Guest Patrick_White Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Re: Is this true??? [ QUOTE ] I was reading on a guys website on how to measure the accuracy on your muzzleloader and he had a list of DOs and DON"Ts; on that list of DON'Ts was don't go hunting with a clean barrel cause it can shoot as much as 6" off at 100 yards!!! He said muzzleloaders always shoot better with a "fouled"/dirty barrel than a clean barrel!?!? I just can't make sense of this? Is it true??????? [/ QUOTE ] It varies from load to load and gun to gun. The important thing is to find out what your gun requires with the load you use. There's no substitute for time spent on the range learning what your rifle likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WABS Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Re: Is this true??? To answer one person's question, you do NOT have to put a bullet in to fire a fouling load. I use about 30 gr of powder, tap my barrel to ensure it settles to the bottom and most times it will ignite by firing a single primer. And yes at the end of the day you need to unload and clean you ML if you use this technique. I've always been a fan of starting each day with a fresh load anyway so that's no problem. Where I hunt its no problem firing your ML at the end of the day to unload. It's also a confidence builder to verify your zero at the end of each day and that during the day of walking through the fields you didn't do anything to knock the sights off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MZ_shooter Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Re: Is this true??? [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I was reading on a guys website on how to measure the accuracy on your muzzleloader and he had a list of DOs and DON"Ts; on that list of DON'Ts was don't go hunting with a clean barrel cause it can shoot as much as 6" off at 100 yards!!! He said muzzleloaders always shoot better with a "fouled"/dirty barrel than a clean barrel!?!? I just can't make sense of this? Is it true??????? [/ QUOTE ] Absolutely. [/ QUOTE ] Really, do you mean that? Because by making that statement your saying that every muzzleloader shot with every conceivable bullet and powder combination will shoot better out of a fouled barrel. I can get MOA out of my gun with a clean barrel, are you saying I could do better with a fouled barrel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hangunnr Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Re: Is this true??? If I ever owned a gun that wouldn't group with a clean barrel I'd sell it ASAP. Of the 4 I currently own all of them shoot just fine with a clean barrel. hangunnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WABS Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Re: Is this true??? I think the point has been made that you need to be consistent. Either fire always out of a clean bore or out of a fouled bore. The truth is one technique will very likely have a different impact point than the other. So you should decide which way you want to go. A little range time should help you decide. My muzzle loader (shooting Powerbelt bullets) is more consistent when I foul the barrel first. It also happens that for the ML hunting I do that works best (not always time to clean in between shots). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Re: Is this true??? Go WABS! I agree that a gun can shoot good groups from a clean barrel or a fouled barrel but going from one to the other has not resulted in good accuracy in my experience. The difference was enough I would not take a 150 yard shot with mine. My Rem 700 ML shoots best when slightly fouled. This is not to say it does not shoot adequate groups when clean, but I hunt all season with it at the same level. I shoot and spit patch between shots. After my final range time usually a day or two before season, I spit patch and load. It stays loaded until I shoot it at a deer or after I hunt in wet conditions. I load fresh then (after a spit patch). When ML season is over, I clean the gun thoroughly. This gives me the most repeatable accuracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockefeller66 Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Re: Is this true??? I guess I'll just have to get things all tested at the range and that will really prove what I should do, just got to be consistent at what I do, Thanks for the help guys!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted February 17, 2006 Report Share Posted February 17, 2006 Re: Is this true??? Robert, you should shoot from farther than 25 yards to see what the gun will really do. LOL! Just kidding, good shooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.