Fouling issues?

Z

ZVP

New member
I know this is a different sort of post but I just got to wonder about fouling from shooting during an " average" Black Powder only shooting session?
On a BP only session when I go to the range I usually take 1 to 3 BP revolvers. I have shot both Substitutes and Black Powder and the amounts of fouling aren't really that different.
Now giving loading and firing time into account and an average range time for target changes, I only shoot maybe 24-30 shots per gun per daily outing which usually lasts about 4 hours. That's only up to 60 good shots a day and this dosen't seem like very much Smokless Powder shooting but with Black Powder, I am a busy guy... Yes some days I spend up to 7 hours total shooting time and do some Smokeless shots inbetween. I'm just talking about a relaxed, non-competition shooting session. The time is just a guess because I don't actually "time" myself, I just shoot, prep and reload the revolver(s).No rushing for safety's and enjoyments sake.
I try to wipe down the cylinder pin every two cylinders with a Windex soaked towel. I don't usually need to wipe the bore or chambers out during a normal session. I am not the worlds fastest reloader and I use a Powder Meassure for each chamber for safety's sake and accuracy's sake ( I'm probablly over-doing it) I use a reloading stand to charge the guns and hand pinch my Caps.
At home, the Barrel and Chamber fouling gets cleaned along with the rest of the gun and oiled.
I know Black Powder "Fouling" is a much discussed topic around here and with the limited amount of pratical shots one can fire per session, and with the little wipedown session I pratice,fouling isn't a huge problem. Granted BP is a little sooty and dirties the gun with a film of a light powder coating, it's really not that dirty. I don't really have any issues with fouling.
Compared to my usual number of shots, how many do you run through? How are your fouling issues?
ZVP
 
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My Colt style C&Bs will run through 15 (75 rounds) stages in a CAS match over 3 days with no maintenance being performed on them other than wiping the outside of the revolver down. If the weather is very hot and dry, I usually wipe the outside down & add lube to the arbor after the second day - just to be on the safe side. Fouling is not a problem.

Remmies and SAAs are a completely different matter. They get wiped down after 5 stages & base pin relubed.

FM
 
I usually run three cylinders through my Remingtons before I have to wipe the cylinder pin down and lube it. I could probably run four but it's starting to drag a little on the third.
 
I polished my Remington pins down with #400 grit emory cloth and finished the job with 0000Steel Wool. The pins were a little pitted from the Factory, and a few pitts didn't clean-up but that's OK. Overall, the polishing did wonders for the smoothness during cocking! I burnished some pure Moly into the base pin metaql hopefully, it penetrated deep.
I lubed the Remingtons with CLP Break-Free, it seemed to lube it OK but dried quicklly.'
I never had any real "drag" on my Colt replicas. They seem to hold lube in the "thread grooves" I am still looking for the best grease to use?
I wipe the Remington Cylinder pins every few cylinder fulls with a Windex soaked towel. It's so easy to break the Remmies down, that it's nothing to wipe that pin off and give her a drop of Break-Free!
I have noticed that you really HAVE to keep the face of the cylinder clean! Fouling builds up quickly and slows the rotation. I have not noticed much drag from the rear of the cylinder fouling. In spite of the reputation Remingtons have had (?) for fouling up quickly, I think my simple maintance procedure works well! If all you have is a dry rag, wipe that cylinder often!
So far I have mostly shot Substitute Propellants and really haven't noticed any differences in residues left behind.
Colt Replicas seem to never have issues at the rate of fire I shoot at. The Grease groovs seem to contain just enough lube to keep them rotating freely. Cylinder faces are no problem with their design.
My MAJOR problem with Colt Replicas has been cap fragments!
ZVP
 
My MAJOR problem with Colt Replicas has been cap fragments!
Click to expand...

Get in the habit of raising the muzzle and slightly tilting it to the right as you cock it and the cap fragment problem will all but disappear.
 
I'm getting about the same frequency as Hawg is with my Remington. But I don't clean everything when the stiffness starts.

What I do is pull the cylinder, wipe the front face & pull 2 patches through the center hole, then I wipe the cylinder pin at the forward & rear position with a couple more patches. Then I reapply GREASE to the pin, center hole & load lever reassemble & carry on for several more cylinders. The trick seems to be a combination of wiping most of the old dirty grease off & reapplying fresh grease, not oil. Oil doesn't work anywhere as well as a sort of grease sealer IMHO.
 
Grease! The main ingrediant!
I have tried oils even Crisco but what I need is a grease (2 or 3) that works! I am likewise convinced that a thick meduim is the answer.
Basic prep of the Cilinder pin including burnishing some Moly in, helps smooth the rotation, but you still need lubrication!
ZVP
 
Like many others here, I have my own little "special" under ball lube that I use. Basically just a mixture of beeswax, parafin and Lube 103 or whatever else I have on hand. Melt them together in a pan, let them cool then cut out little cookies with an empty .45 case. I then place these cookies directly on the powder after filing the cylinder then ram the ball on top. I put no lube on top of the ball.

I had little grooves cut into the cylinder pin on my Remington and lube it liberally with SPG lube. The pin is also highly polished. With this set up I can fire 7 to 8 full cylinders without any binding whatsoever. Don't even need to wipe the cylinder face down, just give the cylinder a little spin by hand between reloads.

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