How to field clean a Rifled Musket

O

oldknotty

New member
I was out shooting my Zouave 58 cal today , i founds that loading the first four rounds was relatively easy and they popped right in and down the barrel . After that they got progressively harder to load and push down the barrel !! Was i doing something wrong or was the barrel so fouled that the bullets would not go dow easily like before . If it was fouling how did the soldiers in the field deal with it during a firefight when they had to reload fast ??? Do i need to clean the barrel every few shots ?? I am looking for suggestions :-)
 
What Bullet, and what bullet Lube were you using?

With proper bullet (Lyman 575213OS) and proper lube (1:3 beeswax/Crisco), you can load and shoot all day long.
(Well... Dozens of consequtive rounds)

.
 
Last edited:
Pour water and rinse.

I've read one account but don't recall which that a soldier urinated down the barrel to clear the bore.
 
N-SSA members shoot whole relays without problems when shooting proper size Minnie and proper lube. It is normal for the first shot or so to load right in with little effort, then fouling starts to cause more resistance and does involve more ramming effort as the bore fouls. I have run a 20 ga. bronze brush down the bore to loosen the fouling between relays in the distant past.
In answer to your question about what the soldiers did, every pack of cartridges had a Williams cleaner round that used a disc (I think the disc was zinic) that cleared the fouling.
 
Pretty much what Mehavey said. My minies load easy from the first shot to the 50th. The weight of the ramrod will push them down to the last three inches or so. They need a little push to get them seated is all.
 
My Minnie Balls were made by Pat Kaboskey and lubed by him so i am quite assured that they are the correct size and have the correct lube on them !!!! I will try they bore brush method next time as i am pretty sure i would get banned right fast if i peed down the barrel at the range !!!!
 
Which version/model bullet did you order ?
See http://www.lodgewood.com/Bullets_c_7.html

Notwithstanding anything else, boil some of the projo's you have now
to compeletely remove any existing lube, then (re)dip twice into melted 3:1
Crisco/Beeswax and try that.

Musket lube is necessarily SOFT, so I would have to wonder how soft one dares make it for commercial bullet shipment.

See HERE for how much Lube N-SSA'rs tend to slather onto their projo's ;)
 
Last edited:
Oldknotty - Any of us would get banned for urinating down a barrel at the range. That was a field expedient measure by soldiers who did that under combat conditions. I'd use water first (no uric acid either) but remember the 15th Alabama at Gettysburg? They detailed twenty men to get water before they went up Big Round Top. Those guys didn't get to them and they were thirsty! I don't recall but it could be that Plum Run down below was running with bloody water and the detail wanted clear water for their guys.

BTW, I use SPG lube and have been able to fire 60 shots without a problem. Key thing is that the minie should be undersized so it drops right down the barrel.
 
4V50 Gary - Oldknotty - Any of us would get banned for urinating down a barrel at the range....
Just tell them your field-cleaning your gun, as long as you don't get "it" stuck in the barrel you s/b gtg!
:D
 
Are you lubing the hollow base? When I shot NSSA, all we ever lubed with was Crisco smeared into the base. Kept the fouling soft and could fire many relays without cleaning. In between relays, if necessary, I used a range rod with a jag and some soapy water to wet the patch and then dry patch afterwards.

I still just use Crisco and it works just fine. Cheap and easy.
 
I was out shooting my Zouave 58 cal today , i founds that loading the first four rounds was relatively easy and they popped right in and down the barrel . After that they got progressively harder to load and push down the barrel !! Was i doing something wrong or was the barrel so fouled that the bullets would not go dow easily like before . If it was fouling how did the soldiers in the field deal with it during a firefight when they had to reload fast ??? Do i need to clean the barrel every few shots ?? I am looking for suggestions :-)
Click to expand...

I made up period style paper cartridges using the lube recipe from the ordnance manuals of the 1850s and 1860s, 1:3 tallow/beeswax. I used the RCBS 500M bullet, which is similar to a period expanding ball. I used Goex powder.

I was able to shoot these bullets pretty much indefinitely without cleaning. I probably shot 20 rounds or so as a test without cleaning.

Some powders are dirtier than others. I find Shuetzen to be much dirtier than Goex. When I was trying to use the Moose Wilkinson bullet I could only load 2-3 shots with Shuetzen before the fouling made loading impossible. But the Wilkinson bullet has only one tiny lube ring.

With a properly lubricated bullet you should be able to get off at least 10 rounds without having to clean.

In the N-SSA, most people clean after each course of fire (5-10 rounds or so). I use Ballistol with patches and a cleaning rod. I used to use the above-mentioned "3-in-1 solution of Murphy's Oil Soap, hydrogen peroxide and denatured alcohol", but learned that hydrogen peroxide will damage wood. Ballistol is a fantastic black powder cleaner and is good for the wood.

I have heard the stories of CW soldiers peeing down the barrel and also turning the guns upside-down and using the ground/rock to push the ramrod home.

Steve
 
F.W.I.W.

Several years ago I got a decent deal on a T/C Hawken .50 with the 1:48
twist. I bought a G.M. 1:32 twist & replaced the 1:48.
There was a debate on a blk. pdr. forum about how soon one MUST clean a rifle fired with black.
As an experiment I fired up the 1:48 twist barrel with 80 grains of Elephant 2fg & a r.b. fired it, loaded it and did the same the next day for 30 days in the heat & humidity of August w/o ever cleaning or swabbing between shots.
It never did show even one speck of rust.
I suspect that reloading the thing pushed the fouling down on top of the
powder charge and the greased r.b. patch coated the bore, ergo no rust.
 
I never loaded Minie ball/musket.Just patched round ball.One thing I learned that might help you:Your charge size will definitely matter in how many shots between cleaning.To much powder is like an engine running rich,it carbons up.

Depending on charge,I can essentially shoot indefinitely ...or 20 rds or so,with a modest charge.If I pour the coal to it,maybe 4 rds and its hard to seat a ball.

I do not know your charge,and maybe you have a lube problem...but if you need another idea,try cutting your charge about 20%..see what happens.If its quite a bit better,creep up your charge till it gets dirty,then back off to the heaviest clean burning charge.
 
I do not know your charge,and maybe you have a lube problem...but if you need another idea,try cutting your charge about 20%..see what happens.If its quite a bit better,creep up your charge till it gets dirty,then back off to the heaviest clean burning charge.
Click to expand...

I think you should tune your charge for best accuracy, and take what you get for fouling. If you want less fouling, use better powder.

Steve
 
No mention of powder used. _:confused:
Powder brand has a lot to do with fouling. No doubt about that.
As does a barrels ignition system's component. It too influence's a powders fouling.
If your using CCI Reenactor Musket cabs with a heavy powder charge. Consider buying RWS M/caps for the purpose instead.
 
I know you said the minies were the right size. Just making sure, did you measure the bore on your rifle? There is a huge variation in bore size on these repro guns, and minies must be fitted to your particular gun.
 
+ one on the crisco-beeswax,warm more beeswax-colder more crisco. i have and shoot several .58 rifles and shoot mostly mini balls-575213 old style and the newer ones have proven to be the best for my rifles with 50-70grs fff. round balls in the .58,s are for sissies,he,he, unless your mister flintlock. eastbank.
 
Last edited:
The minnie balls that i use are made by Pat Kaboskey they are .577 as that is what fit my barrel the best of the ones he sent me to test out .The lube ,i have no idea , whatever Pat uses that is it . The powder is Goex 3f or 2f with a charge of 60 grains . The caps i use are the swiss / german ones ?? and i was shooting outdoors on a fairly warm dry day .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top