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Topic: Way off topic
Posted By: Honkytonk
Subject: Way off topic
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 6:57am
I've been looking for an answer in regards to a black powder question. I still shoot my Thompson Centre Renegade (left hand) I bought new 25 years ago. It has slayed a lot of deer. I shoot 90 grs BP and Hornady Great Plains 385 gr bullets. My problem is the lube they come with. I have know idea what it is but it is very hard and white. I find them very hard to load, especially after a couple of shots. I'd like to remove this lube and replace with Bore Butter, which I like. Any suggestions how to remove? If I'm to off topic, please let me know. Thanks!



Replies:
Posted By: englishman_ca
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 7:02am
Soak in gasoline or a similar solvent?

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Look to your front, mark your target when it comes!


Posted By: Pukka Bundook
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 7:03am
Try warming the bullets in a tray, Honks.  Maybe sit them on paper towel.
 
This works for removing old deer tallow lube.
BTW, I don't like bore butter.   Sticky 'orrible stuff!
 
For range shooting, try "Udderly Smoothe" from Walmart.
For hunting, I don't think you can beat deer tallow.  (slick and greasy).  But bear oil or rat grease are maybe every bit as good!
O another forum, some have had real good luck with Murphey's soap!...maybe as a patch lube though.


Posted By: hoadie
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 7:20am
on my pattern '53 I've always used a tad of Crisco

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Loose wimmen tightened here


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 8:00am
I don't know about the white stuff, try what the others have suggested. Replace it with beeswax & Crisco 50/50 mix. The Crisco alone is a bit runny especially on a hot day.

There's an old, old trick to help with the residue hardening. Get a little piece of rubber tubing (aquarium hose works well) after every shot inhale deeply & then exhale fully into the chamber using the hose. The moisture on your breath softens the fouling a lot.


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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: September 05 2019 at 10:51pm
i agree with simon but add the cation to be well aware of how flammable gasoline is , avoid heat/flame/sparks , they used to heat it in a barrel to cut cosmoline packing grease but it was not an  authorized procedure , it was always my fathers favorite solvent - he just told me to be very careful with it , as i am doing with you , 


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 5:49am
HT, are you sure it’s the lube that is making it hard to load?   Black Powder fouling builds very quickly.  Try wiping the bore between shots or using a blow tube if there is access from the breach end.  

I don’t have experience with muzzle loaders, but I have shot a lot with black powder cartridge rifles (Snider and Martini).  Black powder fouling dries very quickly and becomes very hard, especially on dry days.   Without wiping the bore or using a blow tube accuracy deteriorates after only a few shots because the hard fouling damages the bullet as it travels down the bore.

I’ve tried several different lubes.  Lyman Black Powder Gold has worked well and remains soft in mild temps.  Also 50/50 beeswax and olive oil.  The Murphy’s oil soap recipe seems to be close to Lyman BP Gold:  4 oz beeswax, 2 oz Neatsfoot oil, 2 oz Murphy’s Oil Soap.


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 6:09am
I have used BP the entire time I've owned the Renegade. I wash the bore after every outing with super hot water. When I used to shoot a buddy's home made cast buffalo bullets with TC bore butter as lube, it would be about 6-8 shots before the loading got difficult. With the Hornaday Buffalo Bullets, tough to push down the 3rd. I did some research on the Hornady. It has different sized "rings" or contact areas, one being a very tight tolerance. Probably more so than the home made ones. I think the combination of a tight barrel, bullet made to tighter specifications and the lube not being as slick as bore butter are the main reasons for my issue. I love the Hornadys, and I can't change the rifles bore or the dimensions of the bullets, so that leaves me with trying to strip the factory waxy lube off. Well see how it works as BP deer season is right around the corner! I have installed a Skinner peep site on it over the winter and it works great!


Posted By: shiloh
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 5:03pm
I dont get it, how did the civil war troops do it.
In battle they shot many many rounds.
Or did everyone stop mid battle to clean their bores?
I used to shoot a .54cal Hawkins and was usually only able to get 3 or 4 shots off before it got too tight and I used bore butter or the like.????

