Managing fouling in a rifled musket

[dave951]

still got the "attitude" I see

Sometimes reality is unavoidable.

[frogleg]

You didn't say if you had sized the minie to .001 under the actual, measured bore size. Shooting a .575 minie in a .580 bore is a very short route to the very problem you're describing.

But what would I know about shooting minies....
Attachment 316596

Can’t argue with success

[longbow]

Sorry, I am a bit lost on the latest discussion.

The OP says he gets fouling about 1/3 the way down the barrel. Why would an undersize Minie cause a "spot" of fouling? I'd think if an undersize Minie wasn't sealing the bore, which I'm guessing is the supposed cause of fouling from an undersize Minie, that the entire bore would foul mand worse at the breech.

Dave951 shows an excellent group on target so he obviously knows how to get accuracy from his gun but what does that have to do with a "spot" of fouling in the bore?

In my case the "spot" of fouling was chronic and was due to a rough bore.

We don't have a lot to go on from the 1st post here as he doesn't say whether this is the first time or every time he shoots the gun and what the fit of Minie to bore is.

[Nobade]

I'm waiting for him to pull the breech plug, slug it, decide if it is a loose or tight spot, and lap it out to fix or if too bad have it relined. But he hasn't been back.

[stubshaft]

I use a INSIDE/OUTSIDE BULLET LUBER with MCM Bullet Lube from North East Trade Company. I size my RCBS minies to .001" under bore diameter and use 65.0 grains of 2F. It usually shoots into less than 2" @ 50yds (my eyes ain't what they used to be) and I can shoot ALL day without worrying about fouling!

[LAGS]

@ Nobade.
There are lots of rifles that it is not a good idea to pull the breech plug to do the slugging.
And lots of shooters that don't have the skills or tools to pull their breech plug.
Or they are just afraid to and have no gunsmith that can do it for them.
But on some rifles , I do the slugging to size the bore by making a lapping slug out of epoxy.
I probably should do a thread on how those epoxy slugs are made and pulled out of the barrel without having to pull the breech plugs.

[Nobade]

How do you get epoxy to not shrink?
Other than those early repro muskets with the brazed in breech plugs I haven't seen one that you couldn't pull the plug. But you're right on, not everybody has the tools or knowledge to do that. I have slugged barrels like you describe using cerrosafe, but it has to be super consistent or the slug is going to get stuck. At least when it does, a heat gun will get it out. But with most production barrels that still doesn't tell you anything since they'll all hang up somewhere down in there.
My own Miroku '63 was a lot like what he's describing. Once I got it apart I could see burrs raised on the edges of the lands from a dull rifling cutter. It took some ridiculously aggressive measures to get that barrel to work, but eventually I got it to do what it is supposed to. There's no way it was usable as delivered from the factory.

[fiatdad]

Stuffing the base with lube worked. The rough spot was fouling .thanks

[LAGS]

@ Nobade
The Epoxy that I mostly use is JB weld or good Glass Bedding Epoxy.
They don't shrink.
But if you use the cheaper epoxy that does not have the factory rated strength,it seems to shrink some or even stay softer and gummy on the surface.
I have even mixed the Epoxy with grit from my small sandblaster that is about 600 or finer grit to make a molded polishing slug.
When I returned "Armoredmans" sons rifle to him.
I also gave him the two lapping slugs that fit on a cleaning rod so he has them in case he needs them to polish out the barrel for any reason.
There was no need for me to keep them because they Fit his barrel only.
I also made him a Slug Rifling tool out of a section of his old barrel.
That way.
He can cast up slugs that are tight on the bore diameter.
Then pound them thru the section from the barrel.
That will size the slug to fit That Barrel and the rifling will be cut into the slug.
That way the slug can them be lubed and will fit easier into the bore and follow the rifling perfectly .
Plus be much easier to load.
I am sure that after he uses that set up he might do a post.

[LAGS]

@ fiatdad
I am glad to hear that you solved the issue with your rifle.
All the info that members provided can be a big help if you or others ever need it.
Have fun shooting.

[varsity07840]

Sorry, I am a bit lost on the latest discussion.

The OP says he gets fouling about 1/3 the way down the barrel. Why would an undersize Minie cause a "spot" of fouling? I'd think if an undersize Minie wasn't sealing the bore, which I'm guessing is the supposed cause of fouling from an undersize Minie, that the entire bore would foul mand worse at the breech.

Dave951 shows an excellent group on target so he obviously knows how to get accuracy from his gun but what does that have to do with a "spot" of fouling in the bore?

In my case the "spot" of fouling was chronic and was due to a rough bore.

We don't have a lot to go on from the 1st post here as he doesn't say whether this is the first time or every time he shoots the gun and what the fit of Minie to bore is.

Actually it can. I mistakenly cast some .686 minies from the wrong lead which I discovered later after I tested them for hardness. The first round I fired seemed to have less recoil than normal but I shrugged it off. The second round loaded a bit hard about two thirds of the way down and got worse in the same spot with the third. They did not group well. Bottom line, the minies were not expanding because of the lead not being pure, allowing fouling to build up. Hence my question to him about pure lead.