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Good Morning. Having a great time with a '63 Springfield but some advice on a routine that will allow me to get to 30-50 rounds in a morning. Right now it is a struggle to get to 7 shots before cleaning. I will address my lube situation but need your advice on a cleaning routine, at the range, that will give me good turnaround time and help me get a more rounds down range without all the shoving and swearing. Thanks, Randy
To the Vets out there--THANK YOU!!
At the range, between events (N-SSA competition) I scrub with 2 wet patches with soap or spit, followed by 2 or more dry patches. With the used wet patch you can wipe off the bolster area. Don't forget to snap a few caps before you load again, to make sure the bore is dry.
Thanks gsimmons. How many rounds are you able to fire before you run the wet patches? Randy.
It depends on the event, but up to about 12-16, most events 3-7. Most events are 16 hanging targets and one event is 32 clay pigeons on a cardboard backer. Towards the end of the event they can get tough to load. 5 minute events, 8 man teams. You may have to experiment with bullet size,each gun is different, my Richmond musket shoots a .579 minie , but my 1855 rifle shoots a .577 minie and my dad's Enfield rifle shoots a .575 minie.
I use Birchwood Casey No77 Pink cleaner on a patch every so often.. the frequency depends on the powder, the weather and how "Betsy" is feeling that day.. You can usually feel the fouling buildup on front of the chamber.. it is a matter of judgement as to when you need to clean. I usually now pull a badly rammed ball or use a CO2 ejector.. too much risk of ringing the bore if the ball is not properly seated!
NEVER put a dry patch down a dirty gun! (unless you like spending the next half hour trying to get it out!)
I run a "have a go" stall at a game fair every year with a Brown Bess.. I go through around 90 rounds a day loading with paper cartridges. Cleaning becomes a fine art!
Good Morning Bombdoc. Yes, I clean with 777 at the house and was contemplating bringing some to the range. I find that the enjoyment of shooting a muzzle-loader is tempered with my inability to sit at the table and throw 50 rounds down-range with little to no fussing. Moving from BPCR to Needle-Fire and Muzzle-Loading is taking a mindset change that requires patience and whole new set of tools. It does not help that I am a NYC kid trying to slow it down in crazy Miami. Thanks, Randy.
Good Afternoon. Just came back from the range and shot 12 rounds through the '63 Springfield before having to clean. The switch from FF to FFF seems to have made a major difference in the rate of fouling. I could have forced one more round but took the easy route and cleaned.
Will be switching all my BP rounds (Dreyse, Chassepot, Martini-Henry and '71 Mauser) to FFF for convenience. Randy
FFF once again gave excellent results. Today, shot 15 rounds our of the '63 Springfield before having to clean. Randy