hometheaterman

I thought I'd started a thread on this a good while back, but I can't find it now. With my last muzzle loader, I noticed that the barrel had gotten scratched down near where the bullet would sit. I figured I must have done with the ram rod. It was kind of a gouge. It still shot great and I just chalked it up to being a cheap gun and probably having soft steel. Now I notice the muzzle loader I've got now has a scratch in it in the last 2" or so of the barrel. Near the muzzle. I'm assuming this It's like it is a jagged scratch in the metal. Is there anyway to avoid these things? I'm assuming it's got to come from the ram rod. It still shot decently last time I shot it, but I've not shot it much since hunting season. I didn't shoot it much then, so I don't know how it grouped really then. I just got it sighted in enough to hunt with. I'm hoping it still shoots well. Does anyone else have a problem with this? What do I need to do to avoid it.

MountainDevil54

using the correct fitting loading jag and a muzzle guild would help greatly.

hometheaterman

What's a muzzle guild? Where can I get one? As far as the loading jag, I've always used the one that's come with the ramrod on the gun.

Semisane

If you're using brass cleaning jags and loading jags, it seems unlikely they could put much of a scratch in the barrel unless they're loaded up with grit. It would have to be one heck of a scratch to affect accuracy.

Take a look at my new post "Rescued Remington Revisited", and at the last target in that post. Here's what the barrel of that gun looks like (although the camera really exaggerates the severity of the pitting - something I've noticed before when photographing bores).

hometheaterman

That does look pretty bad, but the target's looked amazing. Did the whole barrel look like that, or just at the end? I can't figure out how I'm scratching barrels. I'm using a Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod with brass jags and I'm using the ram rods that come with the guns. I think it's just the ram rod scraping the barrel when loading it sometimes. I'm really not sure.

cayugad

That fits over your ramrod and then guides the ramrod straight down the bore keeping it away from the sides of bore. Natchez has them for about $4.00 I think. I use them and it seems to help me. On my field ramrod, I do not use them. But all my range ramrods have them.

hometheaterman

Thanks. I may have to get one of those. I actually had a few smaller ones for cleaning rifles, but none big enough for my muzzle loader. I wasn't exactly sure what they were called though.