Oily bore q

[soldierbilly1]

OK, after ramming/ loading your greased conical down the bore, are you swabbing the barrel to remove any excess grease?
Is this necessary to keep the bore uniform between shots? dry patch or slightly damp?

I don't shoot many conicals but I am preparing for a hunt and I needs to know! (especially for sighting in my load)


thanks for your help!

billy boy

[Plastikosmd]

I am a bench shooter, cross paper patch with bit of water, no grease.
I am not familiar with using grease with conicals

[DIRT Farmer]

Any excess grease will come out when you shoot. When shooting musket using the Lyman 270 grain 58 with 35 grains of fffg, a small bit of Crisco in the hollow base will keep shooting all day. For the TC maxie I fill the groves full.

[soldierbilly1]

OK, this is my fault for being unclear.

What I meant was, after you ram the charge and conical on the powder, is anyone taking an extra swipe to remove the bore of any remaining, adhering boolit lube?
In several of Sam Fadala's writings he makes a case for not shooting with an "oily bore."
I was just wondering if anyone is doing the extra swipe down the bore prior to shooting.
thanks
billy boy

[Plastikosmd]

For me, no

[tomme boy]

When I am just out shooting, I use a wet patch that is over my seating jag to seat the conicals. That is the only wiping I do.

When I am hunting, I put 10 grs of powder down the barrel and light it off. That way the bore is going to be the same as I am hunting if i have to take another shot. My guns shoot to a different spot on a CLEAN barrel than a once fired barrel. This is why I do this.

[fouronesix]

OK, this is my fault for being unclear.

What I meant was, after you ram the charge and conical on the powder, is anyone taking an extra swipe to remove the bore of any remaining, adhering boolit lube?
In several of Sam Fadala's writings he makes a case for not shooting with an "oily bore."
I was just wondering if anyone is doing the extra swipe down the bore prior to shooting.
thanks
billy boy

Some do, some don't. I don't. When loading a Maxiball the top band engraves the lands and rides at least half way down the depth of the grooves so will carry most fouling and/or excess lube down with it. I shoot Miniés that are very close to bore diameter so they likewise carry most excess fouling and/or lube down with them. I use fairly soft lube like Crisco, so whatever lube/fouling is left in the bore after loading is very soft and a thin layer at most. Using a soft fouling BP like Wano-Schuetzen also helps.

Seems to me that swabbing after loading would tend to gather, bunch and deposit the fouling and/or lube right up against the projectile. Of course if swabbing/cleaning between shots, most all the previous shot fouling is removed before loading.

For best accuracy with conicals like the Maxiball, I swab between shots with 2 wet patches of moose milk followed by a dry patch or two. The bore is cleaned of most fouling and there is a light coating of residual Ballistol left on the bore surface. Care must be taken when using this method to not deposit a glob of fouling up against the flash hole or it will cause misfires or hang fires.

[jhalcott]

I "believe " Sam was talking about a first shot with the bore soaked with oils and/or cleaning liquids. I clean my bores after shooting and apply some oil or other rust preventative till next shooting session. I carefully remove this before the first shot. My guns also shoot to a different point when fouled then when perfectly clean. A glob of oil in the bottom of the rifle bore can kill your powder or primer,that's what Sam was referring to, I believe.

[fouronesix]

I don't know how much oil can be in a bore after cleaning. If done correctly it's not much…. unless it was slathered with a thick layer of grease after cleaning. If a thin layer of oil was left after cleaning is a real worry, then by all means clean, swab and dry between each shot- because there is going be a whole lot more junk in the bore after the first shot. If there is a real worry for the 1st shot of the day, just run a dry patch down the bore, pop a cap nor two, load and fire. :)

[soldierbilly1]

I "believe " Sam was talking about a first shot with the bore soaked with oils and/or cleaning liquids. I clean my bores after shooting and apply some oil or other rust preventative till next shooting session. I carefully remove this before the first shot. My guns also shoot to a different point when fouled then when perfectly clean. A glob of oil in the bottom of the rifle bore can kill your powder or primer,that's what Sam was referring to, I believe.
JHalcott: OK, you made me get off my rumpus and re read the passage on accuracy. In the Black Powder Loading Manual, by S. Fadala, in the section on accuracy, he is speaking of swiping the bore after loading. Sam is referring to the middle of a shooting session! Sam talks of wiping the bore after loading a conical OR a PRB. His point in doing this is to keep the bore "uniform" for a serious shooting session.
I know most BP shooters are not doing this, so I thought I would ask. It does seem excessive, I wonder if this made it into future editions of the Loading Manual (??).
Your point on removing oil at the beginning of a shoot session is well taken. Damn oil creeps all over metal and cant help ignition!
BTW, as you were driving at, the only thing that matters in hunting is that first shot out of a clean barrel!
thanks for all the input!
billy boy