how many shots can you get before cleaning?

Well in little 'spearment with Stumpies Moose Snot my T/C .50 with 1:48 shallow groove twist is now charged with shot #16 and NOT cleaned NOR swabbed bewteen shots. Accuracy, far as I can tell, at 25 yards has actually improved slightly. So far NO rust in the bore. I intend NOT to clean NOR swab twixt shots till the bore shows signs of detrimental corrosion. Maybe this is how the old timers took care (or didn't take care) of thier rifles in the field where it would have been very impractical to clean the rifle completely every day.
Beats me, but it's an interesting experiment.

 

[squirejohn]

The one common thread seems to be that as long as the fouling remains soft swabbing is not needed between shots. Generally speaking, in my experience anyhow, the fouling usually dries out beteen shots. For example in most woodswalk situations you cannot reload until the next shooting station and therefore the fouling is allowed to dry out in the interim, and blowing down the barrel to keep the fouling soft is not an option at NMLRA events. At timed events where premeasured paper charges and loading blocks are used, the barrel heats up and fouling hardens up immediately so loading becomes difficult after a few shots. However these are just assumptions on my part and may only pertain to my particular load/barrel/ball size, etc. combination. This Wed. I'll go to the range and try some speed shots with 1000+ and see what happens.

 

[Zonie]

My range shooting using 1000+ has had mixed results.
First off, I live in Arizona where it is dryer than a popcorn flatulance.
That said, I usually reload within 30 seconds of firing my rifle. When I do this, the fouling does not have time to harden so loading with Pyrodex or Swiss is fairly easy. (Elephant almost always needs wet wipeing).

If it is "target changing time" and my rifle has to sit for several minutes waiting for me to reload it, it is always difficult, with any powder, unless I wipe the bore before I start the reloading process.

 

[squirejohn]

Well Zonie I guess we got some Arizona weather. Went to the range today and could only fire about 5 to 6 shots, and then needed to swab. I didn't matter whether I used pre-cut 1000+ patches, 1000+ strips cut at the muzzle, or a spit patch - all in a rifle. The same was true for the smoothbore using a cotton .012 patch with 1000 + or a spit patch. The temp was about 75 in the shade and humidity 46%. In all cases I reloaded within a minute of firing. Conbclusion some days she works (don't need to swab between shots)and some she don't. ::