SOT: reducing BP fouling in SG loads?

[RPRNY]

Shot SASS yesterday. 27 rounds of shotgun. I shoot 20 ga, 2 1/2 drams OE 2fg 7/8oz shot, over powder card wad, fiber cushion wads at about 0.5" and an over shot card in a brass Magtech hull. It was bloody hot, like 95 F, and several stages near burned my hand on the barrels walking off the stage. When I got to cleaning, I've never seen anything like it. Amazed I hit anything the last few shots as barrel must have been effectively Super Extra Full choke with all the fouling.

Normally, a good amount of residue will come out with soap and hot water. Even after running soap and hot water through barrels for several minutes, couldn't fit a patch and 20 ga jag down the barrels. A bronze brush was pushing slabs of residue out. It was a pig to clean. Never seen fouling like that.

By contrast, rifle and pistols, shooting .452 200 grs Big Lube / SPG over 21 grs OE 3fg and a cornmeal filler cleaned up easy with very little residue. So, the lube is the difference.

Anyone have any tips for reducing fouling in SG loads? Lube between the two fiber cushion wads?

[Walks]

Don't you swab out your bore's/chamber's after every stage?
HAR TRIGGER taught me that back in 1989. When I decided to try BLACK POWDER, after about a year of Men's Traditional Class. Taught me how to load BLACK in Cartridge & gave me a homemade BP measure for shotgun. Gave me a great deal of help. It even helped me WIN 2nd place at the BP SideMatch at EOT'94. The 1st one that required shooting 2 stages.
Having a extra CLEAN cylinders to swap into my 1860's made all the difference.
Again HAR TRIGGERS training.
And his SPECIAL CLEANING SOLVENT is the BEST I've ever used. Haven't used anything else for BP since.

He moved out a state & I lost track of him. He was one GREAT GUY.

[Don McDowell]

You might want to go to 1f in your shotgun.

[Dan Cash]

Lube wad. I sometimes hunt with a 16 bore sxs where in I use BP. The load is in Magtech brass with 2F Goex or Old E, card wad felt wad, bees wax/oil lube wad disk, thin card wad, shot and over shot wad. My volume of fire is not so great as yours as I am shooting grouse but I still put 15 or so rounds down the tubes in an afternoon with no swabbing. Clean up is easy.

[Nobade]

Like Dan Cash says, a lubed cushion wad helps tons. Just melt the lube and let the wads float around in there for a while. When it's hot like that I'll soak the barrels in a bucket of water up to the forend to cool them and float out fouling. At the last half of the barrel is clean that way. Wipe before firing of course.

[John Boy]

Black powder shotgun reloads will always have more foul in the bore than handgun loads. Why? Because part of the foul will be material from the hulls reloading with paper or plastic hulls or the fiber wad
I too shoot SASS with BP reloads using plastic hulls & plastic wads or brass hulls with over powder card - fiber wad and over shot card and can expend 25 rounds with no issues. My reloads have ZERO lubes of any kind in the reloads

It was bloody hot, like 95 F, and several stages near burned my hand on the barrels walking off the stage. Of course the barrels will be hot. Apparently you don't know that BP ignition temperature is 2200 degrees Fahrenheit. If the barrels are too hot for you - carry the shotgun to the cart using the forearm or if you must carry the shotgun bores with your hand - WEAR GLOVES.
OK, cleaning the bores: Hot soapy water - stainless steel tornado brush - paper towel and final application oiling the bores and they will be MIRROR clean. Plug the muzzles with rubber corks - pour the hot water with Dawn into the bores and let sit for about 5 minutes - drain the bores - scrub the bores with the tornado brush - use paper towel patches to remove the excess foul - finish with a paper towel patch coated with gun oil ... Done, MIRROR CLEAN

[Battis]

For the heck of it, many years ago, I tried something unusual to keep fouling down in my BP guns - that includes cap and ball revolvers, a shotgun (10 ga SXS), muzzle loading rifles, even my Vetterli. I use the vegetable spray PAM. I spray it down the barrel and either wipe it out or shoot it out. On my revolvers I use it on the cylinder pins - works great on the Paterson and Remington arbors that don't have grease grooves.

[Nobade]

For the heck of it, many years ago, I tried something unusual to keep fouling down in my BP guns - that includes cap and ball revolvers, a shotgun (10 ga SXS), muzzle loading rifles, even my Vetterli. I use the vegetable spray PAM. I spray it down the barrel and either wipe it out or shoot it out. On my revolvers I use it on the cylinder pins - works great on the Paterson and Remington arbors that don't have grease grooves.Works really well for keeping a percussion Sharps running all day also.

[Knarley]

A cleaning jag and a damp patch works well. Windshield washer fluid is cheap, and evaporates quickly. Run one down each tube between each stage.

[Geezer in NH]

SOT = Special Occupation Taxpayer.

What do you mean? sorry no idea.

[cajun shooter]

The first thing I would tell you is to change your powder charge, not to 1F as my friend Don suggested but to a half and half mix of 2F and 3F. My mix for my 12 ga loads is 1lb of each mixed by hand or a wooden spoon. The second step would be to do away with your wads and cards loads and find a good plastic wad that will work with your shot and crimp style.
I did a lot of hands on research with this back around 2008 and it was well worth the time and trouble. The first thing I discovered when using the modern plastic wads was that my shot patterns improved by 50% and I no longer had misses with the KD's or clay birds.
Your 20ga. has a smaller diameter bbl than my 12 ga shotguns but I think your results will be the same.
Now when you use the plastic wads you will have something you have not seen before but it does no harm, it's called snakeskins in your bore, at least that is what I call it. As John Boy posted, BP burns very hot and it will melt some of the plastic hulls causing a residue that looks like a shed snake skin when cleaned from the bore. All you need is a bottle of Windex w/vinegar. I never had to clean my shotgun even after firing 35 or more shells. I had a 12 ga chamber brush on a short rod that I used after every stage to make sure I had fast extraction and reloads. The Windex maybe sprayed down your bores if needed, followed by a tornado brush until you see a shiny bore. Then follow with a dry cotton swab or patches. The Windex maybe used on the outside of your bbls also.
I use Remington Nitro 27 and Winchester AA grey hulls. I know this calls for a complete change but if you take the time to try it, it will give you what you are looking for. Take Care David