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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 5:11pm
Nope.  Minute of Yankee accuracy at 50 yards was all that was needed!  

Ball diameters were undersized and a patch was used to take up the “windage”.  Bore got wiped with the patch on every shot.  



Posted By: shiloh
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 6:30pm
ok, that makes sense for rifles shooting patched balls, so were those shooting minie`s under sized and patched as well?? (I know little of this time period)
That is what I shot, .54 minie`s.


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Lead from the front; eliminate all obstacles...


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 06 2019 at 6:36pm
I believe I once read where rifling on a barrel was invented to allow more shots to be fired before running a patch down the bore. Residue, dirt, etc would have a place to go without fouling the true bore. An unintended benefit of this was improved accuracy.


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 5:23am
Both sides in the Civil War had both smooth bore and rifled muskets.  The south was able to get Pattern 53 Enfields which shot an .568 Pritchett (similar to a Mini).  By the time of Gettysburg, both sides had replaced smoothbores with rifles.  

During the Indian Mutiny the troops found loading difficult with the .568 Pritchett bullet due to fouling.  Col Boxer then reduced the bullet diameter for the P53 to .55 in diameter, considerably smaller than the .577 bore.  The bullet inside the P53 Enfield cartridges was patched with lubricated paper which remained on the bullet once it was pushed into the muzzle, after seating the bullet just in the muzzle, the paper that containing the powder was ripped off then the patched bullet pushed down the bore. 


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 5:58am
I contacted Hornady. They said it was "One shot muzzleloader multi-lube." I looked into that and it appears to be a natural was based lube utilized to reduce leading of the barrel. I actually find it nasty and prefer bore butter. Great bullet though.


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 7:13am
Whats the rifling twist in that bore?
Some are set up for PRB, some for "bullets" & some are a compromise for both.
I tried Lee REAL & can't stand them because of the problem you're having, plus the rifle is more accurate with PRB's. Its a Hawken cxarbine percussion in .50.


5-round 100yd targets




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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 7:59am
Not sure why I didn't think of this earlier. The Great Plains bullets have 4 "rings" on them. I put the calipers on them. The top and bottom rings are .50". I'll check the muzzle end measurement later but I'm guessing which ever lube I use, it'll be a tight fit with ANY fouling!


Posted By: britrifles
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 8:11am
Originally posted by Honkytonk Honkytonk wrote:

Not sure why I didn't think of this earlier. The Great Plains bullets have 4 "rings" on them. I put the calipers on them. The top and bottom rings are .50". I'll check the muzzle end measurement later but I'm guessing which ever lube I use, it'll be a tight fit with ANY fouling!

HT, that’s what I suspected.  If you have a slightly oversized lead ball, you can slug the barrel.  How many groves in the rifling?  If an even number it should be easy to get bore diameter. 


Posted By: Honkytonk
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 11:29am
I have never slugged a barrel. I'm just kind of and old Bubba guy. I did put the calipers for an inside measurement (well, at least the first 1/2" of the very end of the muzzle). I went all around the bore. The largest measurement I got was .50". the smallest was .48". That is a tight bore for those bullets regardless of lube. Rate of twist? No idea... 


Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: September 07 2019 at 4:30pm
Easy to find out.
Wrap a lubed patch round your ramrod with the cleaning jag fitted.
run a strip pf masking tape along the length of the ramrod, 24" or so.
Tap it into the bore to get it started, no more.
Mark the tape on the ramrod, above the muzzle about 20"(align with front sight blade).
Slowly drive rod in one full rotation of the mark.
Make a new mark with tape.
Withdraw rod, measure from 1st to 2nd mark thats your twist rate. 1 in (x) inches!
Is it (theroretically) a .50 caliber?
If so I can mail you a few .490" balls & some matching patches (lubed) for my .50. Load 'em up, shoot them using a blow tube & see if it works better.



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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)



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