bore issues

[tiswell]

A friend of mine has a flintlock that he has had for a year and a half or so. He is not new to cleaning muzzleloaders and has not had issues in the past. He has had problems with a jag with patch getting stuck in this new barrel for a while. It gets so stuck it becomes a two man job to get it out. One ram rod remover has been broken in the process. He suspected the ventliner protruding into the barrel. I made a .495" slug (.50 barrel) and it goes all the way to the breechplug with no indication or feeling of any protrusion into the bore.  Last evening I ran a endoscope down the barrel and it looks like the ventliner does protrude into the groove diameter of the bore, but not so far as to be into the land diameter. So it may be sticking out like .010" or so. In the process of waiting a day or so several times for assistance to arrive to get the ram rod out rust has occurred.

   I can drill out the old ventliner and install a shorter one and will offer to do so. Has anyone experienced this and what is the best way to get rid of the rust with out killing accuracy. We ran a bronze brush wrapped with 0000 steel wool about 6 passes last night. The breech and muzzle feel smoother for some reason. We didn't want to get any more aggressive until I threw it out to the masses here. There is still some minimal patch grabbing rust mid bore.


 Moderators, my apologies if this should have been posted in the shooting section

     
                                                                                                                                  Thanks, Bill

[JTR]

Pop the breech plug out, and take a look from that end.

[Fyrstyk]

Chuck a rod with a bronze brush on the end into a drill.  Put fine steel wool on the brush and some oil.  run the rod & brush down the bore and run the drill at a slow to medium speed all the way down to the breech plug.  this should clean out any rust that formed in the breech area.

It has always been my practice to use a jag a size smaller that the bore when cleaning.  That way it is unlikely to get stuck.

[rich pierce]

If this is a plain flint style breech you may be able to trim that liner in the bore from the breech end using a thin file edge after removing the breechplug.

I would cast a lead lap and use a fine abrasive to lap the bore.  You’ll need a wooden rod close to bore diameter. Half an inch from one end file a square section 2” long. Just below the square section file a good groove around the rod and wrap cotton string in the groove to make a gasket of sorts.

Insert this in the muzzle end, other end first, till the string gasket starts to enter the muzzle. Now tap it in till the square portion is right at the muzzle. Might have to use less string, or more.

Melt some lead and pre-heat the barrel with a propane torch starting about 4” down from the muzzle. Don’t un-solder anything.  When the barrel is hot and the lead is melted good, pour the lap.  In a minute push the lap and road out from the barrel and allow all to cool.

Snip and file the excess flash lead off the lap, oil it up, and slide it in the muzzle. Use a short starter to knock it in a ways.  Drive it back out.  Repeat, with oil, driving the lap further using a ramrod repeatedly till it will pass end to end. 

Now load that lap with pumice mixed with oil, or lapping compound, or valve grinding compound and work it end to end 200 times. Reload with grit as needed. Remember the middle gets it both ways so be careful to do extra shorter strokes at breech and muzzle.

Clean the bore thoroughly with patches soaked in whatever is handy. I’ve used turpentine. 

Check it out and if this doesn’t do it, a mild re-cutting of the lands and grooves will. 

[Dennis Glazener]

J B bore cleaner on a tight patch will take care of the rust and most likely the rough bore unless its badly pitted. First fix the vent liner protrussion.
Dennis

[Bull Shannon]

J B bore cleaner on a tight patch will take care of the rust and most likely the rough bore unless its badly pitted. First fix the vent liner protrussion.
Dennis

Second that; I've always gotten great results using JB's products. JB's  applied to a cotton flannel patch on a good cleaning jag is my preferred method.

[hanshi]

I've used JB paste a lot over the years and it's great stuff.  I had that same problem with a vent liner intruding into the bore a few years ago.  I removed the liner and filed it to fit and no trouble since.