Anybody have a .58 caliber?

[Mooseman]

This was about 1-2 inch thick mass of what looks like Georgia red clay that feels like sand and bits of gravel mixed with it and some small lead bits in the front , I assume was leading in the barrel when I drove this mass out and it broke finally into chunks. It was all the way to the breech plug and filled the powder chamber to the rifling.
I first thought it was a "Red" Black powder load...My bullet worm and bullet puller both would not penetrate it.

[George Tucker]

I have a TC Big Boar in 58 cal, shoots good, i really like it.

[Flinchrock]

I think you would be much happier with acetone and automatic transmission fluid......

I agree completely!!!

[longbow]

I have had 3 .58's over the years ~ Remington Zouave, original H&R Huntsman with o-ring breech plug and a Parker Hale Musketoon.

I shot both RB and minies in all of them with good results, probably lots more minies than than RBs. I had a 0.575" RB mould but never checked actual cast size, Lee modern target minie mould, Lyman 575213PH, Lyman 577611.

As already stated, 60 to 80 grs. is a common load for most .58's. I can say that my H&R Huntsman digested several loads a lot higher than that though with no damage. That was in my young a foolish days.

I don't remember rifling twist but it was a microgroove style barrel with 12 lands and grooves if memory serves.

The gun shot well for me but in the end I decided I liked traditional muzzleloader styles better so sold it.

+1 on one what Mooseman said about heat. Soak it in whatever penetrant you like then wipe it down and heat with torch or maybe better a heat gun/paint stripper. That should help break things free. You should be able to get the barrel up to "soldering temperature" without hurting the bluing.

Longbow

[OverMax]

roverboy: Haven some second thoughts about your stuck breech plug. One spray solvent I know off hand that works exceptional at creeping to help lubricate frozen threads like no other. >Kroil. Made by Kano Labs (615) 833-4101. Much, much, better than Liquid Wrench and many others. Its been the choice of professional dealership mechanic's for many years. A day or two should be all that Kroil needs to do its job. Spray some down the barrel. Set the barrel standing in a corner someplace for a day or two. A good tight wrench on its breech plug. Should pop loose Sir. Can also loosen that firing pin too with Kroil. Stuffs amazing how well it works.
By the way at the time I purchased my T/C B-Bore 58 from Fox Ridge before their closing. It was mentioned that the 57.5 ball and 0.10 patch over 90 grs of 2FF was accurate out of T/Cs 58 caliber. Not knowing what the twist rate of your barrel is? That charge and ball combo may or may not be the one for you. My T/Cs rate is 1-48 twist.

Good Luck with your project Sir.

O/M

[roverboy]

Can I get Kroil in a store without having to order it. I've never seen it anywhere ,but from Midway or Brownells.

[mooman76]

I hear some auto parts stores carry it. I gave up looking and ordered it.

[toot]

i have a zouave imported in the 60,s by navy arms, the gun shoots minnies fine 60 grs of 2fg black or 60 grs of black mz, but will not group with .570, or .575 rb. with a 10tho,s patch. has any one had this problem? toot.

[fouronesix]

but will not group with .570, or .575 rb. with a 10tho,s patch. has any one had this problem? toot.

Don't know what "black mz" means other than IIRC a sabot brand called the mz. Also, if it's the BP substitute stuff called black mz I wouldn't use it anyway. No matter.

As to round balls- every rifled musket I have shoots both minies and patched RBs fine. I'd say the average group size I get from the bench with all of them with careful loading and good bench technique is 1-1.5" @ 50 yards.

Try some different patch combinations with the .570s and .580s. First, I'd try pure lead .570s with .015-.016 pillow ticking patch and about 50-60 gr FF blackpowder. All my rifled muskets are original. Most have 3 groove rifling while two have 7 groove rifling. All have fairly shallow grooves except for the 54 cal Mississippi which has 7 fairly deep grooves and the early Remington Zouave which has 7 fairly deep grooves. I assume your repro has normal, fairly shallow 3 groove rifling which was normal even in the originals. If a loose fit doesn't work then try a tighter fit with a thicker patch like the ticking. If all that doesn't work then try swabbing between shots. I'd bet some combination will work. It's very rare one of these can't be made to shoot well but some require patience and experimentation.

[Good Cheer]

Had a Zouave but didn't like it other than to look at. Currently shoot a flinter Renegade and a percussion TC Hawken both rebored to .58.

[StrawHat]

I bought a used Zoli barrel for a .58 cal Zouave from a member here and with minor fitting it dropped right in My original gunstock and the 1841 Miss. now can be safely fired so as to not risk damage to the original barrel because of the value.
It was as close to an original 1841 barrel as you could ever find. I was surprised.
The only difference is the sights.
Length, diameter, tang shape, and nipple location was all the exact same as the original barrel.
The red Clay in the barrel is a Mystery That may never be solved , but I kept the pieces in a baggie.
Rich

Glad to hear it worked out for you!

[roverboy]

Well,I got some Kroil from Brownells(they don't give the stuff away do they)and soaked the breechplug in it for 2 days and the thing still won't break loose. Oh well, I said forget it. I just took the rifle out and shot it some. I shot some Lee conicals I got with the rifle, loaded with 70 gr. and then 80 gr Triple 7. Both loads shot good and they seem a little mild. I'm gonna try 90 later and see how it does. The recoil wasn't really all that bad. I was expecting some pain. I don't know how heavy the conicals are because my powder scale is a 110 gr capacity wimp. I'm guessing 400 gr+ more or less. They are a flat point and are hollow based. I need to get some round balls and try them too.

[Alan]

I had one of those w/ the o-ring back in the 80's. IIRC, the MAX charge recommended was 100gr. I generally stayed well under that.

[Fast Asleep]

If you want a bit more bullet weight (don't we all), give the Lee REAL bullet a try. I shot these over 140 grains FF black in a Navy Arms Morse rifle for a number of years on deer and elk with good results. Though not as accurate as round balls in the typical 1 in 72" twist barrels, they shoot well enough to make 150 yard shots possible.

Cheers from Tim Janke in Nevada