New Muzzleloader Shooter (with a ?)

[bando]

?But long time rifle, pistol and shotgun shooter?.and I need some insight from some of you long time muzzleloader shooters.

First let me say My T/C Black Diamond 50 loves the 405 lead Powerbelts backed by 100 grains of Pyrodex pellets. In fact my last range session produced a three shot group all touching each other at 65 yards (she?s sighted in 3? high at 50 yards with my planning on taking my Moose up here in Alaska with no longer than a 100 yard shot, so I can hold dead on). I had some Barnes 295 Spitfires (yellow sabots), but I couldn?t even get them 3? down the bore! Had to use the bullet puller, etc?

Anyway, I got home the other night from a range session and cleaned the gun as I had in the past, which always worked well. Except this time no matter what I do I can still pull dirty patches. Let me explain, I first gave her the hot soapy water, hot clean water treatment making sure to scrub the bore good and rinse it down. I than took a wet patch of T/C #13 and followed that with a bronze bore brush, followed again by a wet #13 patch and finally by dry patches until clean. For heck of it I went ahead and put another wet #13 patch down the bore and figured I would brush it a few more passes. Well, there would then still come out black. I continued the same cycle, wet #13 patch, brush, wet #13 patch, dry patches till they come out clean?.and no matter how many times I did this, when I would then send a wet patch followed by the bore brush again I would end up with dirty patches. Now I did this until 2am (being the perfectionist ?get ?er clean? type of shooter, but finally the better half said enough is enough so I ran the bore down good with bore butter and called it a night. I will say that the bore looked nice and shiny through the bore scope.

So?what the heck is going on here? Is it bad leading from the lead Powerbelts? Am I being overly conscious about cleaning her up? It?s just not sitting well with me knowing that I can still pull dirty patches from the bore after scrubbing some more, but fer cryin? out loud I scrubbed the hell out of the thing?.and that was AFTER the good soapy/clean water scrubbing.

I?m seriously considering taking some JB to the bore. I sincerely hope that someone can help me figure this one out. Bear in mind that it?s probably only had a total of 20 lead Powerbelts through the bore, and has been meticulously cleaned after each of the previous two range sessions.

 

[tooldog]

I would skip the hot water and #13 cleaner and use some "Butch's Blackpowder Bore Shine" or "Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out Painless Blackpowder Brushless Foaming Bore Cleaner". They both remove lead fouling pretty well. Let them sit overnight and them brush them out good and get all that stuff out of there. I wouldn't use the bore butter except for a patch lube.

Just my two cents.


tooldog

 

[big6x6]

Hey bando! Welcome to the board!

I used T/C #13 for a long while mainly it was all I knew and all that was readily available. I had the same problem as you..I could basically never get the bore clean. So I have basically tried every blackpowder bore cleaner on the market; Knight Black powder Solvent, T/C #13, Rusty Duck Black Off, Ballistol, Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, and Birchwood Casey #77 Black Powder Solvent. Butches and Birchwood Casey are head and shoulders above the others I've used with the nod going to Birchwood Casey. What I do is remove the bore from the stock, remove the breechplug, put the bore on the floor(on and old magazine or something), and using a swab from the breech end swab with B/C #77 soaked patch. You may need a long range rod to do this if you don't have one. After several up and downs push the patch thru and do it again. Now I'll just let it soak while I clean the threads area of the barrel with a nylon brush. After getting this area clean I'll use a bronze bore brush soaked with #77 and from the breech end I'll go all the way thru the muzzle and back many times. The #77 will actually start to foam/lather a little. After maybe 10 back and forths I'll run a couple of clean/dry patches down the bore. Usually that's it. Dry the bore/breech with clean/dry patches and lube accordingly.

I had some Barnes 295 Spitfires (yellow sabots), but I couldn?t even get them 3? down the bore! Had to use the bullet puller, etc?

Did you/do you spitpatch between shots? That usually helps a LOT! Try the 245gr Spitfire and it should be easier to seat as well.

 

[beretta9289]

I do it the easy way. Get a bore snake of the appropriate size, soak front brush area with your choice of cleaner, pull through 2, maybe 3 times, put a thin coat of oil in and your done. clean the bore snake, then run it through before you shoot...that easy.

 

[encore4me]

You wouldn't by chance be using Bore Butter in your gun would you?



Matt

 

[Underclocked]

"Sharp Shoot R Wipe-Out Painless Blackpowder Brushless Foaming Bore Cleaner" - now I haven't seen any of that stuff but I'm guessing it's expensive. Heck, just the label would cost a couple of bucks! :wink:

 

[tooldog]

Yeah, it's $16.99 at MidwayUSA.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=749689


tooldog

 

[Desertrat]

I had the same problem with an Omega. After the first shot I could hardly get next rounds down the muzzle even with several patches between shots.
Recovered some saboted rounds with rifling marks on the jacket consistant with the four notches in the sabot. Rounds had slightly square appearance and the sabots were shredded with only 85g T7 under them.
Always cleaned according to mfg. instructions but my shoulder was telling me no more.
Bought some Birchwood Casey Bore Scrubber.Sprayed some down the barrel, layed it flat for 10 min, turned it over for another 10 min, ran a bore brush down it for 10 strokes then patches until they were clean.
Since then everything I've tried goes down the muzzle ALOT easier.Three 245g Spitfires without cleaning between shots. Five Harvester 240g Scorpions without cleaning.These five were fired from a kneeling position with open sights at approx. 50yds into a 3.25in group.The Omega loves them.Will be my deer round. The Bore Scrubber has made this Omega a new weapon for shore!