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Fouling Shot
- Thread starter evil_opie
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Save your powder. Sight the gun in with a clean barrel and hunt with it in the same condition. When reloading on the hunt just quickly run a couple damp patches through the barrel, and if you're using PRBs make sure the patch is well lubed. The lube from the patch will keep the fouling soft and it you'll be able to easily wipe it away.
Hmmmmmmm. :hmm:
Good question. It has always been my policy that "The sun must never set on a dirty muzzleloader". When nearing deer season, I spit-wipe after every shot. This allows plenty of time for the barrel to cool and, perhaps, gives a similar barrel character to every shot.
I also run a lubed patch through the bore BEFORE loading for the first time. These steps, I am convinced, prevent my first shots from being flyers. I also aim center-deer vertically just in case.
If you have a fouling shot in and you don't see a deer the next day, do you pull the load and then clean? I leave my rifles loaded overnight on Saturday if I haven't had a shot.
It probably wouldn't cause corrosion to leave a fouled bore go for several days if the lube has some protective oils. If it was a spit-patch I would say "no way."
Good question. It has always been my policy that "The sun must never set on a dirty muzzleloader". When nearing deer season, I spit-wipe after every shot. This allows plenty of time for the barrel to cool and, perhaps, gives a similar barrel character to every shot.
I also run a lubed patch through the bore BEFORE loading for the first time. These steps, I am convinced, prevent my first shots from being flyers. I also aim center-deer vertically just in case.
If you have a fouling shot in and you don't see a deer the next day, do you pull the load and then clean? I leave my rifles loaded overnight on Saturday if I haven't had a shot.
It probably wouldn't cause corrosion to leave a fouled bore go for several days if the lube has some protective oils. If it was a spit-patch I would say "no way."
Rat
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You will get a lot of different opinions on this, so here's mine:
:imo:
It's a GOOD thing to be ultra-paranoid about corrosion.
:applause:
I never hunt with a fouled rifle...always a clean bore. BP fouling IS hydroscopic. (sp?) Before I load for a hunt, I go through a VERY meticulous, careful cleaning procedure, to get ALL oil and traces of, out of the bore and breech. Dry rags, paper towel, pipe-cleaners. I firmly believe that it is not moisture that causes miss or hang fires, 99% of the time, but rather oil or traces of oil in the gun.
Anytime I target practice with the rifle, I always fire my first shot at my "first shot from a clean barrel target", and keep a good record of where and how the rifle is grouping from a clean barrel.
Don't know if it's luck or what, but my rifles seem to shoot real close to where they do with a fouled barrel...but maybe an inch or two higher at most, which I take into consideration when I sight the rifle in. When I sight in a rifle for the final time, I even go so far as to clean, not just wipe, the barrel beween shots. (which is pretty easy actually, as you are not cleaning the whole gun, just the bore)
I also do not fire the gun off at the end of the day, clean and reload. I will leave it loaded for weeks at a time, and have never had problems with miss or hang-fires. The secret to that, again, is how well you prep/clean the rifle, and get ALL oil out of the breech and barrel before loading it with your hunting load. Using real BP also goes a long way towards getting 100% reliability.
Anyhow, if you know where your rifle shoots with a clean barrel, and sight it in accordingly, then there is no reason to hunt with a fouled and dirty gun, which in addition to the possibility of corrosion, can lead to miss fires and hang fires. Again, sometimes there is very little difference in POI between a clean and lightly fouled barrel.
Hope that helps!
:yakyak:
Rat
:imo:
It's a GOOD thing to be ultra-paranoid about corrosion.
:applause:
I never hunt with a fouled rifle...always a clean bore. BP fouling IS hydroscopic. (sp?) Before I load for a hunt, I go through a VERY meticulous, careful cleaning procedure, to get ALL oil and traces of, out of the bore and breech. Dry rags, paper towel, pipe-cleaners. I firmly believe that it is not moisture that causes miss or hang fires, 99% of the time, but rather oil or traces of oil in the gun.
Anytime I target practice with the rifle, I always fire my first shot at my "first shot from a clean barrel target", and keep a good record of where and how the rifle is grouping from a clean barrel.
