advise needed, 54 springfield hawken.

[tommag]

I bought a used Spanish hawken springfi
Using goex ff and fffg it fouls so bad that it has to bewiped every shot. It is particularly sticky about 10" from muzzle.
I'm using an unknown brand of fairly thin patch lubed with a yellow lube.
I only have a 535 rb mold, as well as a 54 real mold. Haven't tried the real yet, not sure how much powder to try with it.

The bore feels pretty smooth when clean. Maybe a 530 ball would be in order?
The twist is 48", anyone have any suggestions about the fouling or a suggested charge for the real slug?
Sorry about spelling, smart phone makes it hard to post.

[docone31]

If you get a R.E.A.L. and use lapping compound as lube, you will be impressed.
I had a stove pipe rifle, and fired 5-8 of those, useing a patch as wad over a full load. Cleaned the bore right up.
Another place to look for fouling is in the drum area. I replace the cleanout screws with Allen head screws. They don't rust as badly.
I have also used lapping compound on patches. That helped also.

[Battis]

Sounds strange, but I use the vegetable spray PAM as a lube for my BP guns. I load the powder, then patched ball, then squirt some PAM down the barrel. I even use it as a lube for the patch.
I still run a patch every few shots but at the end of the day, PAM makes clean-up easier.
But, you have to start with a clean barrel, which might take some doing initially.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

1/3 rubbing alcohol , 1/3 hydrogen peroxide , 1/3 Murphy oil soap , mix in a small spray bottle of dark color if possible


spray on a patch and run it before you load your first shot , this helps get the mineral oil out of the barrel form cleaning it last time you put it away.

then , run a few caps , load powder , spray patch for round ball till saturated wring out , then load patched ball , shoot and repeat , powder , lube patch load with round ball, fire all day long if you like , the fouling stays very soft and no need to run any other patches besides the ones around the ball , till your ready for clean up , actually for target work if you do run a dry patch you need a fouling shot to not break your group , but loaded lubed patched ball one after the next it holds remarkable consistency

when your ready to head home for the day spray down the bore and run a few patches , then go home and clean with hot water and soap , then oil and put away

[tommag]

Thanks, guys. Docone, I like the allen screw idea, sounds better than the slotted one I have now. I think ill try green county Petes formula before I lap the bore.
Battis, I don't see where Pam wouldn't work, since its a vegetable oil.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I mostly use .015 pillow ticking cut into 1 1/2 inch squares , but take you caliper with you to the store , there are different thicknesses.

these hold up well , you could almost go pic them up off the range spray them down and load them a second time , but at about 600 of them to the yard of fabric , well i am cheap but not that cheap

you may also want to try a .010 thick material , get a 1/4 yard of each and find the one that is right for your gun thinner fabric is easier than a different mold
flannel also works

even cotton bed sheets would probably work

your going for thick enough that it is tight , thin enough that your not beating it down the barrel

[tommag]

How would this formula work for -20 weather? I got drawn for Iowa late muzzleloader deer, planning on hunting at my friends place late December, early January.
Seems like the alcohol would be an antifreeze, but evaporate out while pre lubed patched balls were in the ball board.

[waksupi]

DO NOT put that damned hydrogen peroxide in your bore. If you follow the process stated, you WILL have corrosion in your barrel.
End of discussion.

Get rid of the yellow lubed patches. They WILL foul a bore.
End of discussion.

For a hunting patch lube, use the method of soaking your patches in moose milk, then let them dry (Dutch Shultz). This is a way you can load, and leave loaded all season, with no worries about rust or corrosion. If you need a second shot, spit will work fine.

For general shooting, moose milk, 1-7, 1-10 mix of water and water soluble machine oil, or Ballistol works best. Oil the small number, water the big number.

The fouling ring you are feeling 10" from the muzzle is telling you to increase your load until that fouling ring is clearing the bore. Another 5-10 grains should do it.

You drew a good hunt. Look in the record book, my brother Steve (board member Elawolf) held the Iowa state record with muzzle loader until just a couple years ago. He hunts the south east corner. He thinks he can get the top spot back in the book down there.

[Dean D.]

I shoot .530 RB's in my .54. I found .535's to be just too tight of a combo with every patch thickness I tried. A Lee double cavity .530 RB mould is only $19.99 at most online suppliers. If I were in your shoes I'd buy a box of .530 RB's and try them, if they work anty up for a new mould.

I've used all of the methods Waksupi mentions and they all worked well for me. Of course I'm a tad bit biased since he has been my muzzleloading mentor from the start. It's hard to argue with what works though. ;)

[fouronesix]

DO NOT put that damned hydrogen peroxide in your bore. If you follow the process stated, you WILL have corrosion in your barrel.
End of discussion.

Get rid of the yellow lubed patches. They WILL foul a bore.
End of discussion.

For a hunting patch lube, use the method of soaking your patches in moose milk, then let them dry (Dutch Shultz). This is a way you can load, and leave loaded all season, with no worries about rust or corrosion. If you need a second shot, spit will work fine.

For general shooting, moose milk, 1-7, 1-10 mix of water and water soluble machine oil, or Ballistol works best. Oil the small number, water the big number.



+ one on that- good advice! Even a small amount of straight Ballistol on patch works well for leaving loaded with no worries about rust or contamination of powder. But, letting the water evap out of moose milk makes it easier to evenly distribute the small amount of Ballistol needed throughout the patch.