Wiping between shots.......is it necessary?
- Thread starter g4string
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K.A.T.
Member
Well you don't have to do it, but it does improve your accuracy. When I shoot conicals in my TC Hawkens I just place a patch on my tongue to wet it and then run it down the barrel a couple of times. That should be all you need.
TheWall
Member
Every other shot...
I usually do every other shot, one wet patch (usually wetted with Ballistol or T/C #13) and then one dry patch.
I usually do every other shot, one wet patch (usually wetted with Ballistol or T/C #13) and then one dry patch.
scrat
Member
I dont wipe. But then i take enough guns to last me a while. So as they start to loose their thunder i put them away. Kinda like yesterday. we were shooting for a few hours until we were down to almost 1 revolver. This is after taking 4 revolvers and an autoloader. Heck even the auto loader started to jam up. That was after several hundred rounds of ammo though through the autoloader.
sniper5
Member
Boy, you guys are really clean freaks. I usually only wipe after I use the bathroom.
JNewell
Member
I do - water-moistened patch - when shooting 777 with plastic sabots. Otherwise, accuracy goes down and effort goes way up.
Coltdriver
Member
I have an Encore .50 Cal barrel.
Just had it out to the range yesterday. 295 grain powerbelts and 100 grains of 777.
I use a rod with a brush on it and I run a patch with bore butter on it after every shot.
I can feel the crud on the barrel and the bore butter takes it off.
It may be that I am getting the buildup from the use of 209 primers but if I don't follow this regiment then in about 4 or 5 shots the crud buildup is bad enought that fully seating the bullet is a problem.
I was able to get mine dialed in at 100 yards in a 6 inch circle. Thats minute of deer if I can get close enough.
Just had it out to the range yesterday. 295 grain powerbelts and 100 grains of 777.
I use a rod with a brush on it and I run a patch with bore butter on it after every shot.
I can feel the crud on the barrel and the bore butter takes it off.
It may be that I am getting the buildup from the use of 209 primers but if I don't follow this regiment then in about 4 or 5 shots the crud buildup is bad enought that fully seating the bullet is a problem.
I was able to get mine dialed in at 100 yards in a 6 inch circle. Thats minute of deer if I can get close enough.
oneshooter
Member
I use a tight PRB in my rifles, 50 cal = 495rb w/ .020 patch. If I don't run one wet and one dry patch I can barely get the next round seated! I load 100gr of Goex 2fg in a 44" bbl.
The idea is not to really clean the barrel, but to keep a "consistent" amount of fouling in it. That is a variable to accuracy that can be kept to a minimum.
Just my $.02 worth.
Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
The idea is not to really clean the barrel, but to keep a "consistent" amount of fouling in it. That is a variable to accuracy that can be kept to a minimum.
Just my $.02 worth.
Oneshooter
Livin in Texas
Voodoochile
Member
I usually run a wet then a dry patch through mine every 2-3 shots in either my .54cal Hawken .530 & .015 or my .50cal Bobcat now with .495 & .010, so far my accuracy has been pretty consistent as long as I do my part & keep up this regimine..
As far as C&B revolvers go, I usually run one of those bore snakes through the barrel every other cylinder load "about 10-12 shots" & wipe the cylinder face clean to keep it running smooth & accuracy at it's optimum.
As far as C&B revolvers go, I usually run one of those bore snakes through the barrel every other cylinder load "about 10-12 shots" & wipe the cylinder face clean to keep it running smooth & accuracy at it's optimum.
sharps59
Member
what ar you shooting. knowing that may help. I shoot minnies out of CW arms only brush after 15 rounds or so. no effect on my acc.:banghead:
Omnivore
Member
It really depends on the particular load, IMO. Shooting plastic sabots in my .50 rifle I've had to swab after every shot or the sabot/bullet would stick horribly in the bore. Using a well-lubed patch and ball (tight fit) the barrel gets "cleaned" every time you load one, such that the first shot loads easily, and all subsequent loads go in a little tighter, and all the same, all day, no swabbing. Some conicals are going to do a better job of taking the fouling off on the way down, compared to others. You'll just have to find what works best for you, IMO.
As a newbie I had some real trouble-- stuck loads, stuck cleaning patches. Had to get out the vise grips to pull out a stuck ramrod and jag once or twice-- an awfull time. Now it's a breeze.
