Barrel Considerations--All Day Shooting

[HEAD0001]

I always wanted to varmint hunt the entire day with my 1885's. And I have done it before with smokeless powder with great results.

Lately I have been working with BP loads for the rifles. I have done alright with my 45-70, and I am now working on my 45 Colt Low Wall. I think the Low Wall would make a great ground hog rifle out to 200 or 250 yards. And I want to shoot BP loads out of the rifle.

Now in reality hunting ground hogs is done on hot days in the summer. And for 4 to 6 hours at a time. What considerations do I need to take into account concerning barrel treatment while shooting?? Assuming 6 to 10 shots in that time period, and stretched out over that period??

Any special considerations?? To maintain accuracy?? Tom.

[Nobade]

Since shots are not spaced closely, you'll probably want to develop a certain wiping routine and follow it after each shot. That way you will be able to test your rifle and load to know where it hits with that first cold bore shot. If you leave fouling in the barrel between shots, your first shot is likely to not go where you expect it to. Most of my BP cartridge guns take a couple of shots to settle in, and then group to the same place as long as I keep shooting. If I stop and wait a while, the first shot is wide than they group again after that. Kind of like a 22 RF.

[NickSS]

I would wipe the bore between shots as they will be spaced out and black powder fouling tends to harden and contribute to inaccuracy and leading. When I use a bp rifle for hunting small critters I have always run a damp patch through the bore after each shot. I do only one pass and it does not seam to affect my POI once I have put a couple rounds through the bore first. I use a fairly loose jag that basically pushes out any heavy fouling but does not seam to affect the lube plating the bore. I found this especially needed on hot days in the summer.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I carry an old Marlin Ballard that was a 38 Long but is marked 38-50 about the brush and ditches. I do not see more than one hole digger at a wack but if I was gonna need more longish shooting I would carry a 4 piece rod and some patches and run a few spit wads through the bore while planning the next move.
But the Ballard will let me shoot and easy 5 rounds before things get off center so I have never been concerned.

[Maven]

"...but if I was gonna need more longish shooting I would carry a 4 piece rod and some patches and run a few spit wads through the bore while planning the next move." --- missionary5155

As good as missionary's sectrional cleaning rod idea is, I think a Bore Snake would be much more compact, but equally effective.

[Dale53]

Many of the long range match shooters (800,900, and 1000 yards) are wiping before each shot. They have developed a method (explained to me in some detail by Glenn Fewless) of wiping with minimum fuss that leaves the bore condition consistent for best results with a minimum of effort.

They soak patches in a mixture of Napa water soluble oil mixed 10 parts water and 1 part oil. The patches, in stacks, are placed between two boards in a vice and squeezed nearly dry (think DAMP not wet). Before the first shot and after each succeeding shot, a single DAMP patch is run through the barrel. The water soluble oil will protect the barrel from rust throughout the day while providing a consistent bore condition. They do NOT follow up with a dry patch. Just push clean damp patch through the barrel once, back to front. The fouling will be essentially removed. You can literally shoot all day with consistent results and minimal work.

Damp patches can be kept in the small tucks jar in your day pack or in a pocket to keep them from drying out. You will no longer need your blow tube, etc.

FWIW
Dale53

[felix]

Right on, Dale! All real machine shops have 55 gallon drums of this stuff used for cooling. It's not an oil per se, but a polymer of sorts. Most will give you a 2 liter coke bottle full for the asking out of the drum, and that will last for years watered down 10 to 1. The stuff I got is blue in color and somewhat thick. Sorta' sweet to the taste. ... felix

[kennisondan]

I like the idea of swabbing one wet one each shot for absolute / near absolute consistency it sounds like the bees knees .. lol
NAPA WATER SOLUBLE OIL ? ANY OTHER NAMES FOR IT ?
THANKS
AND ASSUMING YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT A BORE SNAKE /... MANUFACTURER ? DESIGN ?
THANKS
DK

[Dale53]

I am talking about NAPA Auto Parts stores. They have a water soluble oil in cans. I can't give you NAPA's part number. Their search engine on the web site is pretty lame. You'll have to stop by a NAPA store. Alternatively, ask a machinist friend about "water soluble oil" as Felix suggests.

