General discussion > Black Powder Shooting

Sign of the times: smallbores

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Daryl:
Handling small balls in cold weather becomes rather tedius as well. Even the .40's seem too small when the temp dips.

Dan:
A free opinion says .36 Cal.  I do not see a great deal of difference in ballistic properties between the .32 and .36, or even .38.  Larger bores are more tractable for handling and cleaning.  It is my considered opinion that any of the above will work on critters such as the 'yote and even bigger, BUT shot placement must be precise regardless.  I would anticipate a coyote sized creature would run off when lung shot with any of the above and likely expect short travel distance when heart shot.  CNS placement will render caliber to small significance...IMO.  I look to ease of use to resolve the question, not horsepower.

Tom Cooper:
I am gathering parts together for a .40cal in the near future, I wanted the best of both worlds. The largest of the sub bores and the smallest of the large bores.

Hope that makes sense, as mine will be used for game as large as coyote as well.

T*O*F:
Fouling is a characteristic of  surface area.  If you shoot an equivalent charge of powder in a smaller bore, the fouling will be heavier than in a larger bore because it has less surface area on which to distribute itself.  How it builds up is dependent on your patch lube, kind of powder used, the temp/humidity relationship in your area, and how fast you reload after firing.

If you use a hard lube like bore butter, it will lead to heavier fouling.  If you use a "wet" lube like LVH, spit, etc the fouling will be somewhat dissolved on loading where is can be shot out each time.

Fouling hardens with time.  If you are able to reload immediately after shooting, it has no chance to do so.  If you are on a woodswalk that doesn't allow reloading between stations, your fouling will harden and eventually require bore swabbing.

Just because a guy in a different part of the world is able to shoot all day without wiping doesn't mean you can.  The temp/humidity relationship differs from area to area.  Likewise, the time of year can also affect the above.

When you shoot, the components of your load become molten.  Once the projectile exits the bore, there is a negative pressure in the bore and cold air rushes back in.  This condenses those remaining molten components on your bore.  This is why "fouling rings" develop.  You have to be able to find the right selection of components to prevent this.  Until you do that, you will be subject to heavy fouling.

Daryl:
TOF- we used to shoot at almost sea level right on the coast with high humidity and rain being an almost constant bother without fouling issues. The other extreme is up here when the humidity is in the 20% arena, still no fouling issues, so we've run the gammut. It even gets to the 100% arena here as well, where the pan is full of water, just from it being absorbed from the air and needs being wiped before re-priming.

 We shoot the same, all of us, without having to wipe at any time.  You are correct in mentioning loads, patch thickness and type of lube as having a direct effect on fouling.  I've found the people having fouling problems usually use a poor lube, not enough lube, too thin a patch or too small a ball. All are interconnected in having a clean shooting gun. Clean shooting is a mis-nomer here, as the fouling from the previous shot is there, just that there is no buildup between shots. You have hinted ort mentioned this atteched to wetter lubes. On the other ahnd, in warmer weather, I've found the heavy lubes, greases like bore butter and lube 1000 to shoot just fine all day without having to wipe. Time between loading gives notable differences in loading with LHV lube, less so with spit.  I havn't tested the others in this regard as I don't have any need for them. LHV does just fine if I want to go hunting and spit handles range duties with few or no challengers.

 My wife used to shoot a .36 Senica back in the 70's without having to wipe the bore, whether she used the little 128gr. slug or patched round ball. Rendezvous always saw her using round balls, of course, a .350" with .020" denim patch, spit lubed.  It was an easy load for her although she wasn't particularly robust at 110 pounds, back then.  Today, she, still slightly built, she shoots a .45 barrel on the same stock and hardware, with same patch and a .440 ball with LHV lube - good accuracy, no fouling problems, even in the heat and dryness of 35% humidity.

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