Slug Guns and Muzzleloaders

[Joe Gussenhoven]

Hi Joe

When i first started shooting the slug gun and cleaning down to the bottom i had misfires due to fouling blocking the vent. I changed to loading poder then wad and cleaning above the wad, no more misfires.

My bullet patch combination (at the base) is 0.406. The freezer paper patches come out of the barrel undamaged clearly showing rifle imprint for about 2/3 of bullet length. The bore is not choked, however the bulllet patch combination load smoothly all the way to the bottom.

My bullet length is 1.26 " the same length as i use in my 40-65 which shoots extremely well.

Tried several art supply shops today (Monday) but none had cotton tracing paper. Any shops in your neck of the woods deal online?


Cheers sluggun pilgrim

Think I would clean all the way down then do Like Kenny and leave a dry patch at the bottom to dry the breech. Then fire a cap to clear it before loading. Would also stop using the wad.

Dont know about online stores for paper. Should be something on the web.

My slug gun is set up to load into the grooves at the muzzle. Once you get past the slight choke it slides down smooth but with a bit of effort. Once the bullet is on the powder, it's rifled. The soft lead base bumps up to fit the grooves and seal.
I bevel the bases to make sure I don't cut a paper strip when loading. This is the way the gun was set up when I got it.
I find bullets shoot better with a slight taper in the bore. If choke bored to much they can get real cranky.

Something you might try is wiping the bore dry after loading the bullet. If your patch is real wet it could be leaving to much oil in the barrel.

All sorts of things to try.


Joe.