There are no secrets in loading a muzzleloader to achieve results - good or otherwise. What can I say? There are no secrets here.
- I assumed you were experiencing torn patches and stuck balls if using 'larger' balls, .005" 'Under' to bore sized. Since we didn't have this result with the methods of loading we use, I thought maybe your patch or your crown was at fault. If indeed, you can load without a short starter, & in a 90 degree muzzle of all things, the subsequent fit must be so loose as to certainly not be a gasget of any sort and you would obtain better results with a wad to protect the patch from the flame trying to get by. If, however, you use 'enough' patch, adding a gasget or wad beneath the patched ball will not improve the seal as it is already sealed just fine - this I have proved to myself and others with the use of a chronograph - as far back as 1973.
This is a quote, copied form your post, previous page on this thread. Too, every rifle I've tested with the hunting load, adding a wad opened groups. This is not acceptable to me as it involves another loading step to seat such a wad, and didn't improve anything about the load- neither accuracy nor velocity.
The reason I assumed you were having torn patches and stuck balls came from your post, quoted below:
"I experienced too many stuck balls and torn patches when I went to larger balls with no improvement in accuracy. Can't afford a stuck ball while hunting."
I am glad you've overcome that problem, Flintr, as noted in your last post: With a more substantial patch yet, perhaps you can get rid of those redundant wads.
Wads are for ctg. rifles to protect bare lead bases and for use in shotguns to seal and separate powder from shot, and to keep shot in the shell or barrel. In the muzzleloading rifle, the patch does all jobs - keeps the ball inside the barrel, separates powder from ball and seals the powder gasses behind the ball so the ball can benefit from the full charge of powder, obtaining all the speed it can. Loose combinations allow blow by, thus reducing speed and also allow fouling to build in the barrel's grooves, which requires frequent cleaning.
As I said, using such loads is a choice. There are no secrets here - just trying to help.
Leon - Increasing powder charges cuts patches in your new Rice barrel? There is a very simple solution. Rice barrels have a nice crown as delivered, The Angles they cut on the lathe are about right. The problem comes at the corners of the tools cut - they are sharp on both angles of the rifling's lands, bottom of the groove and top of the land. Just a couple minutes with your
thumb and 320 emery and they are nicely smoothed - rotating the barrel every now and then to assure even grinding. Finish with 400 wet or dry and it's done, nicely radiused crown - no sharp corners or edges to cut the patch - loading is easy and if a descent patch is used, any load can be used and will not cut nor burn the patch - but - you will need a short starter to load such a load. This crown was done with 320grit emery and 400 grit paper, with just my thumb's end, shoving the cloth and then paper into the bore. When using the 400grit, I used 'Rapid Tap' as a cutting oil and to add a bit of lubrication. The bore if this rifle is .398", yet I load a .400" x .400" round ball with a .020" denim patch, no tearing, easy, all day loading and no sticking - with spit, LehighValley Lube, Hoppe's 9 Plus or Moose Snot for lube.
