# Muzzle loader



## lpgreg (Jan 2, 2006)

How do I lube the barrel of my muzzle loader so the sabot will slide down easier without fouling the pellets?


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## ironmachineus (Dec 22, 2005)

You lube a plastic sabot. You should be able to slide it down a clean barrell with a minimum of effort. Make sure the bullet is square in the sabot so it doesn't bend up the tabs. If you've shot a time or two, you'll likely have to clean the barrell - plastic sabots leave residue that makes reloading difficult. Or, try powerbelts and you won't have to worry about it.


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## giver108 (Nov 24, 2004)

ironmachineus said:


> Or, try powerbelts and you won't have to worry about it.


Do a search in this forum about Powerbelt bullets before you use them. There is a lot of information that suggests avoiding them like the plague.


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## smokepole (Mar 13, 2005)

get yourself some bore butter. put a little around the lower half of the sabot or if your not using a bullet that has a sabot just put it on the bullet itself. it also will make for an easier cleanup when done shooting. It will help season the bore also. I have even at times when I am hunting in the rain or a heavy snow put a good sized gob in the end of the barrel to keep the moisture out.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

I've never had to lube a barrel to load sabots. I clean after every 3 shots and I still don't have a problem loading. What sabots are you trying to load?


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## yooperkenny (Jul 13, 2004)

smokepole said:


> get yourself some bore butter. put a little around the lower half of the sabot or if your not using a bullet that has a sabot just put it on the bullet itself. it also will make for an easier cleanup when done shooting. It will help season the bore also....


Bore Butter works for me too. It seasons the barrel just like a cast iron skillet gets seasoned. Can't wait for muzzleloading season in the December snow!


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## ironmachineus (Dec 22, 2005)

Oops, that's a typo in my earlier post above - it should read "you don't lube a plastic sabot".


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## walleyechaser (Jan 12, 2001)

Do a little research---you do not lube sabots, period. Lubing the barrel or sabot will actually increase fowling.
The problem with tight sabots is in the sabot thickness itself. Find out the thickness of the sabots that came with the bullets you're shooting and purchase some sabots separately which are about .002" thinner and you shouldn't have the problem any longer.


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Try American Pioneer Powder. It actually lubes the barrel after a shot. Personally, I don't mind a tight fit. That just means you have a good seal to keep moisture out. Muzzleloader season is typically colder where you'll have more problems with barrels sweating.


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## Skibum (Oct 3, 2000)

smokepole said:


> get yourself some bore butter. put a little around the lower half of the sabot or if your not using a bullet that has a sabot just put it on the bullet itself. it also will make for an easier cleanup when done shooting. It will help season the bore also. I have even at times when I am hunting in the rain or a heavy snow put a good sized gob in the end of the barrel to keep the moisture out.


I'd be awfully nervous about plugging my bore with lube. A strip of electric tape across the muzzle will do the trick.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

lpgreg said:


> How do I lube the barrel of my muzzle loader so the sabot will slide down easier without fouling the pellets?


you don't. 

you shoot a smaller sabot. 

go to www.mmpsabots.com

contact them. tell them the bullet you're shooting, its diameter - .429", .451", .452", .458" (which can all be used in 50 cal muzzleloaders) and your make of gun, and they'll recommend a sabot for you. $7-$10 shipped, for 50.


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

rzdrmh said:


> you don't.
> 
> you shoot a smaller sabot.
> 
> ...


I agree! 
Leave the bore butter and other so called lubes to guys with the **** skin hats.....no need to use any of that stuff in an inline gun, ever. If your going to cook eggs with your inline, feel free to season the barrel, if not, feel free to skip that step.


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## Andy K (Oct 24, 2005)

rzdrmh said:


> you don't.
> 
> you shoot a smaller sabot.
> 
> ...


 
So how much clearance should you have between your sabot and your barrel?


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

0" It should be tight.


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## Andy K (Oct 24, 2005)

Thanks QuakrTrakr. Every pack of t/c shockwaves I've bought have been a real bear to load. I guess you can't get a away from that if you need a plastic to steel fit. I thought maybe a .001 would be the way to go. Oh by the way I'm shooting a Omega.


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## rzdrmh (Dec 30, 2003)

as quakr said - you want a nice snug fit, but not something that breaks a rod.

.002-.003 difference in a sabot is the difference in something that slides right down the barrel and something that about breaks your rod getting it loaded.

mmp sends bags of 50, but i'd bet you could mix and match a sampler bag to find which sabot you need.

you'll know what your bullet diameter is - it should be on the packaging - either .429, .451, .452, .457, or .458. (for a 50 cal) then you can determine which sabot fits your bore with a specific bullet diameter that's being used. once that is done, you'll know which sabot to use next time, even if you're using a different bullet, as long as its the same diameter.


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## May-39 (Jan 14, 2005)

Go to Doug's Modern Muzzeloader forum and read up..It helped me a lot


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## Lwapo (Dec 27, 2005)

Skibum said:


> I'd be awfully nervous about plugging my bore with lube. A strip of electric tape across the muzzle will do the trick.


Trojan Man!

Buy a few condoms and slip one over the end. They hold on tight and are so thin that a bullet will easily blow through them.

... Though I had to buy ones that were smaller than the ones I already had in order for them to fit my gun though.. .har har har! :lol:


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## QuakrTrakr (Apr 4, 2001)

Lwapo said:


> Trojan Man!
> 
> Buy a few condoms and slip one over the end. They hold on tight and are so thin that a bullet will easily blow through them.
> 
> ... Though I had to buy ones that were smaller than the ones I already had in order for them to fit my gun though.. .har har har! :lol:


yeah, ok.


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## lpgreg (Jan 2, 2006)

Thanks for the advise, when I first had the gun the plastic sleeved sabot,s slid done nice and snug, now I have to have a board to assist pushing down the rod. I believe their Remington,s, but I would have to look. I have not changed anything but I will measure and try to find 1 a little smaller. About 3 seasons back I cleaned my gun during the season and put a very, very light coat of oil in it, needless to say when a shooter buck came in on the last evening the only thing that fired was the cap. Thanks again Greg


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