Novice

[wr.sainsbury]

It would be unusual but perhaps the rifling does not go to the breech plug face and a small powder charge will allow the patched ball to enter the combustion chamber. Try mooncoon's corn meal idea and the ball will stay further up the bore. Most curious problem.

 

[Glenn Kelley]

I need to update this .The heart valve replacement went well . I got out and used 3 different materials in 3 different guns and found similar patterns in all cases . The Safari has the most noticeable result , the underhammer isn't quite so bad, and the Pedersoli flintlock is barely there but you can find it if you look for it .

My next move is to keep looking for the medium weight ticking . I'm looking for about .012 with a tight weave .

Glenn

 

[mooncoon]

Mooncoon ,
No I don't think this is rust pits . These holes are precisely spaced around the edge of the impression left by the ball . There are 2 holes for each land of the rifling .

that type of pitting is not inconsistent with a pitted bore. If the bore is rough, you can often feel it on the ramrod, when cleaning the gun. Pretty hard to describe the difference in feel but it is different than from a smooth barrel

cheers mooncoon

 

[BCRider]

I'm thinking that if the rifling is cutting the patch material like that then your gun likely was unfired before you got it. Or there is some roughness from past neglected corrosion. The rifling should not cut the patch material.

Give that I like the idea of some abrasive paste on a tight fitting patch to smoothen off the rifling just a hair. But I'd opt for automotive rubbing compound. It's the red stuff intended for removing heavy oxidation and not the white final polishing compound. Fit a tight fitting patch coated with the compound to a cleaning jag and run it up and down the bore a few times. If the patch comes out with black lines on it you're getting the job done. Do this a couple of times then clean the bore well with a cleaning solvent that will dissolve the wax used as a base for the compound. Then clean normally and oil.