I know they should not be dripping wet, but should they feel/look, almost dry? Because at that point there's only a little bit of oil and dry soap left on the patches; all the water, or in my case windshield washer, having evaporized already. Is that they way they're supposed to be?
How much moose milk to lube patches?
- Thread starter Gun Lover
- Start date
- Location
- Vancouver Island, BC
My patches are wet enough that when I start a ball there is some moisture squeezed out and left on the end of the barrel. This works well enough to clean the bore as the ball goes down without a lot of force to get the ball down. YMMV
This is only for target shooting where I intend to shoot the load right away. This much moisture will affect the powder in short order. For a hunting load I have prelubed patches that are much drier but have more natural oil in them.
This is only for target shooting where I intend to shoot the load right away. This much moisture will affect the powder in short order. For a hunting load I have prelubed patches that are much drier but have more natural oil in them.
For target shooting we were using pre-lubed patches (the bore butter ones). Bores are cleaned with damp (moose milk) patch after every shot. The "moose milk" we use is actually quite dilute and is intended for cleaning, not lubrication, hence the pre-lubed patches.
If the "milk" is too thick (too high percentage of oil), then it begins to "gum" up the barrel with lube/powder after a number of shots, makes it difficult to clean after each shot, and accuracy/consistency takes a hit.
If the "milk" is too thick (too high percentage of oil), then it begins to "gum" up the barrel with lube/powder after a number of shots, makes it difficult to clean after each shot, and accuracy/consistency takes a hit.
vagrantviking
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
I soak mine pretty good and the excess is squeezed out while loading.
Be careful with some of the pre-lubed patches. They have been known to smolder for long enough to start grass or bush fires on more than one occassion. Some ranges ask you not to use them.
I'd probably double patch or use something like Crisco for hunting.
Be careful with some of the pre-lubed patches. They have been known to smolder for long enough to start grass or bush fires on more than one occassion. Some ranges ask you not to use them.
I'd probably double patch or use something like Crisco for hunting.
Thanks for the tips guys. I finally got to try it last Saturday. I only had enough time for 13 shots and only at about 25mt, but it was mighty fun all the same.
Out of the 13 shots, only #10 failed to fire for lack of sparks (maybe I touched the frizzen with oily fingers from the patch) and I only got one flash in the pan. I forgot to prick the charge before that one, but once I did it, it fired ok. The pick was hard to stick in the touch hole, so I guess I had packed the powder too tight. Anyways, I was expecting a worse performance, since I was using an agate flint, so I’m happy with what I got. Especially, since I was using an agate that had about 15 or more dry shots on it already. I fired 13 shots and never changed it nor turned it around. It isn’t sharp anymore, but I’m sure I could still get a few more shots from it.
I also ended up soaking my patches some more because they were feeling kind of dry, and because I was going to fire the rifle right away. They worked every time. There’s one thing I need to mention, though: I bought pillow ticking at Wal-Mart that my caliper said was 0.018” thick. I then washed it, because I read somewhere that the tissue comes with some kind of color fixative that may prevent it from absorbing the lube. The problem is that, once I applied the lube it was hard to load a .490” ball, so I checked it again when I came back home and certainly enough, it now mikes at 0.021”. They still worked, but I was glad I had a thick aluminum range rod to load them with, because I don’t think I could have done it with the wood rod that came with my rifle.
Here is a pic of my first target ever with a flintlock, the first 3 PRB’s loaded in front of 70grs of Goex FFg:
They hit right to POA. I still need to get used to the flash, though.
80grs did just a little worse, but not a big difference. I also tried Remington’s 365gr Gamemaster HP bullets, but aside from giving me a little more recoil, accuracy wasn’t any better. I got the feeling that these bullets need to be loaded as fast as possible, to offer any real accuracy out of this 1/48” barrel, whereas the PRB will probably be even more accurate with a charge smaller than 70grs.
I have more impressions I could share, but this is kind of long already, so I'll stop here. Looks like I’ll have something else to play with for a while, before I find the right loads, so this should be lots of fun. Thanks.
Out of the 13 shots, only #10 failed to fire for lack of sparks (maybe I touched the frizzen with oily fingers from the patch) and I only got one flash in the pan. I forgot to prick the charge before that one, but once I did it, it fired ok. The pick was hard to stick in the touch hole, so I guess I had packed the powder too tight. Anyways, I was expecting a worse performance, since I was using an agate flint, so I’m happy with what I got. Especially, since I was using an agate that had about 15 or more dry shots on it already. I fired 13 shots and never changed it nor turned it around. It isn’t sharp anymore, but I’m sure I could still get a few more shots from it.
I also ended up soaking my patches some more because they were feeling kind of dry, and because I was going to fire the rifle right away. They worked every time. There’s one thing I need to mention, though: I bought pillow ticking at Wal-Mart that my caliper said was 0.018” thick. I then washed it, because I read somewhere that the tissue comes with some kind of color fixative that may prevent it from absorbing the lube. The problem is that, once I applied the lube it was hard to load a .490” ball, so I checked it again when I came back home and certainly enough, it now mikes at 0.021”. They still worked, but I was glad I had a thick aluminum range rod to load them with, because I don’t think I could have done it with the wood rod that came with my rifle.
