Have a new Pedersoli carbine that I'm using cw reenacting,
shooting blanks. Used it the first time this weekend at Shiloh,
we did a bit of dismount, link horses, and move forward to fight on foot. Problem I'm having, is fouling gumming up the breech to where it will barely open and shut. After about 15 shots, had to resort to spitting in the breech to loosen it up. Had lubed it, liberally I thought, with TC bore butter before, but is there a better product?

Jeff.
Get a jar of Vaseline and coat the breach block face and the mortise tracks with a good coat. I know, I get a lot of snickers at matches when they see me get out that jar and smear it on the patch but this weekend I shot a 25 round match and I put 31 balls down the barrel with a tight patch and the last shot went down just as easy as the first with out once wiping the bore. I been using it forever and it works.
What used to give me problems id=s the floating chamber gas seal sticking and rubbing the breach block face.
Give it a try.

thank you, I'll give that a try. That floating sleeve is part
of my problem too. It was loose and lubed when I started, but froze up now.

Well you're going to HAVE to free up that sleeve, before doing anymore shooting transpires , or is attempted.
Pissing,....that's right URINATING on one's "Paper Cutter" was one well known, and well recorded way to keep those somewhat strange and quirky transitional monsters spitting brimstone and fire,.....I doubt it would be well recieved in a National Park these days.
Pedersoli's concern for "Liability" has seen them fitting that floating sleeve to WAY to tight a radial tolerance than what's actually required,.....and once they seize, they are a BEAR to set right again, if any amount of shooting goes on after seizure. I've made new sleeve's up out of "Caradur", a high $ Copper / Nickle alloy,.....they really outperform anything "authentic"
........in any regard, your blank charges SHOULD be greasy as all get out, as well as all the internals,....I favor Beeswax cut with Vaseline or NAPA "LubeGuard" (soya wax ester),....Jet turbine gear oil works, too.
Regular "Motor" oil is a BAD mistake, as are conventional off the shelf "Gun Oils" at BP temps and pressure, IMHO.
Luck
GTC

Checked my notes,....those custom "sleeves" were machined out of Inconel, and fitted with a Caradur obturating ring only.
Notes indicate that the factory finish on the shear plate's face was less than stellar, and required some improvements.
.....the owner and I came up with a perforated pure (HARD) beeswax "Cookie" that sat at the rear of a nitrated paper cartridge, and after countless hours of development, he was happy with the way it shot.

GTC

Damn. Really starting to wish I'd went with that 2 band musketoon

I've been doing some reading, apparently some floating sleeves are short enough to come out and clean? Mine is one that has to have barrel backed out of receiver to get out. How the hell are you supposed to keep something like that clean...

The sleeves where not meant to come out completely. There is a expanding tool made for this that will help you break the sleeve loose by expanding it in the chamber and then use a cleaning rod and drive it back.
It is important to keep the sleeve lubricated and cleaned after every shooting session.

I don't know what is going on with this site. It drops out and I cant get logged back on.


Jeff I think your problem is really with the breach block and not the sleeve. Have you disassembled the breach block? Take the gas seal plate off and clean the inside of the gas seal.
From the problems you say you have I'm surprised you have not mentioned smelling rags burning and feel your forearm getting warm don't ask me why I mentioned this

Ok guys, I'm learning about this as I go -
but my carbine came new with what I understand used to be an aftermarket modification... between the breech block and seal plate (which appears to be stainless)is a rubber O-ring.
Came with a spare one as well. And a tool to remover the central "plug" center of the assembly.

I've had it all apart, cleaned extensively. Had trouble getting it to even fire at first, consulted gunsmith and he said, blanks ONLY - drill out that central hole, and the restriction in the cone (nipple)
That, and some fresher, finer granulation powder (Goex FFF)
got it shooting most of the time. After I learned to tap the butt against something hard a few times after loading, it's near 100 percent going boom with first cap.

caps are RWS 4 wings by the way

Are you loading paper cartridges, or loose ?

GTC

If you're just shooting "blanks" there's no end to the fouling trouble.

I agree, Don,....dry fouling, no minie base tallow blowing around and keeping that sleeve area moist.
....than there's the issue of Pedersoli's Lawyers having lunch with their engineers, and veering away from the original design, and making their sleeves out of some soft deformable crap, and calling out silly tolerances.
I've worked on, and the Shilo is a FAR better rendition,....no surprise there. I don't think I've seen a C. Sharps.

The Gallagher was a FAR better system.

GTC

Thanks for the replies fellows. Sorry, been offline for a few days. I'm using non-combustible paper cartridge tubes, realizing now that is probably not workable in the long run.
I guess if worse comes to worse, I can dump powder down the barrel like the musket boys, but doesn't look very good when you're close to the spectator line...

But I guess when the officer is calling "fire at will, pour it on 'em" having to be slow and cautious to not throw a charge in on a glowing piece of paper doesn't look very realistic either

You might try nitrated paper cartridges, with a pea sized ball of beeswax/vaseline rolled into the nose of the cartridge.

Yessir, that sounds like something worth trying. Thank you.