Don't know if it's luck or what, but my rifles seem to shoot real close to where they do with a fouled barrel...but maybe an inch or two higher at most, which I take into consideration when I sight the rifle in. When I sight in a rifle for the final time, I even go so far as to clean, not just wipe, the barrel beween shots. (which is pretty easy actually, as you are not cleaning the whole gun, just the bore)
I also do not fire the gun off at the end of the day, clean and reload. I will leave it loaded for weeks at a time, and have never had problems with miss or hang-fires. The secret to that, again, is how well you prep/clean the rifle, and get ALL oil out of the breech and barrel before loading it with your hunting load. Using real BP also goes a long way towards getting 100% reliability.
Anyhow, if you know where your rifle shoots with a clean barrel, and sight it in accordingly, then there is no reason to hunt with a fouled and dirty gun, which in addition to the possibility of corrosion, can lead to miss fires and hang fires. Again, sometimes there is very little difference in POI between a clean and lightly fouled barrel.
Hope that helps!
:yakyak:
Rat
To me, I wouldn't think of it...I keep my bores as 'sterile' as I possibly can at all times...I sight rifles in with clean cold bores on every shot, and always keep the bore coated with natural lube 1000.
So for me, the last thing in the world I'd want to do would be to intentionally foul a clean bore...I don't even "shoot a load out" after a day's hunt as it will foul the bore...I just pull the load (or blow it out with compressed air).
Other than practicing at the range, the only way I foul a bore is when I drop the hammer on a deer, squirrel, etc.
:m2c:
Rat's post reminds me. . .
I do fire off two caps before loading to make sure the nipple is clear and the oils are all "blown out." I, too, believe any residual oil ruins the powder, and it would be right where you need the powder to be at it's best: near the flash entry.
Percussion caps are probably the least of the corrosive worries, and running in the lubed ball patch squeegies that fouling down around the patch edges, where the lube and oil can (hopefully) neutralize it.
I've been working very hard to develop a lube that can be allowed to dry on a strip of patching material but that provides enough lube when squeezed around the ball. So far, the results have been good.
Lube is a great compromize between accuracy, protection, convenience of use and ease of loading.
I do fire off two caps before loading to make sure the nipple is clear and the oils are all "blown out." I, too, believe any residual oil ruins the powder, and it would be right where you need the powder to be at it's best: near the flash entry.
Percussion caps are probably the least of the corrosive worries, and running in the lubed ball patch squeegies that fouling down around the patch edges, where the lube and oil can (hopefully) neutralize it.
I've been working very hard to develop a lube that can be allowed to dry on a strip of patching material but that provides enough lube when squeezed around the ball. So far, the results have been good.
Lube is a great compromize between accuracy, protection, convenience of use and ease of loading.
Tahquamenon
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Fouling shots are not required in hunting situations and can do assist corrosion formations.
Corrosion is something that I always am concerned about.
Sometimes I will fire a couple of caps to ensure that all the oil is burned off.
After my rifle has been fired, I always detail clean at the first opportunity before the next day.
:m2c:
Corrosion is something that I always am concerned about.
Sometimes I will fire a couple of caps to ensure that all the oil is burned off.
After my rifle has been fired, I always detail clean at the first opportunity before the next day.
:m2c:
I too pop off a couple of caps to make sure the oil had been handled. That was the fouling I was thinking of. Do some of you actually flash the barrel prior to shooting? So if shooting conicals, you won't have that patch to push the fouling down in to the bore? Is there any reason to be worried about corrosion from the caps popped? They really do dirty up the barrel. ::
Yea, they are too 20th century, and they don't stay on the nipple.
They won't harm the barrel but they will erode your soul. ::
IMHO modern primers are very highly developed and much research has gone into making them minimally corrosive. After the two world wars a lot of surplus ammo hit the market and was highly corrosive. It became a great selling point for Remington and Winchester to produce non-corrosive primers. Everyone else had to follow suit to stay in business.
I've known guys who owned .22LRs and behaved like it was bad luck to clean them. The same priming compound used in .22s is what is in percussion caps. I don't know, but I imagine 209 primers are just as "safe".
