Gummed up Ruger Old Army

[Kulot]

Hi,

I shoot T-7 in my ROA, and I don't grease it. After a few cylinders, it gets so gummed up, I can barely cock it.

Is greasing over or under the ball with a wad good at helping prevent this, or do I need to pop out the cylinder every dozen rounds and wipe it down?

What is everyone's procedure for a long shooting session?

I hear of people shooting all day with their ROAs. Why can't I?

[pietro]

I shoot T-7 in my ROA, and I don't grease it.
After a few cylinders, it gets so gummed up, I can barely cock it.

I hear of people shooting all day with their ROAs. Why can't I ?

Because you're using 777 w/o an over-boolitt charge of grease. .

I use Crisco cooking lard, spread across the chamber faces with a popsicle stick - which leaves fouling loosey-goosey for as long as I'm shooting. .

The lard also makes hot water cleanup a snap. .


.

[Outpost75]

I use lard and shoot all day... And like Pietro said, easy cleanup. Attachment 146775

[alamogunr]

+1 on the preceding posts. My understanding is that all the substitutes for real black powder leave serious fouling. Also I've heard that it is more corrosive. I've never used any substitutes so I can't verify. Clean-up with real black is not that bad. I've heard of owners of stainless Old Army's putting them in the dishwasher. I've never done that either.

[triggerhappy243]

I will bet your base pin is getting loaded up.

[Kulot]

Crisco it is! Thanks!

[dondiego]

Crisco is too messy for me. I just put a lubed felt wad under the ball and keep shooting.

[Blackwater]

There are all manner of ways to kill this cat. What I do, shooting Goex real black, is I got a lozenge tin, and filled it with Emmert's with lanolin, and I cut a popsickle stick to fit in the top. I use the stick to scrape off a bit of the lube, smear it over each chamber, and then use my pinkie (which is small enough for .44 cal's, but not for .36's) and smush it out so it is arranged about the sides of the ball. This sticks really well, doesn't move no matter how long you carry it, doesn't melt and leak out into your holster, and it really keeps the BP fouling very soft. I think I could probably shoot all day long without hard fouling problems with this, and as stated above, cleanup isn't bad at all. I usually use Murphy's oil soap, which is a neutral ph vegetable soap. Get the one with the spray bottle head, and it's already diluted. The bottles with the plain caps can be diluted according to the directions on the bottle for spraying or use on patches. This should keep you shooting as long as you care to sit and keep it up, but again, that's with real black, and I have little experience with the various "substitute" powders. Pyrodex, in particular, tends to produce very difficult to dissolve fouling that IS corrosive. Black's fouling is very easily dissolved, so it cleans up MUCH more easily and reliably than Pyrodex. The only "problem" cleaning up from real black is if it's used in brass ctg. cases, which of course takes it out of the real muzzleloading category, and there, some water with some Murphy's and vinegar keep your cases going for a long, long time there. Only real problem is the cases can stain black, but it's not harmful, and you really need to brush the cases out after use for really great case life. I have some Triple 7 but have yet to use it. Got it on sale at Wal Mart when they closed it out after the season, and I think it was mismarked. I need to try it some time, I guess, but as yet haven't gotten my round tuit, so can't comment on how it cleans up, but friends report it's the easiest of all. I also don't know how my Emmert's lube would work using it either, but if you get ahold of some real black, give Emmert's a try. I used it initially and got great shootability and accuracy, so just haven't pursued any options. FWIW?

[Southron]

Well, the problem with all of the "Replica" Black Powders is that (to satisfy government bureaucrats) they all have higher ignition temperatures. Of course, this translates into more mis-fires. I know for a fact that Pyrodex that is much more corrosive than real black powder.

O.K. how to solve your problem:

(1) Start using REAL Black Powder and not that "Greasy Kid Stuff" (replica black powders.) Of all the brands of Black Powder, Swiss fouls the least amount and you will probably notice that your groups tighten up, i.e., more accuracy, if you do your part. The "down side" is that Swiss is more expensive.

