Clean/Dirty Barrel question

[ronlaughlin]

..........did the gun still shoot okay

Yes it did.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I no longer fowl my barrels with Blackhorn ,black powder or any other substitutes. I learned the hard way a few years back with my stainless Encore Endeavor barrel. Prior to our late 2 week muzzleloader season I shot a 30 gr squib shot with BH209 like I had normal done in the past. When I went to clean my barrel at seasons end there was some serious pitting toward the muzzle. My 28'' barrel is now a 24'' barrel.
I now fowl my barrels before the season only using primers and caps. I will shoot 5-6 primers or caps prior to loading. Shooting into a rolled up towel or rag with my muzzle pushed firmly against seems to keep a lot of the fowling in the barrel. If you try this method. Change positions on the towel with each shot. With each shot the spot left on the towel gets darker.

 

[dwm]

I no longer fowl my barrels with Blackhorn ,black powder or any other substitutes. I learned the hard way a few years back with my stainless Encore Endeavor barrel. Prior to our late 2 week muzzleloader season I shot a 30 gr squib shot with BH209 like I had normal done in the past. When I went to clean my barrel at seasons end there was some serious pitting toward the muzzle. My 28'' barrel is now a 24'' barrel.
I now fowl my barrels before the season only using primers and caps. I will shoot 5-6 primers or caps prior to loading. Shooting into a rolled up towel or rag with my muzzle pushed firmly against seems to keep a lot of the fowling in the barrel. If you try this method. Change positions on the towel with each shot. With each shot the spot left on the towel gets darker.

I assume you have no problems with that method, aren’t primers corrosive ?,just curious, i just worry about what happened to you and ron for any length of time without cleaning.hunting on a clean barrel just eases my mind, and I know my shot should be on the money unless I blow it, good luck this season

 

[Hatchet Jack]

To the best of my knowledge, primers are not corrosive from everything I have read and experienced.
Hopefully someone more knowledgable can chime in.

 

[edmehlig]

What I do for my ML’s is run a dry batch back and forth. I leave The ramrod pushed down with patch and fire a cap. This helps to ensure that any oil in the Breechplug is burnt off. I pull the ramrod back about 6” and fire two more Caps, just to make sure no oil is remaining that may contaminate the powder. When I pull the patch out I should see a burnt patch. This tell me the flash channel is clear.

Yes primers are Not Corrosive.

 

[idahoron]

All of my guns are tuned to shoot a cold clean bore shot exactly where it is supposed to be.

 

[Half-Cocked]

I don't have much experience hunting but I got a lot of experience shooting.

Personally I don't see much of the difference between my first clean shot and the shots in between. Maybe it's my shooting style. After every single shot I take a patch well soaked with a mixture of alcohol and water and run it down the bore. I may even use two patches between shots.

Those with experience know that you can literally feel the black powder on the inside of the bore. There is negligible difference between my first shot and my last shot at the range.

I said it time and time again if the issue is salts in black powder causing corrosion on barrels your best friend is water as water will dilute salt. It will also spread it around so that's a double edged sword be careful.

If you really want the fouling in your barrel I would do what GM said and use three or four of those 209 primers.

If your dead set on using powder or triple seven. Use it and then run two patches of alcohol and water mixture just to dilute that salt some. Call it cheap insurance. Oh and make sure the bore is dry afterwards.

Alternatively have you thought about firing a test shot each morning before going out hunting? This will ensure that your scope is still zeroed and the poi hasn't been affected by bumping the rifle.

Personally I would look at where the thing shoots cold and where it starts to shoot after the barrel heats and fouls. I think that's just a part of knowing your guns. Then you'll know where that bullet's going depending on the status of your rifle and it won't be an issue.

I know a lot of people like shooting with them dead dirty barrels but I would think that if anything it would adversely affect accuracy being another variable that you have to deal with you're not going to get consistent fouling the same way each and every time. If you do however swab the barrel in between shots you will feel the powder in the bore. so you just keep swapping until you can't feel any resistance of built up powder on the inside of the bore creating a consistent shooting condition.

