Patched Ball Shooters

[muzzleloader48]

A statement I hear over and over on these forums is: "I've been doing this for 20 years", "30 years, "40 years. When I was in my early 30's a buddy of mine was on a construction crew and doing plumbing on a big construction job that they had about a week left to complete or would cost money for every day over their bid. There was an old man taking a paint brush and doping the threads of the pipe and then connecting and so on, and so on....taking along time and accomplishing little. While my buddy in his 30's also, had been doing this for quite a few years also. He finally got fed up and told the old timer, you're wasting time and we have a deadline! Just dip the damned pipe end in the compound and connect & tighten! The old timer looked at him and told him, "I've been doing this for 30 years"!! At this my friend really got pissed and said, "Yeah, and for tharty years you've been doing it wrong". Boss man took the old guy and put him on another chore...they finished in time and inspections were done and approved.

What I'm trying to say is we can all learn from the younger folks too...at least the ones with common sense.

 

[Mofish]

I agree, we can all learn things from the younger generation. I'm 75 yrs. old and have been playing with muzzleloaders for a long time....generally I am pretty successful at the matches I participate in. I read about all the different lubes for just general shooting, and it sure seems like a lot of work guys put into things for limited results. I do use stuff like mink oil for hunting, where I don't really want a wet patch up against the powder charge, but for all other shooting I just use the same old mix of Windex and Murphy's oil soap that I have been using for a long, long, time. I don't swab between shots, or anything like that, just load up and shoot ! I will shoot an entire match without anything different between shots.
I went out this morning with an old .40 caliber percussion rifle I shot a lot years ago and decided maybe I should get it out to a match or two again. I shot about 25 shots just playing around, and then decided to try a couple of targets to see if it was still sighted close enough. The targets are 3" across and I shot 3 times into each. This was all done with the same old patch lube and no wiping between shots.

 

[heelerau]

I think you need to mix sand, and metal filings with your lube.

 

[Mofish]

I think you need to mix sand, and metal filings with your lube.

Maybe that will help clean out some of the fouling !

 

[Smoketown]

A statement I hear over and over on these forums is: "I've been doing this for 20 years", "30 years, "40 years. When I was in my early 30's a buddy of mine was on a construction crew and doing plumbing on a big construction job that they had about a week left to complete or would cost money for every day over their bid. There was an old man taking a paint brush and doping the threads of the pipe and then connecting and so on, and so on....taking along time and accomplishing little. While my buddy in his 30's also, had been doing this for quite a few years also. He finally got fed up and told the old timer, you're wasting time and we have a deadline! Just dip the damned pipe end in the compound and connect & tighten! The old timer looked at him and told him, "I've been doing this for 30 years"!! At this my friend really got pissed and said, "Yeah, and for tharty years you've been doing it wrong". Boss man took the old guy and put him on another chore...they finished in time and inspections were done and approved.

What I'm trying to say is we can all learn from the younger folks too...at least the ones with common sense.

I'm pretty sure that the 'dipping' idea also put pipe dope on the INSIDE of the pipe.
I'll bet the 'old man' never had to go back to a job-site and clean all of the pipe dope that got trapped 'down stream' in the faucet strainers ...

There's doing the job and, doing it correctly ... Just sayin'

 

[plumdog]

I'm pretty sure that the 'dipping' idea also put pipe dope on the INSIDE of the pipe.
I'll bet the 'old man' never had to go back to a job-site and clean all of the pipe dope that got trapped 'down stream' in the faucet strainers ...

There's doing the job and, doing it correctly ... Just sayin'

Yeah the old man was right. No pipe dope should end up on the inside...it can flake off when dry and get caught in gas valves and important things downstream. The method is spelled out in the code books and taught in union training.

