Green confetti left in chamber?

[BTC3]

Hi there,

Can anyone shed any light on what this green stuff left over inside my barrels and chamber might be, please? (photos below, hope they're good enough to demonstrate)

I noticed this last week, I wondered whether it might be a leaf that had somehow got into the barrel and shredded when the cartridge went off (it was really windy and stuff was going everywhere).  Got home and cleaned the barrels and thought nothing of it.  Went out to a different ground today, no leaves to get into the chamber, freshly cleaned barrels, but 20 shots in there is the green stuff again: noticeable to about half way down the barrel, and some bits floating around in the chamber after I eject the cartridges.  I have changed gun, but I can't imagine that it is coming from the gun.  Further, I shot half a dozen pf my brother's cartridges towards the end of the session today and it seems to have cleaned the stuff away, making me thing that whatever it is comes from the cartridges.

I've been shooting Fiocchi Fblack 28g cartridges, the ones today and last week were from the same slab of 250, one of 4 bought earlier this year; carts from the other 3 slabs have not had any of this, in fact I had been thinking to myself they were pretty clean compared to the Hull CompX and Gamebore Velocity I had been using.

That was the end of the Fblacks I had, so I need to restock.  I don't want this to become a "my carts are better than yours" thread, but if others have seen the same with this brand, I may change to something else...

Thanks!

Richard

 

[ExSCA]

How strange... I am sure an expert will be along shortly .. But... Unburnt powder anyone?
Sent from my Windows Phone 8 using Board Express/Tapatalk

 

[40UP]

Yes it's unburnt powder - you've allowed damp to be absorbed in storage [say a garage]. A few days in the airing cupboard will sort it out. Quite common in game cartridges stored from last year. Next week's cartridges in the airing cupboard is always better for them.

 

[Gee]

Its unburnt powder mate. I sometimes shoot steel cartridges and it leaves a load behind. No amount of cartridge drying will stop it in my gun tho.

Nothing to worry about.

 

[BTC3]

Thanks for the responses guys.  Will look into the storage - could well be that with the heating off it is getting damper in there.  No apparent issues with anything else in there, however...

At least I don't have to change cartridge, I rather like these!

Thanks again,

RP

 

[Jezza42]

I've had this too! It's unburnt powder.

I was using Fiocchi F Sporting 8.5's I had so much unburnt powder that it was sticking to the side of the shells and when ejected the ejectors were wiping it off and it was getting trapped between the underside of the ejector and the barrel block, so much so that my gun would not close properly and the triggers would not fire. Luckily i was shooting at Doveridge and the on site gunsmith cleaned it all off for me free of charge.

Needless to say I've never used Fiocchi shells since

Ian

 

[Will Hewland]

This is why I stopped using Eley Superbs years ago. Nothing to do with storage with those. I get this slightly with Gamebore velocity too but no problem.

 

[Finners]

I've seen this a few times, over the years. I had always assumed it was unburnt powder. Glad to hear my hunch was correct :good:

 

[sibaldib]

Definitely the damp. A mate of mine who shoots very irregularly had the same problem a few month ago. He stores his cartridges in his basement. He then stored a box in a warm area for a few days and next time he tried them there was no problem.

 

[ips]

What 40up and others said.

Also worth mentioning that sometimes its not your storage but the way they were stored before you bought them.

 

[sibaldib]

What 40up and others said.

Also worth mentioning that sometimes its not your storage but the way they were stored before you bought them.

Good point.

 

[westley]

Sorry Nic. they were only joking when they said the cartridges were F thingys, I would put the blame entirely on the Miroku gun, it probably needs the triggers fettling and the firing pins made longer and hotter in order to strike the cartridges better...............HONEST !

Time to get back in the bunker methinks.

 

[BTC3]

Wasn't using my Miroku...

Sent from my mobile wiv fumbs

 

[Oldblaster]

Store your cartridges at room temperature, always in the same place. Cold can result in unburned powder left in the barrels! Don't recommend airing cupboard.

 

[westley]

Well, being unable to get any of my usual Superfasts (the dirty, punchy, irregular shot lousy cartridge that I have used for almost 2 years without any problems), I have been forced into getting some of these Fiochi things. It will be good to see all of those pretty green flakes in the barrels and action of my gun again, I have really missed them since I stopped using Eley First fibre wads some years ago. It will no doubt double the amount of time it takes to clean my gun now too. Hey, but I will keep an open mind until after I have used them. I will of course expect to shoot 100 straight at the 50 birder tomorrow, being as good as they are reputed. I am a bit worried that the reported recoil is so low, that I my be nodding off half way through a stand, so have stocked up on energy drinks, just in case. So, could this be the start of a new cartridge loving relationship, who knows ? (and who really cares ?)

P.S. Hope my garbage Miroku will fire them !

Sent from my laptop using one finger.

 

[Will Hewland]

Don't worry. Fiocchi recoil will keep you awake!

 

[westley]

Well, I sort of feel a bit cheated. I used the Fiochi's today and I have to report that I found no green flakes in my gun afterwards, so, should I take them back and complain or just carry on with them ? Compared to Superfats (it's a pie thing), the Fiochi were no cleaner or dirtier. The recoil on the Top 1's was a bit lower than the T** Ticklers or TT's as they are known, but I felt the recoil from both was a touch more than the Superfats. My shooting Buddy felt no difference in recoil and both cartridges functioned through his Beretta auto without problems. The breaks, I felt were pretty much the same too, through the I/C Brileys in both of our guns. Will I change ? well, the Jury is still out on that one, I will know better after the next 450 or so.  

 

[westley]

Just to update the saga, used the Fiochi's through my Beretta 303 on Sunday. Again no real issues apart from the fact they are certainly dirtier than the Superfast. Gun cycled perfectly and broke clays using both Top 1's and TT 2's, still not convinced with regards to performance or recoil issues. Next is a direct Fiochi vs Superfast (one in each barrel of Miroku) test.