Was Dutch right about wiping between shots?

[oldschoolhunter55]

Ok boys and girls here is the long winded (not really) version.

When I first started back in the 70's the big event at our club was the Seneca run, the winner was revered and lauded continuously all year and it was something I strove mightily to win.

For those that do not know it was a timed event with about a dozen stations, mostly shooting at metal swingers at different distances but also going calf deep into a creek to set a trap, throwing a hawk, and making fire with flint and steel. You better run between stations, because the other guys are.

I never won, we had two guys, Joe Florini (the Italian Stallion!) and Dave Goode who were light years better than the rest of us at this game, and I did my best to copy their methods.

We assumed these were the skills that Simon Kenton, Lewis Wetzel and good old Daniel used when fleeing or hiding from hostiles.

You will NEVER get close to winning a match like this fooling around with wiping between shots and the other complications most burden themselves with. (I am too old to run anyway)

I play with modern complications for the joy of experimentation, but loading and shooting like your preparing for a Seneca run is to me the ultimate goal. Only benchrest shooters need to wipe between shots as most do not shoot well enough offhand to make a difference.

Gosh dang!!!! I have never heard of a match like that before.A feller better be in good shape to do that. I couldnt imagine trying to do that lol.That would seperate the real men for sure.I would probably fall in the creek and get everything soaked hahaha. Do they still have matches like that now? Thanks for sharing

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

When I got my first M.L. I didn't know squat about it so I bought prelubed patches and the right size ball and took the gun to the range to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy but the loading was a different matter, It was harder than I thought it should be so I swabbed the barrel with a patch of old tee shirt to get the loose debri out of the barrel. I learned real quick to not push the patch down in one push but to go about eight or twelve inches and pull it back a few inches before going down futher. If I didn't it would get stuck! I mean really stuck hard! I also noticed my groups seemed to be tighter with this method? I can say I have shot a three shot group with each ball in a one oval hole at a hundred yards on my first try . This was using a rest at a bench of course. I haven't tried any other method other than not wiping the bore and that isn't easy to do but with a patch down the bore I have no problems loading nor keeping shots where I was aiming! I also know that there are several ways that work other than mine but a dry patch made from old tee shirts doesn't cost me any thing and it works for me?

When i first started with a muzzleloader i was very young. The old guy at gun place told us how to do it. Well didnt take us long to go back and talk to him again. Hahaha. Them old timers in there were laughing so hard they were in tears.we were shooting caplocks.we all thought he said to xpit down the barrel after we shot.ughh. He said to use a spit patch not spit a bunch down the barrel. Oh well. And while we were there they took us all outside and showed us orrect way. Handed mine to him and told him it was still loaded. So we learned how to get the stuck ball out too.we got the most of powder out with a patch puller twisting it around and dumping it out. Then pulled nipple out cleaned as best we could. Then cleaned out nipple hole. Dried it out added some powder and shot some caps. They made us all clean our muzzleloaders back up and away we went to go back to shooting. Lol. Hard way to learn. Lol

 

[French Colonial]

Dang thats a great idea. Im going to lowes find me some tubbing. Thanks bud!!!!! Thats got to be better than putting my mouth over barrel. Hahaha

Our club passed a rule that we are not supposed to blow down the barrel so dug around the shop and came up with some left-over rubber hose, I think I bought it to replace a gas line on a chevy back in the day, anyway, it was a little thick but that's OK, I used a belt sander and put a 45 degree angle on one end.
Now it seals on everything from a 45 to a 54.

The only time I use it is during a match with one particular range officer, the rest of the time I just keep blowing down the barrel like I have done.

 

[Reno]

Here is the bottom line with me. I wipe between shots. It helps me to shoot longer and helps accuracy. I believe that wiping between shots allow more even pressure shot to shot. I will even do a mini cleaning sometimes if I decide to shoot longer.
Whatever some may do is up to them. I know what works for me and that is what I’ll do. Pretty simple as I see it.

 

[FishDFly]

Ever seen a this on a tombstone, "He didn't wipe between shots"?

How come the top shooters at matches wipe between shots.

No Second Place wipes between shots. Wonder why?

 

[Ben Meyer]

When I got into BP shooting, many here recommended getting Dutch's method. I did, was lucky enough to speak on the phone with him once. I still use his method and believe in it. I still wipe between shots, with moose milk of his recipe. Ive not noticed fouling/crud being pushed back with my flintlock. I do stick a pin thru the flash holo before each shot though. And my percussion Hawken always goes boom.

I still haven't bought a scale for weighing round balls for consistency, per the Dutch method. I probably should.

 

[French Colonial]

Ever seen a this on a tombstone, "He didn't wipe between shots"?

How come the top shooters at matches wipe between shots.

No Second Place wipes between shots. Wonder why?

What top shooters would that be?

I have won lots of offhand matches without wiping back in the day, benchrest maybe, but I am not a ML benchrest shooter.

Why can't some of you admit what works for some doesn't work for all and let it rest?

 

[FishDFly]

How about No Second Place, he is consistently the top pistol shooter at Friendship.

In watching the top pistol shooters at Friendship, they all wipe between shots, also watching the top offhand rifle shooters at Friendship, they also wipe between shots.

Do they give medals to the shooter who can shoot the most without wiping between shots?

Might be a good new agg. to have!

 

[French Colonial]

I won the last offhand match I shot in at our club........

Did not wipe.........give it a rest.