Don't use petro-based lubes, and keep the thing lubed up with Bore Butter or similar natural lube in the conicals. That's important as it keeps the fouling soft and much easier to deal with. Don't ever use modern firearm solvents. BP is a whole different world. (some people get away with using particular petro solvents or lubes, but this is an exception to the rule. Usually petro-chemicals will react with the BP, forming a hard crust that is murder to deal with)
Traditions, I think it is, sells a plastic jar of cleaning patches that are soaked with their Natural-Lube (much like TC Bore Butter). I've been trying those, and they're great for a quick swabbing. Still, I don't swab at the range-- only at home after, using the treated patches in a hot bore, to keep the seasoning after a deep cleaning.
As a newbie I had some real trouble-- stuck loads, stuck cleaning patches. Had to get out the vise grips to pull out a stuck ramrod and jag once or twice-- an awfull time. Now it's a breeze.
Don't use petro-based lubes, and keep the thing lubed up with Bore Butter or similar natural lube in the conicals. That's important as it keeps the fouling soft and much easier to deal with. Don't ever use modern firearm solvents. BP is a whole different world. (some people get away with using particular petro solvents or lubes, but this is an exception to the rule. Usually petro-chemicals will react with the BP, forming a hard crust that is murder to deal with)
Traditions, I think it is, sells a plastic jar of cleaning patches that are soaked with their Natural-Lube (much like TC Bore Butter). I've been trying those, and they're great for a quick swabbing. Still, I don't swab at the range-- only at home after, using the treated patches in a hot bore, to keep the seasoning after a deep cleaning.
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It all depends on your gun. A reproduciton Whitworth is the most finicky rifle I've ever shot and it needed a lot of coaxing.
I've had round ball rifles that become very difficult to load after five shots.
I've had minie guns that didn't need any cleaning from first shot to the sixtieth!
I've had round ball rifles that become very difficult to load after five shots.
I've had minie guns that didn't need any cleaning from first shot to the sixtieth!
Fisherman_48768
Member
For the most accurate shooting time after time wipe the bore with some solvent, I use my own mixture then wipe dry. The key is consistency from shot to shot. Here is a match target fired with a flint lock, patched round ball and black powder, open sights fired from cross sticks 50 yds.
Consistency from shot to shot will make a difference, you can't argue with success.
Consistency from shot to shot will make a difference, you can't argue with success.
alemonkey
Member
My .50 with a prb can go a max of maybe 10 shots without wiping. By that time it gets rather hard to ram the ball home. Accuracy starts to degrade before that, though. Maybe at about 5 or so. A quick wipe with a patch soaked in bore butter seems to do the trick. I don't want to get all the fouling out, just loosen it up and remove the excess. I'm guessing every gun is different.
scrat
Member
Wiping is not as important as remembering to flush.
sundance44s
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And remember don`t squeeze the Charmin !
Jamie C.
Member
Some of y'all are making me think you don't know your ass from the muzzle of a gun...
J.C.
J.C.
sundance44s
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Ok on a serious note ..I do swab the bore between shots when I`m sighting in ..But at a round ball shoot , I might go 15 or 20 shots before giveing the bore a wipe ..
With inline rifles , I don`t own one but the folks I know that do claim the swab the bore between shots because they are useing 100 grs of powder , and the fouling build up is much worse ..with the patched round ball the bore gets a swab every time you load a shot by the patch pushing the fouling down the bore as you load , expecially if you use a lubed patch .
With inline rifles , I don`t own one but the folks I know that do claim the swab the bore between shots because they are useing 100 grs of powder , and the fouling build up is much worse ..with the patched round ball the bore gets a swab every time you load a shot by the patch pushing the fouling down the bore as you load , expecially if you use a lubed patch .
I run a spit-moistened patch down the barrel between shots with my .50 GPR. My intention is to maintain a consistent base-coat of crud.
With minie balls, I used to swab with one solvent-wet patch, followed by one dry patch, every 15 rounds or so.
With minie balls, I used to swab with one solvent-wet patch, followed by one dry patch, every 15 rounds or so.
1911 guy
Member
Depends on a few things.
Whether or not to swab between shots can depend on what type of powder you're using, how much powder you're using and bore size. For example, Elephant brand seems to burn dirtier than Goex and fouls faster. A heavy charge of anything will foul faster than a light charge of the same powder. Smaller bores tend to foul faster than larger bores. To add to the problem, some rifles just seem to foul no matter what. Personally, I've gotten into the habit of running a spit patch down bore between shots with everything. My .50 doesn't actually need it, but my .36 is impossible to load without a hammer if I don't.
