I have two (2) older, .50 caliber CVA Hawken rifles... one with a 28-inch barrel (7� lbs and 1:48 twist) I've designated as my "target rifle" and one (6� lb, 1:48 twist "Hunter-Carbine") with a 24-inch barrel I've designated as my "deer hunting carbine".
Both rifles love 47 grains of Swiss FFFg for shooting paper targets and both are extremely accurate using this "target load"... putting three .490" patched, round rifle balls in a small inter-locking "group" at 25 yards.
The Carbine with the 24-inch barrel shoots a 70 grain load of Swiss FFFg with the same accuracy as the "target" load.
I use a Hornady swagged .490-inch rifle ball with a .016" cotton denim cut-patch lubed with a mixture of bee's wax & liquid Crisco Vegetable Oil formed into a solid cake in a small, round sour cheese container, but which breaks down easily into a very "smearable" mixture with the heat from one's finger. I use standard CCI #11 percussion cap and have never had a mis-fire.
I clean the rifles with very hot water with a small "squirt" of soap, rinsed by some very hot water & dried out with the heat from the hot water left in the barrel plus compressed air from my small air-compressor... blowing down the barrel and into the screw-hole in the drum until everything is THOROUGHLY dry.
I, then, lube the barrel with a cut cotton patch very wet with Ballistol, changing positions of the patch-going-down-the-barrel about 60� with each "stroke" and inserting/withdrawing the patch on a
slotted range-rod tip several times and from several different positions around the barrel's diameter while spraying Ballistol into the open screw hole in the drum from a small, pressurized spray-can of Ballistol.
Then I use a little air pressure (about 50 lbs) from the air-compressor to blow in the screw-hole in the drum leaving a light oil coating of oil in the flash-channel. I then run a clean, dry cotton patch down the barrel several times to leave ONLY a light coating of Ballistol protecting the bore... and then, I store all muzzle-loading rifles with the barrel DOWN.
Storing the rifles in a "barrel-down" position helps to eliminated the oil "puddling" in the bottom of the barrel thus possibly causing a mis-fire due to "oil-wet" powder.
At the rifle range,prior to initially shooting the rifle, I place & "fire" a single percussion cap on the UNLOADED rifle's nipple to insure the flash-channel is clear and open. I then load a standard target load of 47 grains of real black powder and begin a day of shooting.
Lately (in 2012), I began experimenting with replacing Swiss FFFg with equal amounts of Goex FFFg and found, at 25 yards, NO DIFFERENCE in the point-of-impact OR in the apparent accuracy of the two black powders which surprised me since I've been told (in the past) that Swiss Black Powder was "more accurate" and created "less fired powder debris" than Goex.
At least, at 25 yards, I did NOT find this to be true. However, I must admit that I didn't chronograph either load, so the proof and truth is still unknown.
I did notice that the Swiss BP residue
seemed to clean up very slightly easier than the Goex BP residue, using my "normal" cleaning method.
I'll be doing more "experimenting" when the weather gets better in 2013 and will probably get out the chronograph to find out the truth.
Try to keep in mind that the reason we do these things is for FUN and ENJOYMENT... so don't "get serious"... at least not TOO "serious". I.E. have fun and ENJOY yourself, that's what it is all about.
Make
GOOD smoke... !
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.