Swabbing between shots - Careful what you use!

The other week I had been shooting some great 200 yard groups with my open sight 54cal hawken.

While I was cleaning it that night, I had an urge to add a LITTLE pinesol to my swabbing solution which was plain water. BIG MISTAKE! The next day, I fired 6 shots at 200 yards, only 2 showed up. I cleaned the bore, set up a 100 yard target and fired 3 shots which gave me a horrible 6" group. I was in total disbelief and couldn't figure out what was going on. I packed up, went home.

While cleaning the rifle, I decided it had to be the pinesol I added to the swabbing solution. I did notice that the patched ball went down a lot easier and was slick feeling. Maybe?

2 days later, I went back out shooting at 100 yards, THIS TIME using straight up water to swab the bore between shots and this was the result.

80gr 2fg Gearhart Owen, .530" round ball, .020" patches.

Next, I  bumped the charge up to 90 grains 2fg.

After this, I'll no longer add any kind of oil, soap, solvent to my swabbing solution! It just adds an unnatural slickness that really screwed up my accuracy big time. Now I need to get back out to 200 yards and test again!

Try denatured alcohol when swabbing. It removes the fouling and evaporates fast so there is little chance of it contaminating the powder charge or messing with the fire channel. I have been using it for years with great results.

I shall do that next time on the range and compare the two.

I only use dish soap and water for cleaning at home. I will use Ballistol when at the range. I heard about things like window cleaner and never bothered with it.

Clean with tap water and protect with Barricade or something similar if I'm out of it.

If I was going to swab between shots I just use spit. Seems to work ok and it's free.

At 75 I find myself kinda dry so spit is out of the question. If I lube with TOW mink oil I don't need to swab until I'm through for the day. Mink oil is my standard for the bush. All other shooting is with Hoppes BP Lube on the patches. Loading is always super easy with Hoppes.

Shoot slower. It gives the spit time to build up.

OldMntMan, There are a couple of meds I'm on that have a side effect of "dry mouth". So all of it combined pretty well stops my spit patch. When younger I did/could use it.

I'm just the opposite. I drool a lot, so the patches help soak it up.

Hmmm...It scares me a little to picture myself sitting at home drooling. Maybe okay if I could drool Hoppes.

Mostly when I fall asleep. I wake up and my beard is all wet.

Just another old man moment.

At nite? Oh yea that's a fact. I use spit myself.like olmtnman.there are 2 of us who say it works, try it.

When I got into BP around 55 years ago spit patch was all I ever used.  Back then I could still produce patch lube.

Man, you old guys are gross....spitin', droolin'....

Idaho Lewis made a post about using 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and hoppes #9. I hate the smell of hoppes but i may make up a batch one day to try.

I`ve been using TC #13 for patch lube the past 45 years and have been pleased that it cleans the bore with every loading. I have been able to go for a 50+ shooting session without the need to swab the bore. RMC-Ox-yoke still stocks it (I also bought a drop-in bore light from them and my bores are pristine even after 45 years)