 

[jlynch75]

I never fowl my barrels. The way I look at it my one and probably only shot will be on a clean barrel. So that is how I zero my rifles in. Why would you fowl your barrel that's just asking for rust. Do you fowl your centerfire guns?

 

[sdporter]

There have been some dang impressive targets posted on here shot using clean bores, spit swabbed bores, water and alcohol swabbed bores, primer fouled bores, powder fouled bores and everything in between.
Confidence and consistency are king in accuracy. Find a method you’re comfortable and confident with that provides good results and stick with it.
I definitely want to know where my fouled barrel shots hit in comparison to my clean barrel shot just in case I whiff or wing an animal and don’t have time to mess around with cleaning a gun to get my second shot off.

 

[TiggerLueb]

I still shoot Pyrodex and leave barrels fouled for the length of Missouri Alternative season. I am part of group that hunts by "driving" deer and we might have an opportunity to harvest multiple deer in one afternoon. No time for cleaning between shots on this adventure. I have yet to see any damage to my barrels yet and I hope that this doesn't come back and haunt me later.

 

[jlynch75]

I used Pyrodex for years, now only T7. I found if you don't clean your guns after each day of shooting it's only a matter of time before the rust will take over and not just the barrel. It will be just about everywhere and if your using 209's and not cleaning say bye, bye to that gun. I worked at gun shop for about 5 years and really seen the results of improper cleaning of all kinds of firearms.

 

[Kingcorona]

The bulk of the char ring at the base if the barrel is from the primer....try firing off a couple primers before loading for 1st shot and see if this doesn't improve your first grouping. If it works just try this when you hunt....use a cleaner primer though.....

 

[Neumonic]

I still shoot Pyrodex and leave barrels fouled for the length of Missouri Alternative season. I am part of group that hunts by "driving" deer and we might have an opportunity to harvest multiple deer in one afternoon. No time for cleaning between shots on this adventure. I have yet to see any damage to my barrels yet and I hope that this doesn't come back and haunt me later.

what area inMissouri do you hunt?

 

[TiggerLueb]

I am 10 miles west of the Reform nuclear power plant.

 

[GM54-120]

Pyrodex fouling is at least as corrosive as real black powder if not more. Grafs sells Swiss and Ole Enysford. They are located in Mexico Missouri. That is not far from Callaway county.

 

[01Foreman400]

I hunt with a clean barrel. I clean between shots at the range. If I do fire it while hunting it gets a good scrub down that day or the next day. It’ll get reloaded and if I don’t shoot it again that load will stay in the gun in my safe until it’s time to check zero for the next season which is usually late winter.

 

[tpcollins]

I hunt with a clean barrel but run a patch down the bore that’s been sprayed with Lock-Ease to simulate a fouled barrel.

But I’ve never seen any appreciable difference between a clean, fouled, or Lock-Ease swabbed barrel.

 

[alternate]

I alway sight in and hunt with a clean barrel because that is the only condition that I can replicate with 100% repeatability 100% of the time.

 

[Far Sighted]

Record me as one who left Blackhorn fouling during hunting, and ended up with a rust pitted barrel

Just wondered what type of barrel you had rust develop? Stainless, regular blued, or nitrided?

 

[Far Sighted]

A comment in my last thread about accuracy got me curious. It seems like the norm that the first shot out of a clean barrel never hits exactly with the rest. I know it certainly doesn't in both of my CVA's. This is my first year using BH, so I'm curious if I were to fire a shot or two before loading up to hunt, how long is it ok to leave the barrel dirtly like that? I've been meticulous about cleaning them after each range session, but it irks the crap out of me that the first shot never hits with the rest. I'm sure I could fire a shot or two the day before, or the morning before I hunt, but if I don't take a shot, how long is it okay to leave a barrel dirty with blackhorn?

I recently noticed at 100 yards my Optima V2 my shot (load) which had been in the barrel a few days was higher than normal. The follow up shots were back on track. The high shot was about 1.5" high so I'm not going to worry about it.