water, and a .495" RB produces a nice 2" group at 75yds.  Further tinkering with the load combo will improve accuracy ...providing I do my part.  I think I've got a keeper. 

 

[Buck Conner1]

Re: MUCH better

Rowdy what happened with your cleaning and testing?

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Ummmmm .... Cleaning and testing?  Well, the new barrel is a great improvement and is much easier to clean, load, etc. 
I'm still testing though ...changing one component at a time.  I recently began casting my own RB with interesting results.  I'm using a Lee .495" mold and pure lead.  Compared to the .495" Hornady swaged RB I was using before, they shoot close to the same.  However, the cast balls appear to be softer and are easily damaged so, I have be more careful when starting them.  I want to do more testing with the cast RB before I change anything else. 
I'm still using the "dry patch" method and wiping between shots.  Lube is the same ...Ballistol and water and I use a similar mix with less Ballistol for wiping. 

BTW ...I shot my first local ML match on Oct. 1 at my gun club and got lucky.  Out of 12 shooters, I took 2nd place.      I'm very proud of my new/old rifle.  This match held 3 "first times" for me ... 1) first time I shot the rifle at 25yds  2) first time I shot it at 75yds  and 3)  first time I shot it off-hand.  I still need to figure out where to hold a 25yds but, I took an educated guess and got lucky at 75yds.  It was fun.

 

[Buck Conner1]

Re: MUCH better

I recently began casting my own RB with interesting results.  I'm using a Lee .495" mold and pure lead.  Compared to the .495" Hornady swaged RB I was using before, they shoot close to the same.  However, the cast balls appear to be softer and are easily damaged so, I have be more careful when starting them.  I want to do more testing with the cast RB before I change anything else. 

Have you checked the weight of your own poured round balls? That is the one advantage of the swaged round balls being more consistent in weight over the home poured and not having possible voids found in home grown balls.

 

[rowdyjoe]

Re: MUCH better

Yes, I weigh each ball and sort them into groups according to weight.  From the first batch I cast  I ended up with two groups ....first group = 181 - 181.9 ; second group = 182 - 182.8. 
I haven't shot any of the first group yet but, the second group did OK but, not quite as good as the swaged.  I'll try the first group on the next trip to the range.

My second batch of cast RB turned out a bit different.  I got 3 groups out of about 175 cast and most were heavier than the first batch.   First group is 183 - 183.5; second group is 182.5 - 182.9;  third group is 181.5 - 181.9.  Don't know why they came out heavier but, I had lowered the temp in the pot from the first batch.  I don't have a temp gauge so, don't know the exact temperature.  I need to do some research to figure this out. 

The pot is a 10 lb made by Lee.