Muzzleloader "procedures"

[mkfrench]

I'm always looking for ways to be more effeciant and a better shooter and just curious to know everyone's routines for muzzleloading for the range and hunting with an inline. Here is/are mine. What do you do/don't do differently and why?...

Range

1- dry patch thru barrel(both sides) to remove Bore Butter from last session

2-- load, prime, shoot.

3- thoroughly clean barrel with with TC #13 until i get a clean patch, dry patch(both sides), Bore Butter, dry patch.

4- Load, prime shoot.

5- After 3 shots I pull and clean the breech plug and repeat.

6- when done for the day after cleaning te breech I repeat step 3 minus the last dry patch.

Hunting

its 1 and 2 from above then do what the situation allows. Minus bore butter, after a shot on a deer.

[Deleted]

I shoot smokeless so I don't do any of that stuff. For range shooting its nice to have a range ram rod. For reliable black powder shooting or hunting the main concern is make sure you have a clean nipple in the gun. If you don't you will have issues.

[jordanffemt]

I don't use bore butter in my inline. I wet patch ie TC's cleaning patches then dry patch after each shot, range or hunting. After shooting is over for that day I remove breach, then wet patch an dry patch till clean. I clean the breach plug with warm soapy water with a tooth brush, I prefer using my buddies tooth brush though.

[parson]

Probably not necessary, but I always fire a primer prior to initial loading. I likely read it in a book once upon a time.

[GS1]

I shoot smokeless also so my routine is pretty simple:

1. Clean gun

2. Load 42.5 gr of powder into the viles that I keep it in.

3. Load gun and shoot things.

4. Clean gun and put it up until next season.

[stevein]

I shoot traditional but the procedures are still the same. I would not pull the breech plug every 3 shots as I feel this would cause wear on the threads. Also you may not get it seated correctly in the field and this would lead to gas erosion of the threads. When swabbing between shots my jag / cleaning patch combo is a loose fit with the patch being fairly big. When going down the bore there is little resistance but it comes out with some difficulty due to the patch bunching up in front of the jag. This pulls the crud out versus pushing it down into recesses at the breech where you do not want it. This is with a range rod with a knob on the end not the ramrod carried in the gun. In the field I load powder with a felt wad over it then run a spit patch down if there is time, otherwise I just reload. If I shoot it in the field and reload I always dump it in a stump when done hunting or blast it out with a CO2 dis-charger.
For hunting I spray brake cleaner down the bore and swish it around then dump it out. I let the gun stand until all the cleaner has evaporated then run a patch lightly sprayed with brake cleaner to blow out and excess that may have remained. (the patch will stick most times unless sprayed) I load and put my stall on the frizzen and the plug in the touchhole or set the hammer down and a piece of leather over the nipple, hand a red LOADED tag on the triggergaurd, case it and don't touch until I pull it out of the case to go hunting. This has worked for me for over 40 years.

[Deleted]

Those "procedures" are why I leave my muzzleloaders in the gun cabinet most of the time. I haven't got the time or patience for high maintenance weapons. I know some of you guys swear by them, but I never enjoyed fooling with them.

[Deleted]

Once you get away from black (powder), you never go back.

[mkfrench]

Thanks for the feed back.

[throbak]

I always clean mine and set it neer the wood stove and SURE every thing is CLEAN AND DRY poping a cap on a DRY gun is Redundant IMO poping a cap is for the times you cant be positive it is dry

[jamesaritchie]

I've always used a traditional, and you void the warranty on most of them if you pull the breech plug. Doing so isn't required, and you can cause a lot of harm to your gun by pulling the breech plug without very good reason.

I do clean the touchhole before and after every shot, but other than this, the procedures are much the same.

I do take an extra strep in loading. A bullet and patch do not form a gas seal. The early settlers, long hunters, etc., knew this, and used a wad between powder and bull, most often one made from crumbled wasp nest. nest. I've found a proper wad not only increses accuracy, but also gives greater, and more reliable, velocity.

[jamesaritchie]

Sept 28, 2013 17:38:25 GMT -5 throbak said:

I always clean mine and set it neer the wood stove and SURE every thing is CLEAN AND DRY poping a cap on a DRY gun is Redundant IMO poping a cap is for the times you cant be positive it is dry

Well, popping a cap also cleans out the hole, and dry doesn't just mean not wet. You can place a gun near a wood stove for a year, and any oil or butter will still be there. A cap makes sure no oil or butter is in the way.

At any rate, popping a cap does no harm.

[Deleted]

Except get the nipple dirty again.

[Deleted]

I can't stand dirty nipples!

[mkfrench]

Sounds like pulling the breech plug and te bore butter are unnecessary in some people's estimation. I pull the breech plug so frequently for two reasons, the first being the bore end of it is what gets the dirtiest and I don't want it to cause a miss/hang fire. 2nd I have had a plug seize up that I've had to have machined out due to following the owners manual(CVA that i was shooting at the time) and probably some "user error" truth be told.

