The first shot blues!

[JerryToth]

Halloo the camp!

Let's talk about how the first shot of the day impacts in a different place than following, "fouled" shots.

I used to use a T/C with conicals, and I learned that the first shot would hit a couple of inches higher than the following shots and I just kinda learned to guesstimate and adjust for this. Of course, when whitetail deer hunting, the shot at the deer IS the first shot of the day...

Now I'm going to start using roundballs, in my more traditional Early Lancaster that I recently completed. It seems like they impact to a different point, although not as dramatically as the conicals did.

So what do you fellows do with this situation? I can't be the only one that notices it?

Again not talking about woodswalk shoots where you can just prefoul the barrel. I Don't want to prefoul and risk moisture problems... don't want to prefoul since sometimes I'll not unload the rifle for several days of consecutive hunting... don't want to prefoul period... Are there any other alternatives?

What say ye gentlemen?

Ironsights Jerry
Uniontown, PA

 

[Stumpkiller]

Before you load the rifle, run a dry cleaning patch and then a lubed cleaning patch up-and-down a few times to pre-coat the barrel. I find this helps.

My first shot tends to go low, but not alarmingly.

 

[54JNoll]

I guess I am pretty fortunate in this reguard. The .45 cal roundball shooter I have been hunting with puts its first shot with the rest.

You are going to have to play around with your gun to see if the first shot groups with fouled shots better from a dry or a lubed bore. You may even look at a different patching material or thickness. You may need to swab to more with more patches between shots. If the difference in very minor you may not want to worry about it. And you may have to live with pre-fouling your bore and cleaning at the end of each day.

 

[roundball]

I've had the same good fortune with roundballs...they all go into a big ragged hole or cloverleaf pattern...no extreme flyers from first shot to the last.

Interesting comment above regarding a lubed patch...I use natural lube 1000 and I do lube patch the bore before loading...maybe that trace of lube coating is the reason for the consistency and I never realized it, as it's the only way I've ever done it.

PS: same results using .45cal 255grn maxi-hunters in TC 1:48"[url] flinters...again[/url], natural lube 1000