 

[Hanshi]

I used to lube with spit patch from my first BP exposure until some years later. It still works great but I tend to be a bit "drier" in my dotage. So, I use mink oil in the bush and Hoppes, and sometimes mink oil, for all other shooting. Hoppes lube has changed twice since I started using it. When I first started with it it was very similar to the current look; thinner consistency. Then it changed to a thicker liquid that benefited from a bit of shaking. I liked and used it a LOT. Now it seems to have come full circle to a slightly more "watery" consistency yet somewhat thicker than the first bottles I used. But all three versions work splendidly in my guns.
I bought this drum of Hoppes several years ago (the second, thick formula) and had used most of it up, but was forced to leave the drum and remaining lube when we moved two years ago. Despite searching extensively I've not found it in drums since then. All three versions were excellent and the thick formula had a stronger smell

 

[heelerau]

I shot in a skirmish shoot at our rifle club today, used my late fathers' Missouri Plains rifle. .50 with 90 grains of FFFg.
I had watched an interesting new chap on utube who cut strips of greased patch material and hung them off his bag strap, up quite high, ball lose in the pouch, I also used a capper and my patch knife handle to set the ball below the muzzle before I cut it. Now I have been hunting with patch ball rifles for many many years and never thought to attach my patch material as this chap does. Works brilliantly. I got 4 in the shoot because I missed a clay, I would have won the comp. Always next year, and I do so love woods walks or sneaker courses as we called them in the army. Never to late to learn something new. Mofish, well shot !! My mate Dave on my left has a lovely little .50 English hunting rifle in .50 that I got going for him.

 

[[email protected]]

I have an odd question. I have TC barrels with the snail nipple configuration. When I clean and then scope the barrel shines and looks great, inside the breech and fire channel not so much. Surface rust. Any solution? Can't get get direct access but scope enters and can see.

Thoughts?

 

[Okie Hog]

While cleaning the gun with the nipple removed run a bristled pipe cleaner through the flame channel.

 

[Renegadehunter]

It's also important to make sure the flame channel is dry. I blast some air through mine and then pour a bit of denatured alcohol through it.

 

[electricfactory1]

So would I !

Gobblergetter,

I would love to see pictures of your builds. Do you have a website or anything?

 

[toot]

I shot in a skirmish shoot at our rifle club today, used my late fathers' Missouri Plains rifle. .50 with 90 grains of FFFg.
I had watched an interesting new chap on utube who cut strips of greased patch material and hung them off his bag strap, up quite high, ball lose in the pouch, I also used a capper and my patch knife handle to set the ball below the muzzle before I cut it. Now I have been hunting with patch ball rifles for many many years and never thought to attach my patch material as this chap does. Works brilliantly. I got 4 in the shoot because I missed a clay, I would have won the comp. Always next year, and I do so love woods walks or sneaker courses as we called them in the army. Never to late to learn something new. Mofish, well shot !! My mate Dave on my left has a lovely little .50 English hunting rifle in .50 that I got going for him.View attachment 2441

those two weapons rely look traditional! two beauties for sure!!

 

[NWTF Lobo]

I still have about 1/3rd bottle of Sperm Oil. I save it to use in freezing weather

 

[CVA Enthusiast]

Mink Oil mmmmm bees wax olive oil I have used... But I am not so staunch I can try new just because well I like the ideas, great read I am generally moose milk but hey never never stand alone with out a trial run.

 

[[email protected]]

I found steam through the nipple hole flushes the TC fire channel clean like nothing else. Flows black into the pail. I then put anti rust Ballstol or similar for storage. Clear it and barrel swiped with denatured alcohol before going out to shoot. Scopes clean and shoots every time.

 

[Winter Hawk]

I have an odd question. I have TC barrels with the snail nipple configuration. When I clean and then scope the barrel shines and looks great, inside the breech and fire channel not so much. Surface rust. Any solution? Can't get get direct access but scope enters and can see.

Inside the breech use a .357 bore brush. I wrap a patch around it to get it "squeaky" clean.

 

[Buck Conner1]

I still have about 1/3rd bottle of Sperm Oil. I save it to use in freezing weather

.
I still have a quart jar 2/3's full of Sperm Oil from when we were still selling the little muzzle-loading maintenance kits. We have sold close to 3 gallons of the legal sperm oil in the last 5 years. That's a lot of the 3oz. bottles guys. Bought the oil from a British firm outside of London at a good price.

​

 

[CVA Enthusiast]

I am very familiar with ballistol and water I am not big on the aerosol ballistol to each his/her own and the recipes for the additional moose milk, I have got to try.

 

[[email protected]]

I find Balistol smells like dirty feet