Here is a pic of my first target ever with a flintlock, the first 3 PRB’s loaded in front of 70grs of Goex FFg:
They hit right to POA. I still need to get used to the flash, though.
80grs did just a little worse, but not a big difference. I also tried Remington’s 365gr Gamemaster HP bullets, but aside from giving me a little more recoil, accuracy wasn’t any better. I got the feeling that these bullets need to be loaded as fast as possible, to offer any real accuracy out of this 1/48” barrel, whereas the PRB will probably be even more accurate with a charge smaller than 70grs.
I have more impressions I could share, but this is kind of long already, so I'll stop here. Looks like I’ll have something else to play with for a while, before I find the right loads, so this should be lots of fun. Thanks.
The moose milk I has used for decades uses water as the primary agent...Lestoil and water soluble oil are the other parts...the fluid is milky white.
The material I have used for patching is blue jean denim...well washed. It measures in the range of .028 to .035. In a 50 cal. I use 490 balls and change the charge for 50 yard offhand (50 Gr) and cross-sticks (80 Gr) and do the same at 100 yards, 80 and 100 gr.. I give the patch a couple of good sprays, rub it between the fingers to spread it, then load right away.
A word of advise...as posted in an earlier thread on flint-locks...watch the face of the frizzin if you are using agate flints. They have a tendency to gouge the frizzen face if it is not properly hardened.
BTW...fantastic target...what range?
Cheers
The material I have used for patching is blue jean denim...well washed. It measures in the range of .028 to .035. In a 50 cal. I use 490 balls and change the charge for 50 yard offhand (50 Gr) and cross-sticks (80 Gr) and do the same at 100 yards, 80 and 100 gr.. I give the patch a couple of good sprays, rub it between the fingers to spread it, then load right away.
A word of advise...as posted in an earlier thread on flint-locks...watch the face of the frizzin if you are using agate flints. They have a tendency to gouge the frizzen face if it is not properly hardened.
BTW...fantastic target...what range?
Cheers
Hi Alonzo,
Yes, I remember your comment on my other thread, about the agate eating away the frizzen face. Not having shot Flintlocks before, and having only a very limited number of shots with this one, I have nothing to compare it to, to see if the agate is really doing too much harm. What I can tell you is that it is indeed scraping it good, but how bad I can't say, yet. I'm planning on ordering some good rocks from TOW, but that won't happen for a while.
That target was shot at only 25mt, at a private property, because I haven't been able to go to a shooting range. The range I usually go to, we have to shoot from inside a cabin, and I don't think the other shooters will appreciate me burning pan powder inside of it.
Yes, I remember your comment on my other thread, about the agate eating away the frizzen face. Not having shot Flintlocks before, and having only a very limited number of shots with this one, I have nothing to compare it to, to see if the agate is really doing too much harm. What I can tell you is that it is indeed scraping it good, but how bad I can't say, yet. I'm planning on ordering some good rocks from TOW, but that won't happen for a while.
That target was shot at only 25mt, at a private property, because I haven't been able to go to a shooting range. The range I usually go to, we have to shoot from inside a cabin, and I don't think the other shooters will appreciate me burning pan powder inside of it.
Lover:
From the foregoing advice you can appreciate there is a bit of subjectivity to this patch/lube topic! Moose Milk is good a lube and soaked-but-dry patches are good for cold weather hunting. Target shooting is easiest with damp but not soggy patches, as others have noted. I use the solution to wipe the bore between shots and the amount of M-M that enables me to easily withdraw the dirty wipe patch (used on a jag it will stick at the breech and be difficult to withdraw if too dry) seems to give best results with my PRB's. The commercial lube that apparently can catch fire is Wonderlube: it has a petroleum base and several acquaintances have seen smoldering patches.
When measuring the thickness of patch material, concern yourself only with the COMPRESSED thickness: nothing else matters for PRB's. I use 10 oz. and 8 oz. denim purchased at Walmart. After washing and drying, these measure .030 and .024 uncompressed but compress to .008 and .005 respectively. I have achieved about equal accuracy using the thicker material with .490 RB's and the thinner material with .495 RB's in front of 80 gr. Goex FFg but am not finished experimenting for best accuracy yet. There is lots to learn but it looks like you are off to a great start with your new flint gun!
From the foregoing advice you can appreciate there is a bit of subjectivity to this patch/lube topic! Moose Milk is good a lube and soaked-but-dry patches are good for cold weather hunting. Target shooting is easiest with damp but not soggy patches, as others have noted. I use the solution to wipe the bore between shots and the amount of M-M that enables me to easily withdraw the dirty wipe patch (used on a jag it will stick at the breech and be difficult to withdraw if too dry) seems to give best results with my PRB's. The commercial lube that apparently can catch fire is Wonderlube: it has a petroleum base and several acquaintances have seen smoldering patches.
When measuring the thickness of patch material, concern yourself only with the COMPRESSED thickness: nothing else matters for PRB's. I use 10 oz. and 8 oz. denim purchased at Walmart. After washing and drying, these measure .030 and .024 uncompressed but compress to .008 and .005 respectively. I have achieved about equal accuracy using the thicker material with .490 RB's and the thinner material with .495 RB's in front of 80 gr. Goex FFg but am not finished experimenting for best accuracy yet. There is lots to learn but it looks like you are off to a great start with your new flint gun!
