Long Shooting Strings

[John C]

I've shot BP revolvers for about 15 years now. However, I'm very new to shooting BP muzzleloading long guns.

My question is, what do you need to do with a rifled musket (in this case, a Remington Zouave replica) to shoot 50 or so rounds of real black powder? I mean, what are the steps you need to take to clear out the fouling, etc? I'm an accuracy guy, so any competition oriented tips and tricks are especially welcome.

I really have no idea how or how often to wipe the barrel, etc. I have a nice dewey rod, should I buy a correctly sized mop and just run water down the barrel? Or should I use the ramrod? I use windex on my BP revolvers, but I've heard of secret concoctions of murphy's oil soap, etc.

Thank you,

-John

 

[mykeal]

Everybody has their own favorite concoction. Personally, I think the details don't matter much - the idea is to get a fairly clean barrel. Perfection is not necessary, because at some point your shooting ability has more to do with the results than the barrel cleanliness.

I use Thompson Center No. 13 on a patch with a cleaning jag on a range rod, as many as needed until they are free of loose fouling (usually just 2), then a dry patch. How often depends entirely on the type (and amount!) of powder and patch lube; that you'll need to determine by testing. There is no 'one size fits all' answer. For my own combination of variables, cleaning every 5th to 7th shot seems to work best. I try to judge by how difficult it is to load the next round. Some clean after every shot, others claim they don't clean until the end of the day. Who knows - that's what makes this sport so interesting.

 

[1911 guy]

I spit patch after each shot.

I just run a spit patch down the bore after each shot and go all day. Personally, I find this easier to do than a more extensive cleaning after several shots. If I hold up my end of the deal, my .36 flintlock will put ball after ball in a tiny little group, so accuracy seems to be pretty consistent this way. The flip side is that a larger caliber like you Zouave won't foul as much as my smaller .36, so you may want to just patch after every two or three. I notice this with my .50, I can go for several shots before the ball begins to get any tighter in the bore. The Zouave is a sixty-something, if I recall, so you may get more forgiveness than I do.

 

[Pancho]

If your shooting for pure accuracy consistency is very important. Varying amounts of fouling will result in varying amounts of resistance to ramming the ball onto the powder. The target guys at Friendship will swab between each shot. Spit does work well between each shot and it's not overly wet so using a dry patch is not needed. You'll end up with a consistently slightly fouled barrel.