Try this:
For shooting at the range, I put a .50/.54 caliber brush on the rod. and pass it up and down the bore between shots. Bullets, sabot's and patched balls seat easily. (Learned that shooting with a group of experienced guys at a rondevous shoot).
For hunting with BP, I put a felt donut under the jag, lubed with Crisco. When I need a second/follow up shot, one pass with the Crisco clears the fouling and allows the ball to be seated easily even with a tight patch. Didn't figure that out myself either :-(
In the good ole days, the mountain men blew down the bore, and there was enough moisture in their breath to soften the fouling, but it gets old on a long shooting session. And you need to get your breath in/out timing right.
