Hunting with Triple 7- clean barrel or fouled barrel

[vaguru]

What has been the experience of those using this powder? It seems that my Optima(stainless barrel) prefers to shoot better with a fouled barrel. Occasionally the first shot from a clean barrel doesn't impact where desired.

Does T7 attract moisture causing pitting? I normally clean after each shot, thus have a clean bore first shot, but as mentioned previously, sometimes doesn't impact where it should. A fouled barrel seems more consistent. How long is safe to leave a fouled bore before potential pitting, assuming not used in foul weather?

Thanks for comments from your experiences.

 

[MrTom]

Foul your barrel with three or four primers, then load to hunt. The priming is not corrosive so you can leave the loaded gun for some time without needing to worry about pitting, which tends to be a powder issue, not the primers. In cold areas, once the gun is cold from being outside, keep it outside where its cold when using T7 products. Or just shoot the charge out or knock it out with the ramrod at the end of the day.

 

[dwm]

I hunt on a clean barrel with 777. I sight in on a clean barrel and swab between shots at the range.I have never had a problem and I bring the gun in and out of the cold all the time.my walk to the blind is cold, then I turn the heater on , then it gets cold walking out, then warm in the truck, then into the house.I can’t ever remember having a problem with it going bang.I guess it helps that I really dry the barrel before loading to hunt.my gun can be loaded for weeks before I shoot it.just my experience

 

[Garette Haire]

Mountain Buck will agree that 777 works well. A clean barrel works wonders, right on target every time. I don't want to leave anything to chance.

 

[Squint]

Foul your barrel with three or four primers, then load to hunt. The priming is not corrosive so you can leave the loaded gun for some time without needing to worry about pitting, which tends to be a powder issue, not the primers. In cold areas, once the gun is cold from being outside, keep it outside where its cold when using T7 products. Or just shoot the charge out or knock it out with the ramrod at the end of the day.

Actually sometimes I unload mine with my air compressor, considering that the primers are not corrosive I don't feel that it's necessary to absolutely clean when I get done if I can blow the charge out it will keep just fine about the same as one of my regular rifles.

 

[Garette Haire]

"When in doubt, wipe it out!"

 

[snapbang]

I do the same as dwm above. Never a problem.

Edit. I should add that whenever I remove the primer I place a piece cardboard over the nipple and let the hammer fall. My attempt to seal the chamber from moisture.

 

[vaguru]

I guess my query wasn't clear. My main concern is the possibility of barrel rust/pitting after the shot and not cleaning for prolonged periods, say 2 weeks. I have gone 3 days after shooting without cleaning without issue, but it bothers me to do so, remembering this is a stainless barrel.

Swabbing between shots at the range is not the same as a totally clean barrel. Anyone notice a difference in grouping with totally clean vs swabbed between shot groups. I know it's hard to do groups with a totally clean gun, takes all day or days to do so.

I do know that Pyrodex RS will pit a stainless barrel very mildly after firing and not cleaning for 2 weeks hunted in wet conditions, even with the muzzle taped, so will T7 do the same? Any experience?

 

[dwm]

My guns shoot the same as my first shot after swabbing.I really clean between shots.I don’t take the plug out.as far as leaving my guns dirty after a hunting shot, it gets cleaned thoroughly that day.if you’re thinking about shooting at the range and then loading up on a fouled barrel and hunting for weeks, I personally would never do that with anything except black horn, and even then it would bother me

 

[Va Hunter]

My Omega shoots 777 better with a clean barrel. Second shot normally goes about four inches high. Last muzzle loader season I left my gun loaded until I checked last month to make sure it was still sighted in. One shot then swabbed the barrel and fired one more time. To answer your question it’s fine to keep it loaded if you have have not fired it.

 

[alternate]

I always hunt with a clean barrel. It's the only thing I can consistently duplicate even if I'm in a tent in the middle of nowhere.

 

[southdakbearfan]

Clean barrel.

 

[RobRed]

Another thing to consider- I wouldn’t count on being able to reload for a followup shot if the barrel is pre fouled.

This could lead to taking a high stress shot with an unseated bullet

Usually my second shot has some resistance when reloading, I find by the third shot with 777 Im pretty much forced to swab

 

[rangerod]

I've had the issue of poi changing from a clean to a fouled bore. What I do with the clean bore in that situation is to fire off four or five primers that seems to fix the problem.

 

[Widude]

No matter the propellant, I’d rather keep the barrel clean as long as possible, All the more so with any powder other than B209. I just take my clean & dry barrel, fire one or two primers. I’d call that, very slightly fouled. I would never leave a bore fouled with 777 sit dirty for any length of time.
I was checking my gun out today, plan IL the end of next week. I shot one shot, mostly a clean barrel, then I shot another. So the 2nd shot was out of a fouled bore. I had a solid rest, just 48-50 yards. The impact point was essentially the same.

 

[biggamehunter78]

Depends is the answer you’re looking for. I’ve got guns that shoot same poi with clean or fouled bores. And I’ve got guns that shoot different poi with clean or fouled bores. In my experience it has a lot to do with bullet type. You won’t know till you get some good range time in. I’ve never really had an issue with T7 being loaded in the gun (even after a shot) and pitting for up to a week especially with a stainless barrel. But, after you’ve (shot) unloaded don’t leave it - clean immediately. I think it’s the microscopic residue getting in the pores when you fire that’s the issue, not so much granular powder just sitting there unfired.

 

[hockeyref]

Guys asked me why I would go through the effort of getting to dang near a clean barrel for every shot when load testing. The answer was that I wanted to know where and how consistent the clean cold bore shot was. I start the hunt with a clean cold bore so that first shot is most important ….. last thing I do when load testing is shoot a multi-shot group w/o brushing or patching just to see if the dirty barrel groups on top of the clean barrel.