Smoke Pole Question

[Dancing Bear]

OK, I bought a smokepole, thompson omega and have been practicing with it quite a bit. Not happy with my groups yet but I am getting there. I figured out how to get it all cleaned up after range time by following the directions the give you with the gun. My question is that after I get it all swabbed out I put that bore butter stuff on a patch and then coat the barrel with it for storage.
Then when I go to shoot it again I run clear patches through it to get the coating of bore butter off the barrel.

When I do that I get a nasty, crusty rust colored crap all over the patch. I was double checking it last night and had to run around 6 patches through it before it came clean. Is that rust? if so why??? or does that bore butter stuff turn into gunk or what in the heck is  going on? Any imput would be helpful, doing this smokepole thing without a mentor has been frustrating.

DB

[jigglestick]

marshall, we need to have a front loader get together. we can go over the basics and try different loads to try to find the best groupings with different projectiles.
 and load charges.
basic cleaning is a snap. even the old black powder guns are easy, just takes a little more time.
there is getting to be quite a few of us now.
the sport is definately growing and with good reason. the crowds are way down and the weather (-10 degrees)  is wonderful.
I can hardly wait. :)

[Dancing Bear]

I'm in but it aint going to happen this fall? schedule is looking pretty tough, I am booked through 12/22 now already, but that's not all work

I put a bunch more range time in yesterday and the rings for the breach plug was where all the crud build up was ??? I got some solvent when I got back from the range along with a wire brush and got that all shiny new again. I then re-read the owners manual and figured out that I am supposed to put the greased up breach plug back into the gun after it's been all cleaned up. I took it one step further and stored it tipped down so that crap runs out of the gun and not into to fittings. Hopefully this will help, rest assured it will be the first thing I check when I get home tonight, after I crack a cold one......

DB

[iceman]

DB, how hot of water are you using to clean it ?
and are you allowing it to dry before you apply bore butter ?

[Joe]

I get the water as hot as I can. I've even read that some guys boil the water. I don't go that far, but hot water heats up the barrel as you clean it and helps it dry quickly. I run a few dry patches through it and let the barrel cool, before I use the bore butter.

[Mayfly]

I'm in but it aint going to happen this fall? schedule is looking pretty tough, I am booked through 12/22 now already, but that's not all work

It better not be all work.....I talked to Brad from Frankies today.....I learned something new about you :-\ :-\

We won't discuss it here

[Dancing Bear]

Thanks for the help, ran patches through it and everything is fine. There is a lot a stuff to learn but I am starting to have fun with the gun, getting decent groups and looking forward to the extended season.

Mayfly, Brad, tells everybody all sorts of weird stuff about me over the past twenty years.  ???

Rest assured I am not a gay cross dresser that molests sheep.

[HUNTER2]

DB, I have a Thompson Omega also. I use the powerbelt bullets with 100 grains of powder. great groups.

[PUTZ]

Hey DB !
ol putz is getting back into smokepolling it again and after I bought Hodgdon triple7 powder I seen an add for Americn pioneer powder , check out website , they have Jim Shokley's GOLD  no cleaning beetween shots he is almost at 2,000 shos without cleaning .
although triple 7 all you need is water to clean,and A little oil but go to website and use sabots and not patched balls.
you don't want any lead fouling in the barrel.
PUTZ

[Dancing Bear]

Hey Putz! it's been a while hopefully see you up there this winter.

 I got it all figured out, the really hot water trick above works great and I haven't had a problem with it since. Hunter 2 I went with the same bullets and 100 grains instead of 150 and everything is fine now. It just seems strange that the bullets that Thompson sends with the gun don't group even half as well as as the powerbelts? I was about ready to wrap the damn thing around a tree shooting those thompson bullets

I am really having fun with this now, I think I will have two guns in my stand this fall whenver I can, if they get close I am going with the smoker. Can't wait and thanks dudes,

DB