Weird day at the range

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50bowhunter

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Unfortunately today was my first day at the range this year. Knee surgery in the spring has left me scrambling to get things done before fall. The last shots from my triumph dropped a doe and 8pt last November.

My first shot at 100 was about 2" high and 3" left. Quick clean and shot 2 was 5" high and 6" left. I started getting that sick feeling it was going to be a long afternoon. Then, still cleaning in between shots, I proceeded to shoot the best 3 shot group I've ever fired from a smokepole, right at 3/4", dead center in the bullseye where I left it.

Now I'm no expert like most of you guys, but I've been muzzleloader hunting for 20+ years and this left me scratching my head. I'm just glad the way this gun is shooting.


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Do you clean all the oil out of the bore and breech plug before you go to the range. and what powder do you use and all.
 
did your rest change? Was your barrel touching the rest or bags? Did you change how you were holding the gun?
 
I'm using hoppes black powder cleaner. I'm shooting (2) 777 pellets. I always fired two primers before loading. The only thing different this year vs the past is the hoppes. I've always used the TC 13 cleaner or the 777 cleaner. The hoppes is more of a gel than a runny liquid so I guess that could be the issue. I'll have to make sure I dry swab the barrel and then the primers before loading. This gun sure shoots when the barrel is right


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idahoron said:
did your rest change? Was your barrel touching the rest or bags? Did you change how you were holding the gun?

Everything was the same, I was shooting off sandbags. No barrel contact. I'm not saying I'm a perfect shot, but I'm 99% sure it wasn't me.


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when you load and set your bullet on the pellets or you setting it hard or just stopping when you touch the pellets. if you over set your bullet on pellets you can crush them and get wild poi. plus I us alcohol to clean all the oil out of my barrel.
 
Last years pellets, but I'm really careful how I store them.

I stop the rod as soon as I contact the pellets


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I did think of one thing. I had a residue spot in the breech last year after firing a couple primers and loading it to hunt, and not cleaning it for a couple weeks. That spot annoyed me all winter and I threw every kind of cleaner I had at it, but it never quite went away. I guess there is a chance that residue held some cleaner. As it turned out, after firing the gun yesterday and cleaning it, that residue spot is gone.


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50bowhunter said:
Last years pellets, but I'm really careful how I store them.
I stop the rod as soon as I contact the pellets
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I'd suggest that you try the entire process again and determine if it repeats. With the first session of the year, there can be a lot of contributing factors, including the shooter.
If you intend to shoot the same charge/load, just don't crush the pellets, yet seat the sabot/bullet on them. As I understand it, anything over 40# will crush them. I get close to that with my Ultimate.
I use Butch's Black Powder Bore Shine, which works really well with T7 pellets. Its rare, but not impossible that I get a first shot flyer.
 
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