IMHO modern primers are very highly developed and much research has gone into making them minimally corrosive. After the two world wars a lot of surplus ammo hit the market and was highly corrosive. It became a great selling point for Remington and Winchester to produce non-corrosive primers. Everyone else had to follow suit to stay in business.
I've known guys who owned .22LRs and behaved like it was bad luck to clean them. The same priming compound used in .22s is what is in percussion caps. I don't know, but I imagine 209 primers are just as "safe".
They make a good shotgun shell primer...
Once, back in the late 70's (1970's that is), they (Uncle Mike's I think) made a screw on 209 primer cap assembly for a percussion nipple, it was more trouble than it was worth, too much time wasted romoving and replacing the 209 primer...
Old Salt.. I have done and suggested the same thing for years. I put a patch on the rod push that to the breech and pop two caps. Now when I look at the patch I can tell how much fire is making it through the bolster and nipple. I also then swab with isopropyl or denatured alcohol then a dry patch and load. I do this with every thing but my flintlocks.
I am new to flintlocks as most know here, and have not figured out a way to make sure the ventliner is clear except for running a pipe cleaner through it with alcohol on it and letting it sit a few minutes before loading and after swabbing the oils out of the barrel.
I am new to flintlocks as most know here, and have not figured out a way to make sure the ventliner is clear except for running a pipe cleaner through it with alcohol on it and letting it sit a few minutes before loading and after swabbing the oils out of the barrel.
With my flintlocks, I run a dry patch, flip it over and dab on some 91% isopropyl alcohol or acetone, and smush it down hard on the breech face. This breaks down the oil and chases it off.
Rubbing alcohol has more water in it, so avoid that.
I usually only bother with this before an important shoot, like a hunt.
Rubbing alcohol has more water in it, so avoid that.
I usually only bother with this before an important shoot, like a hunt.
Rat
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Well just to be contrary as usual, and for the record and the alternative opinion....
:yakyak: :youcrazy:
I never snap caps before loading for a hunt...not in 25 years. I think that hand cleaning and drying the breech and barrel is superior. Snapping caps just seems like another step backwards. I will admit that I stopped snapping caps back when caps were corrosive, and the fouling attracted moisture like a sponge, far worse than BP fouling. Still, I think that if you get lazy and don't dry the rifle well, thinking that snapping caps is gonna blow the oil out or burn it up.....
If you do have to do that, I like the ideas suggested as to putting a dry patch down the barrel on a rod first. I would also take the nipple off and dry brush it off real good, and then run a dry pipe cleaner through it, after snapping caps.
But, if you've done a good job of "dry-cleaning" the rifle first, there just won't be enough oil to foul the main charge, or migrate up the nipple and into the cap...a trace amount just won't do that.
Just a thought.
Rat
:yakyak: :youcrazy:I never snap caps before loading for a hunt...not in 25 years. I think that hand cleaning and drying the breech and barrel is superior. Snapping caps just seems like another step backwards. I will admit that I stopped snapping caps back when caps were corrosive, and the fouling attracted moisture like a sponge, far worse than BP fouling. Still, I think that if you get lazy and don't dry the rifle well, thinking that snapping caps is gonna blow the oil out or burn it up.....
If you do have to do that, I like the ideas suggested as to putting a dry patch down the barrel on a rod first. I would also take the nipple off and dry brush it off real good, and then run a dry pipe cleaner through it, after snapping caps.
But, if you've done a good job of "dry-cleaning" the rifle first, there just won't be enough oil to foul the main charge, or migrate up the nipple and into the cap...a trace amount just won't do that.
Just a thought.
Rat
By itself, there is nothing wrong with doing it this way. BUT allow condensation into the barrel at the same time or bring it in from the cold or out to the cold and you can set yourself up for trouble.
Sidelocks will always shoot better with a fouling shot. But what is the difference? With my GPR it is three inches high and to the left. Is it worth it.
If you are worried about a hang fire. Find and flinter person and add 5 grains of black powder to your charge and you won't have to worry about missing the next trophy. :hmm:
Sidelocks will always shoot better with a fouling shot. But what is the difference? With my GPR it is three inches high and to the left. Is it worth it.
If you are worried about a hang fire. Find and flinter person and add 5 grains of black powder to your charge and you won't have to worry about missing the next trophy. :hmm:
