Manual

47
A PROJECTILE WHICH IS SEATED ONLY PART WAY DOWN THE
BARREL SETS UP A HIGHLY DANGEROUS CONDITION WHICH
MAY CAUSE A BURST BARREL AND INJURY AND/OR DEATH TO
THE SHOOTER OR BYSTANDER AND DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
The projectile must be seated firmly against the powder charge. If the
ball or bullet is not seated against the powder charge the firearm must
be disassembled and the charge removed (see section on “Pulling a
Charge”). Never fire a muzzleloading firearm unless the projectile is
firmly seated on the powder charge.
The use of Thompson/Center's Natural Lube 1000+, a non-petroleum
based lubricant will eliminate most of this build up of black powder fouling,
and the cleaning and accuracy problems associated with it.
Actually the user of a Black Powder rifle or pistol has two types of
cleaning with which to contend. One is total or complete cleaning which is
done after shooting for the day and before the rifle or pistol is put away.
(This must be done after using either Pyrodex or Black Powder.) The other
is a simple “wiping out” of the bore which is done between shots to clear
away fouling and to ease loading (this is essential with Black Powder). This
is referred to as “field cleaning”.
PHOTO A
Use a Jag for field cleaning
(A Worm will work as
a substitute if you don't
have a Jag with you.)
No.13
Powder
Solvent is
specifically
designed for
field cleaning.
The saturated patch is then followed by several dry patches to absorb moisture
and make sure that the bore is dry.
Cleaning between shots may be necessary when using Black Powder.
It will depend on how much fouling is developed from shot to shot, and how
progressively difficult it is to load as a result of it. It will also depend on how
tight your initial patched round ball fits. The tighter the initial fit , the more
difficult it will be to load successive shots as the powder residue or fouling
builds up. As previously described in the above text, the use of an all natural
lube aids in r
eloading as it “seasons” the bor
e and pr
oduces far less fouling.