If you want to save some Shekels, rather than buying Swiss, buy some 3F Goex. It is good a good powder.

(2) Many shooters I know dip their lead balls in a melted mixture of 60% REAL Beeswax and 40% Bore Butter. Then set the balls aside on a sheet of aluminum foil for the wax to cool and harden. [The "Secret Ingredient" is using REAL Beeswax-don't substitute Paraffin for the Beeswax or you will end up with a mess in your bore like a low grade asphalt.] By the way, REAL Beeswax is available from your local, friendly bee keeper or the Candle department of your local Hobby Store like Michaels or a similar store.

PRESTO! After your wax coated pistol balls cool down, that's it. Just put the wax coated balls in a cardboard box and head to your nearest range.

At the range, just dump your favorite charge of REAL Black Powder, into the cylinder of your revolver, seat those wax coated balls, cap and fire.

Moral of my story: There is nothing like the REAL Things to solve your revolver's fouling problems.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[Kulot]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I'm in California, so it's been really hard to find real black powder without paying the ridiculous hazmat fee and keeping below the limit of 1 pound or whatever it is. As long as I can keep shooting and not locking up I'd be happy. Caps tend to get tangled up in the works, but don't become a problem until things get really sticky. I'll try some lube and maybe it'll keep me shooting.

[alamogunr]

I use Gatofeo's lube on wads. I saved what I think is the original article(post) on making the wads but I don't remember the source. This link is one of many that gives an abbreviated version of the lube and the felt material for wads.

http://blackpowdersmoke.com/oldcoots...ic=362.25;wap2

In order to make it I had to find a source of mutton tallow. When I found it, I had to buy a lot to meet minimum order. I still have three or four 2# tubs. I've sold some 2 tubs at a time since shipping is expensive and a medium flat rate box will hold 2 tubs. I have to be honest, my experience is that 4# is enough to last a 21 year old the rest of his life. I'm 3.5 times 21. I hope that those I sent 2 tubs had a friend that could use some.

Dixie Gun Works has smaller quantities and on the same web page is a review of Gatofeo's lube. Dixie didn't have any when I was looking.

Tar Heel's link above is good and gives an illustration of what looks like Gatofeo's lube

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Slather a heavy coat of Bore Butter on the cylinder base pin. That'll keep you running all day without binding up. That's what I do with my Colt's 1960 and it runs none stop.

[Kulot]

The pin looks clean. It's mostly the rear and front of the cylinder that get nasty.

[triggerhappy243]

Kulot, if that is the case, maybe you could brush off each end periodically with a bronze tooth brush to knock down the fouling.

[Kulot]

Kulot, if that is the case, maybe you could brush off each end periodically with a bronze tooth brush to knock down the fouling.

thanks. I'll try a combination of both.

[snoopy]

While I haven't tried 777 in my ROA, I do use it in others, a lubed felt wad keeps me shooting with REAL black for quite some time ymmv.

[alamogunr]

Possible source of smaller quantity of mutton tallow:

http://tinyurl.com/q496aqx


I was surprised to find this on a woodworking site.

[Kulot]

Got some lard and some grits for filler. Put a dab under the ball to keep it tidy. I even placed some directly over the powder, and they fired off fine. I was shooting lighter loads of 25g 777 with 15-20g (eyeballed) of grits. Everything kept pretty clean and spinning fine until I stepped it up to 40g with the same small dab of lard. I guess it needs to be more greasy. Any reason besides avoiding wetting the powder to grease over the ball instead of under? It was the first time shooting light loads, and I enjoyed the increase in accuracy.

Maybe I'll try and blended lube next. Thanks for all the help!

[Outpost75]

Grease OVER the ball!

[sghart3578]

I us various "butters" over each cylinder. I have experienced chain fires without it. No wads, ball seated on powder. Grease over cylinders seems to help cleanup also.

I don't know about all day range sessions, 50 to 100 rounds does it for me.

I confess that I have occasionally stripped my gun and ran it through the dishwasher. When I started shooting my Old Army in 1979 this was considered SOP. No s**t.