Whether or not to swab between shots can depend on what type of powder you're using, how much powder you're using and bore size. For example, Elephant brand seems to burn dirtier than Goex and fouls faster. A heavy charge of anything will foul faster than a light charge of the same powder. Smaller bores tend to foul faster than larger bores. To add to the problem, some rifles just seem to foul no matter what. Personally, I've gotten into the habit of running a spit patch down bore between shots with everything. My .50 doesn't actually need it, but my .36 is impossible to load without a hammer if I don't.
sundance44s
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1911 Guy your right about the smaller calibers needing more attion between shots ...I don`t shoot mine much but I have a 40 cal Ky rifle that gets much dirtyer than any of my 50 cal`s ..and a max load for me in the 40 is 30grs of 3f . Its a tiny bore.
It's a very interesting question!
I've always wondered about the need to either wipe between shots, or use a blow tube when doing the BPCR thing.
I know it's common these days, but does that mean that the formulation of black powder and bullet lubes has changed so much over the last 100 or so years that we're relegated to the practice?
IOW, I see no reference to our shooting forefathers either wiping bores or using blow tubes in the late 1800s. I know BP fouling from those days was considered softer and more moist, and I've gotten to the point where my own BPCR .45-70 rounds have a nice lube layer in the bore after just a couple shots - so what happened?
I've always wondered about the need to either wipe between shots, or use a blow tube when doing the BPCR thing.
I know it's common these days, but does that mean that the formulation of black powder and bullet lubes has changed so much over the last 100 or so years that we're relegated to the practice?
IOW, I see no reference to our shooting forefathers either wiping bores or using blow tubes in the late 1800s. I know BP fouling from those days was considered softer and more moist, and I've gotten to the point where my own BPCR .45-70 rounds have a nice lube layer in the bore after just a couple shots - so what happened?
1911 guy
Member
Black powder has changed, in the fact that it's more consistent. My uncle is HUGE into BP and has old empty powder cans from probably fifty or sixty different brands. Now we're down to less than half a dozen I can think of. GOEX, Elephant, Swiss, Vhitouri (I think they still make BP). There are differences, and noticeable ones, just in these few.
Bullet lubes is a hige difference. Prior to (relatively) recent years, everything was animal or plant based for lube. Petroleum was a recent novelty until just before the turn of the twentieth century. Now we use it for everything and petroleum and BP fouling do not play well together. Turns fouling into black cement, it seems sometimes. Stick with all natural lubes, even for CTG loading when using BP.
Fouling has always been a problem, though. It's because of fouling that we have the Minnie ball, it was designed undersize to go down a fouled bore and flare the skirt under pressure to engage the rifling.
Blowtubes were around, apparently. I remember seeing a Sharps Rifle Company catalog that sold reproduction blow tubes, so I'm assuming there were originals to reproduce.
Bullet lubes is a hige difference. Prior to (relatively) recent years, everything was animal or plant based for lube. Petroleum was a recent novelty until just before the turn of the twentieth century. Now we use it for everything and petroleum and BP fouling do not play well together. Turns fouling into black cement, it seems sometimes. Stick with all natural lubes, even for CTG loading when using BP.
Fouling has always been a problem, though. It's because of fouling that we have the Minnie ball, it was designed undersize to go down a fouled bore and flare the skirt under pressure to engage the rifling.
Blowtubes were around, apparently. I remember seeing a Sharps Rifle Company catalog that sold reproduction blow tubes, so I'm assuming there were originals to reproduce.
More consistent, maybe...
I've got a 1920's vintage can of DuPont FFFg that shoots rather well, of the couple samples I've tried.
I posted earlier about the 1895 Harper's Evening Post article I found discussing the manufacture of black powder. Willow was indeed the preferred choice of wood for the charcoal.
Much has been said about the soft or moist fouling characteristics of older BP. Without samples from way back when to try, I don't know how they'd stack against the Goex Cartridge I'm currently using.
Regarding the lubes, I made the mistake once of using a petroleum-based bullet lube in my Sharps. Talk about leaving black concrete in the barrel! Never again, and it's either lard, Crisco, or other animal fat and beeswax. No lube star at the muzzle of the 32" barrel means I'm in trouble.
I've got a 1920's vintage can of DuPont FFFg that shoots rather well, of the couple samples I've tried.
I posted earlier about the 1895 Harper's Evening Post article I found discussing the manufacture of black powder. Willow was indeed the preferred choice of wood for the charcoal.
Much has been said about the soft or moist fouling characteristics of older BP. Without samples from way back when to try, I don't know how they'd stack against the Goex Cartridge I'm currently using.
Regarding the lubes, I made the mistake once of using a petroleum-based bullet lube in my Sharps. Talk about leaving black concrete in the barrel! Never again, and it's either lard, Crisco, or other animal fat and beeswax. No lube star at the muzzle of the 32" barrel means I'm in trouble.
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