Lee 250 grain REAL bullet in NEF Huntsman

[FergusonTO35]

Hey guys. Today cast a bunch of Lee 250 grain REAL bullets today for my new to me NEF Huntsman muzzleloader. This is one of the newer ones which uses 209 primers. I figure I'm going to lube them with TC Bore Butter, it's always worked well in my other smokepoles. I have Pyrodex RS and Pyrodex P in stock, real blackpowder vanished here a long time ago. I'm thinking of starting out with 70 grains of RS. Does this sound like a good idea? Is there another boolit lube I should use instead? Any advice is appreciated, I have no experience with inline muzzleloaders.

[johnson1942]

whats the twist rate?

[mooman76]

Sounds like a good start. You taking of hunting loads or just punching paper?

[FergusonTO35]

From what I understand it has a 1:28 twist. I am going to be hunting deer with this gun, out to 75 yards or so. If I can get 2-3" groups at that distance I'll be satisfied.

[johnson1942]

you might want to look at idaho rons post on paperpatching. that 500 grain bullet he recommends shoots like a target rifle and is very easy to prepare. easy to load and im sure would work in your fine new gun.

[rodwha]

I'd think it should be good out to 125 yds or more if they shoot well enough. If it's a calm day a PRB can shoot out to 125 yds without too much problem and have just enough to put a deer in the freezer.

[725]

You are surely going in the right direction. As you experiment with various powder loads, you might want to do parallel experimenting with the use of felt / wool wads under the boolit. Makes a difference for some. That combo should give you very good accuracy and terminal performance.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, I'll pick up some wads the next time I go to the fun store. Dumb questions: I am planning to use Bore Butter for boolit lube since I have quite a bit of it. Should I just smear it into the grooves with my fingers and let it dry? Also, since I'm going to be stuck with using Pyrodex for awhile will the traditional hot, soapy water method clean it sufficiently? I've never had any luck using Bore Butter as a rust preventative. Would Rem Oil be a good choice? Works great on all my smokeless guns.

I have read that you can get much better results with BP substitutes by weighing your volumetric equivalent charges, i.e., once you figure out what charge volume the gun prefers weigh them out as you would smokeless.

[Whiterabbit]

good luck to you. I could never get that bullet shooting in my handi rifle. My handi rifle likes LEE 300 grain 45 cals in a BT sabot.

[siamese4570]

I've used the hot soapy water method on pyrodex for years. No rust yet and I use bore butter in the barrel as a rust preventative. The trick is use really hot water to rinse the barrel and get the barrel hot. then dry it and run a patch soaked in rubbing alcohol down the barrel and dry it. this will evaporate any remaining water. then lube the barrel and you're done.
siamese4570

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, I'll give it a try.

[FergusonTO35]

I took the rifle and Boolits out for a backyard shoot today. I was only shooting 60 grains of Pyrodex RS at 30 yards but easily was putting all of them within 2" with the rifle resting on shooting sticks. Point of impact and ease of loading did not change over the 8 rounds fired. Upon cleaning I noticed the fouling seemed to be pretty modest. I cleaned the rifle with hot water and a bit of Blue and Gray Bore Cleaner mixed in. I've decided to try coating the bore with Bore Butter at least until the end of deer season and check it periodically for corrosion. I like the idea of using the same lube for my Boolits and as a bore coating, we'll see how it works. Off to a good start so far! :cbpour:

[FergusonTO35]

I took the Hintsman and the Real boolits out again yesterday, this time at 50 yards. Off the shooting sticks it was no problem to keep them within two inches of each other. I know it would do even better off the bench rest. Very happy with this rifle and Boolits so far, I think the mild powder charge helps the light boolit and fast rifling to get along.

I've cleaned and lubed the gun with Bore Butter twice now and no rust so far. I think the key is to get the bore very clean and very dry before applying it.

[dondiego]

It is good to hear that you are getting good hunting accuracy with the REAL's. They are killers. I personally didn't have good luck with Pyro and bore butter. I got rust and never went back to Pyro. I split an order of BP from Maine Powder House with a friend and have been happy. I do agree that real clean and dry may be the key. I just don't have to clean as hard with gunpowder!

[TCLouis]

Try the P also.

I use FFFG in all from 45 - 54, boolits or PRB.

[FergusonTO35]

I have some P, will try it too. Dondiego, do you still use the Bore Butter with black powder? I'm not totally sold on it, it does seem to work well in the short term. In the off season I may use a petro based oil in the bore for added assurance against rust.

[725]

I think bore butter is a great commercial boolit lube. Messy, but that's the nature of the thing. Whatever you choose for powder, bore butter will work. Just clean the heck out of it after shooting and lube/oil it to prevent rust. As a matter of routine, I clean mine and then a few days later clean it again. Always seem to get more out after the thing has set wet with oil for awhile.

[mooman76]

I tried BB for awhile. It worked ok but I'd rather not count on it for long term. I tried using it and they stated to pevented corrosion from happening so I left my gun uncleaned after using pyro and checked it every day for a week and it never showed any corrosion. I left it at that though. It's a ok lube at best. I do have to swab every so often when shooting. I sometimes wipe down the exterior metal parts with it.

[FergusonTO35]

Left it dirty with Pyro for a week, wow. It would drive me nuts to do that. It does make sense to me that a dirty bore that has had alot of BB put through would resist corrosion better than one with a thinner lube or no lube at all. BB seems to form a crust in the bore after firing that could keep the fouling in suspension off the metal.

[mooman76]

I did use an older ML and I wiped the nipple and surrounding area down also before firing. I think also it formed a layer of suspension to keep the corrosion from happening. I generally always clean my gun right after shooting and still do.

[dondiego]

I have some P, will try it too. Dondiego, do you still use the Bore Butter with black powder? I'm not totally sold on it, it does seem to work well in the short term. In the off season I may use a petro based oil in the bore for added assurance against rust.

Ferg - I still use BB sometimes. I wipe it around the nipple area and it aids in cleanup. I use it in the cylinder and shaft of cap and ball revolvers. I mostly use moose milk for a patch lube. I use Sheath or Midway's Rust Guard as a bore protectant after cleaning.