I shoot an Encore now(doesn't have te "speed" breech) I bought new in 2005. Any other Encore shooters have any suggestions?

[Deleted]

Dirty nipples do suck. Avoid them at all cost and your muzzleloading experience will be more successful. The breech plug needs a lube of some sort on the threads so it can be removed at some point after use. Most ignore this and a few render the barrel assemble to junk by doing so. Most do not have the experience or proper tools to remove one that has been neglected. Take it to a gunsmith.

Other than that^, the breech plug has no bearing in IF your gun will go off when you want it to. Its all in the nipple.

But several extra nipples. Change them after each firing session and clean the dirty one. You'll always have spares and no reason to have a misfire ever.

Then again you could dump the black powder and go smokeless

[swilk]

Sept 28, 2013 13:48:53 GMT -5 GS1 said:

I shoot smokeless also so my routine is pretty simple:

1. Clean gun

2. Load 42.5 gr of powder into the viles that I keep it in.

3. Load gun and shoot things.

4. Clean gun and put it up until next season.

I kind of skip step 1 and step 4 .... I own 2 savages and neither have ever been cleaned short of cleaning the breech plug and replacing vent liners. And that only happens once in a great while.

[onhopr12]

To go to the range and shoot percussion and PRB IS fun, but that is for many shots. Using 60 to 90 gr of powder you can shoot many times before using a wet patch with a good lubed patch. So, after range time the chore of cleaning isn't to bad for the usage, actually during the season it can be a bit of a hassle though. A PBR is a very effective hunting projectile to around the 100 yd mark without to much wind. The newer in-lines are easier to clean with removable breech plugs, but are a bit more finicky when is comes to shooting to their potential with the projectiles used. That is why the newer sulfur free powders came on the market because of the cleaning regiment from shooting to after range time, but they still needed to be wet patched between shots. The Blackhorn powder just makes it simpler and your gun's barrel may last longer. The in-lines just have more range because of the projectiles used and with better scope applications which makes them more effective for just hunters of season or application. Using Blackhorn 209 and Barnes bullets a box of 20 ammo still cost about $45 which is about the same for shotgun sabot ammo with even less of a cleaning regiment.


metamorahunter: I can't stand dirty nipples! ; I bet you've got a few nipples dirty in your time.

[esshup]

Sept 28, 2013 13:48:53 GMT -5 GS1 said:

I shoot smokeless also so my routine is pretty simple:

1. Clean gun

2. Load 42.5 gr of powder into the viles that I keep it in.

3. Load gun and shoot things.

4. Clean gun and put it up until next season.

Pretty much the same procedure here except #2 is "Load 70.0 gr. of powder into the vials....."

[jackryan]

To shoot a gun for the first time of the year that's say been standing in the corner all year.

First thing is I never stand one in the corner with barrel up. That's about the worst way you can store a muzzle loader. Always store it with the muzzle at least slightly lower than the lock so you don't get oil collecting down at the exact spot you want most dry.

I never shoot any thing but black powder in mine. They are all side lock traditional percussion guns.

Take the gun down and put the ramrod down the barrel to make sure it's not already loaded.

Pick up powder, cap, and ball and go out side. Put a cap on the nipple and fire in a save direction.

Blow the smoke out.

Drop a half load of powder in and tamp down a wad. Instal a cap and fire it a safe direction.

This has established the nipple, fire hole and barrel are all completely clear of obstructions, oil or any other moisture and properly fouled and ready for maximum accuracy with the first shot down the barrel.

Blow the smoke out of the barrel and drop a full load of powder. Grease a maxi ball and ram it home checking the marked ram rod to ensure it is fully seated.

Set a round ball on the nipple and pull the trigger dropping it on the round ball. This deforms the lead ball making a perfect seal against moisture on the nipple. Rifle is ready to carry in to the field where I'll install a cap and set the hammer down tight on it until ready to fire.

Put a cotton ball in a box of caps to keep them from rattling and put it in my pocket. Two speed loaders with full load of powder and a greased maxi ball in each. Short ramrod with a half inch deep hole drilled in the side of the ball to serve as a handle on the long ram rod. These in my pocket and I'm ready to go hunting for a day.

If I'm going out to shoot on the range I'll take a little tool box I've got full of extra of everything else including cleaning supply. For just target practice and playing around I don't clean the barrel until it's so hard to get a bullet down I near have to pound it down the barrel and usually I quit for the day if it needs that. If I've got company or something and people just want to keep shooting I'll half ass clean it with wire brushes and a couple swipes of bore butter or something until a ball will go down it. I've always got a dozen nipples in the box and I'll just change it when one gets so dirty a tooth pick won't make it fire.

To check the sights in for hunting or demanding top accuracy I won't change a setting on a barrel that's been shot more than three times with out a thorough cleaning. And the stated first shot procedure above.