Black Powder, observations and field work
08-12-2010, 02:25 PM
#1
Dominant Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
Black Powder, observations and field work
When ever we begin to discuss muzzleloaders, a natural off branch of them is the powders we use. Of course all have a favorite powder for one reason or another. But something I notice in almost all discussions when we talk powders is how hard it is to clean the rifle and to swab the rifle. Depending of course on the powder we shoot. As most all shooters will tell you, Pyrodex RS and black powder are the worst powders to shoot, cleaning wise.
Today I was shooting a traditional style rifle. As normal I was shooting Goex black powder. Black powder always brings to mind for many, large volumes of smoke, and worst of all the mess of cleaning it after the range or hunt. Well today I would like to differ with some of those embedded opinions many have of black powder.
I was shooting up to 90 grains of it. I was swabbing on the range. I swabbed the dreaded black powder every three shots.
My swab solution today was Rusty Duck Black Off. Rusty Duck is an excellent solution and really pulls fouling from the barrel of a rifle when it is used as a swab or when cleaning a rifle after your done for the day. But for having fired three rounds of the filthy, dirty, messy black powder... that swab is not all that bad. Also I will note that there was not really a large degree of fouling in the barrel when I swabbed.
So what caused this? Could it be the temperature outside? It was in the 90's and it was hot. Maybe on a colder day this would draw more fouling. Could it have been the fact I was shooting roundball? Maybe, but I have shot a lot of projectiles when using black powder and results are not always that different. So why not large amount of fouling? I noticed the patches on the ground had a large amount of fouling. Were the patches taking the fouling with them for the most part and leaving only a slight amount in the barrel? Something to ponder.
After I was done shooting for the day, I soaked a patch with Rusty Duck and swabbed the rifle barrel before bring it in to the house. The patch was dirty, much like the one in the other picture.
I then came in and made a water bath. I used a white clean patch and worked that up and down in the barrel with the water bath. But you might note, for the first patch to come out of a barrel in the water bath, there is not a lot of fouling on it. Again, could it have been cleaned by the swabbing of the Rusty Duck?
I then pulled the nipple and not trusting the first patch of the water bath, ran a second one. The rust color you see is not the patch but the brass jag under it. The patch was basically clean. So... OK. why is this rifle cleaning up so easy? After all I was shooting black powder. I decided to break out the expensive solvent.
I then took a new patch, drenched it in Birchwood Casey #77 and swabbed the bore of the rifle. Birchwood Casey cleaner always pulls fouling if there is any.
Again, basically a clean patch. The black streak on my thumb is from when I took the nipple off the barrel. Even that cleaned up real easy.
A couple of dry patches and then I swabbed the barrel with a good quality gun oil. So this is how hard it is to clean a rifle that was shooting black powder?
All I am getting at is, before you judge a powder as too dirty, really test it. Black Powder is a great powder. It ignites easier then any other powder out there. Is normally more cost effective to the shooter. Has all the power you need. Nothing wants to take a hit from 80 grains of Goex 2f and a patched roundball out of this rifle.
So how clean is your powder that you shoot really? Does it clean up with basically three patches?
Today I was shooting a traditional style rifle. As normal I was shooting Goex black powder. Black powder always brings to mind for many, large volumes of smoke, and worst of all the mess of cleaning it after the range or hunt. Well today I would like to differ with some of those embedded opinions many have of black powder.
I was shooting up to 90 grains of it. I was swabbing on the range. I swabbed the dreaded black powder every three shots.
My swab solution today was Rusty Duck Black Off. Rusty Duck is an excellent solution and really pulls fouling from the barrel of a rifle when it is used as a swab or when cleaning a rifle after your done for the day. But for having fired three rounds of the filthy, dirty, messy black powder... that swab is not all that bad. Also I will note that there was not really a large degree of fouling in the barrel when I swabbed.
So what caused this? Could it be the temperature outside? It was in the 90's and it was hot. Maybe on a colder day this would draw more fouling. Could it have been the fact I was shooting roundball? Maybe, but I have shot a lot of projectiles when using black powder and results are not always that different. So why not large amount of fouling? I noticed the patches on the ground had a large amount of fouling. Were the patches taking the fouling with them for the most part and leaving only a slight amount in the barrel? Something to ponder.