I just use a cleaning rod. Remember, the patch is DAMP (NOT wet) and you just push it through. The bore snake will be easier to manage in the field, I would suspect - soak it in the mixture, then press it out until it is just DAMP (if that is possible). The key to not having to run a couple of dry patches through is if the patch is DAMP.

FWIW
Dale53

[RMulhern]

You can shoot all year till ya barrel goes limp as long as you wipe twixt shots and iffen it gets too hot....just pee down the bore!!

[kennisondan]

You can shoot all year till ya barrel goes limp as long as you wipe twixt shots and iffen it gets too hot....just pee down the bore!!

YOU MUST SHOOT A BIGGER MORE THAN ME... FROM THE BACK OR FROM THE MUZZLE ? BLOW TUBE AFTERWARDS ? SEEMS THAT MAY COLOR CASE HARDEN YOUR BARREL WITH ALL THEM MINERALS AND SUCH...
IS IT BETTER WITH HAVING DRUNK A PARTICULAR FLUID... RED WINE, SHINE, SOME LIQUOUR ? i WOULD WORRY ABOUT DRINKING ORANGE JUICE DO TO ACID..
I DO LIKE THE RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG MENTALITY AND APPROACH THOUGH BROTHER..
LOL
GROUP TIGHTENER COCKTAILS WITH ADDED LUBRICITY ADDITIVES.. NOW THERE IS AN UNTAPPED MARKET.. MMMMM
LOL
DK

[Springfield]

A bore snake has a bristle brush built in, might want to take it out if you are trying to duplicate a wet patch. Thye are made by Hoppes.

[bigted]

been readin thru past threads and this one jumped out at me so here i am re-visiting an older post.

we used to call this "oil" mixture "goats milk". with "goats milk" you can shine or remove metal on a lathe or mill without the screetching and grinding that would otherwise acompany this action in a machine shop. also without this magical elixer the needed mini thousands of an inch needed to be removed would otherwise just studder and cause un-needed botchery and the ongoing cussing to boot on ruining a piece that has been being machined for hours or days.

this "goats milk" would be super for bp bore swabbing. i never thought of it for this but yes i see the logic of it and i bow to the brains that thought about this use of the good ol "goats milk".

[NickSS]

My wife has been using this stuff of years in her muzzle loader patches. She dampens them and carrys them in a musket cap box until needed. She can shoot all day without cleaning her rifle with them. I have also used the same stuff to clean between events at BPCR matches (every 10 to 12 shots). I use a flexible ML cleaning rod to push a patch through the bore and it works well in getting the fouling out. By the way my cleaning rod is also used as a shooting support when hunting. I take two 3/8 wood ram rods and use a big rubber band to make them into cross sticks for a rifle support and use one of them with a jag to push patches through the bore between uses.

[Lead pot]

YOU MUST SHOOT A BIGGER MORE THAN ME... FROM THE BACK OR FROM THE MUZZLE ? BLOW TUBE AFTERWARDS ? SEEMS THAT MAY COLOR CASE HARDEN YOUR BARREL WITH ALL THEM MINERALS AND SUCH...
IS IT BETTER WITH HAVING DRUNK A PARTICULAR FLUID... RED WINE, SHINE, SOME LIQUOUR ? i WOULD WORRY ABOUT DRINKING ORANGE JUICE DO TO ACID..
I DO LIKE THE RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG MENTALITY AND APPROACH THOUGH BROTHER..
LOL
GROUP TIGHTENER COCKTAILS WITH ADDED LUBRICITY ADDITIVES.. NOW THERE IS AN UNTAPPED MARKET.. MMMMM
LOL
DK

You folks down south have the perfect things growing on trees down your way for puckering up groups.....green persimmons

All joking aside, When I shoot all day and I do it quite often and the barrel gets very hot, blow tubing just don't do the job keeping the fouling soft. I have used several things, water, water soluble oil and water and several other mixes and they will clean out the bore but have a tendency to dry out before the days shooting is over and if you shoot in the cold climate will freeze or when it's hot the water will give you some flash rust. I turned to using RV antifreeze it has a rust inhibitor in it and will not evaporate and will keep the bore in a constant condition something water wont do or the oil/water mix. Oil/water mix I find gets sticky so I quit using it.
But all day shooting your better off wiping the bore.