After I was done shooting for the day, I soaked a patch with Rusty Duck and swabbed the rifle barrel before bring it in to the house. The patch was dirty, much like the one in the other picture.
I then came in and made a water bath. I used a white clean patch and worked that up and down in the barrel with the water bath. But you might note, for the first patch to come out of a barrel in the water bath, there is not a lot of fouling on it. Again, could it have been cleaned by the swabbing of the Rusty Duck?
I then pulled the nipple and not trusting the first patch of the water bath, ran a second one. The rust color you see is not the patch but the brass jag under it. The patch was basically clean. So... OK. why is this rifle cleaning up so easy? After all I was shooting black powder. I decided to break out the expensive solvent.
I then took a new patch, drenched it in Birchwood Casey #77 and swabbed the bore of the rifle. Birchwood Casey cleaner always pulls fouling if there is any.
Again, basically a clean patch. The black streak on my thumb is from when I took the nipple off the barrel. Even that cleaned up real easy.
A couple of dry patches and then I swabbed the barrel with a good quality gun oil. So this is how hard it is to clean a rifle that was shooting black powder?
All I am getting at is, before you judge a powder as too dirty, really test it. Black Powder is a great powder. It ignites easier then any other powder out there. Is normally more cost effective to the shooter. Has all the power you need. Nothing wants to take a hit from 80 grains of Goex 2f and a patched roundball out of this rifle.
So how clean is your powder that you shoot really? Does it clean up with basically three patches?
08-12-2010, 02:35 PM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: River Ridge, LA (Suburb of New Orleans)
Posts: 10,918
Excellent observations Dave.
I agree completely. As you know, I'm a GOEX fan. Never considered the clean-up that much of a chore. For me, the barrel after patched ball shooting session is always a bit cleaner than after a sabot or conical session.
I agree completely. As you know, I'm a GOEX fan. Never considered the clean-up that much of a chore. For me, the barrel after patched ball shooting session is always a bit cleaner than after a sabot or conical session.
08-12-2010, 02:39 PM
#3
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 5,425
Heck, I know guys that won't clean their centerfires...That's why they buy them with plastic stocks and stainless barrels... 
With my flinters, I just put a toothpick in the vent, pour in water or rubbing alcohol and pour most of the fouling out...Doing this a couple of times and then drying and lubing gives you a clean barrel...
I'm too tight to shoot the other stuff...
With my flinters, I just put a toothpick in the vent, pour in water or rubbing alcohol and pour most of the fouling out...Doing this a couple of times and then drying and lubing gives you a clean barrel...
I'm too tight to shoot the other stuff...
08-12-2010, 03:09 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 374
here in new york goex is very hard to find do to permits and seperate powder lockers to keep it in dealers don't stock it.i never shot it till last year when i took a trip to pennsylvania to pick up a flintlock i bought from a forum member.he thru in 3 cans of goex with the flinter(a very nice guy!)gotta say i love the stuff.what differance does it make how dirty one powder is over another when you still have to clean at the end of your shooting.i prize that goex even more than blackhorn because for me it's hard to get and don't want to order by the case online.......karl
08-12-2010, 06:10 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,585
I don't mind cleaning black, pyrodex or Blackhorn. I get crud ring really bad and that I do mind cleaning I do not use APP powders because I got a couple of bad cans and I won't take a chance on using something for hunting that I do not trust. I guess one of the reasons I favor Blackhorn in my inlines is the dependable accuracy with out swabbing between shots this makes my shooting time much more enjoyable, I can take 3 guns and spend my range time shooting.
08-13-2010, 02:06 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Rivesville, WV
Posts: 3,192
It is called marketing. Everybody knows you have to buy the newest whiz-bang thing coming down the line!! Don't they?? How could they make any money if everyone stayed with that "dirty od fashioned" powder??
The marketers have guys thinking that if you are not shooting the most expensive powder and bullet combination then you are just not up with the times.
Pretty soon they will probably switch their marketing back to BP so they can skyrocket the BP price. I hope it takes them a little longer. Tom.
The marketers have guys thinking that if you are not shooting the most expensive powder and bullet combination then you are just not up with the times.
Pretty soon they will probably switch their marketing back to BP so they can skyrocket the BP price. I hope it takes them a little longer. Tom.