Wiping down the barrel after each shot?

[animater9]

I have owned 2 ML rifles and a ML pistol for around a year now and (I have many excuses as to why I haven't shot them yet, but that is what they are excuses), and still researching.
I have read a number of post and I keep coming up with the same question.

When in battle how can you afford to take so much time before each shot? It seems to me that if I have to clean after each shot or 5 shots what did the soldiers do, hold up a flag and call off the enemy while your doing house cleaning? Yes that sounds stupid!
When you have a bunch of people shooting at you how do you do this cleaning? With modern weapons you just keep shooting.
I have much more research to do, but I will be killing some paper this year!

 

[snapbang]

As for the heat of battle I have no experience there. But for hunting my advice is this. Make the first one count. For any kind of hunting that advice holds true. The second shot is usually at a running animal who has hit overdrive. Same for hunting birds or even rabbits. Once you shoot the rocket fuel and survival instincts kick in and lets get the heck out of here.

As a group we have a variety of techniques between shots. My personal is a spit patch. Toss a patch in the mouth and get a little spit on it. Push it up and down the entire length of the barrel a couple of times and toss it aside. Then take a dry patch and do the same. Then reload. By now the game your hunting if not dead is well beyond your ability to catch up with it.

I read here recently about using a lens cleaner in place of a spit patch. Ill be trying that soon. Sounds like a good idea. Some use 209 powder and don't swab between shots.

To get accuracy you need consistency. I feel I get consistancy and accuracy with my spit patch method above. But thats just my way. Others will offer their routine.

 

[deermanok]

I believe that you're over thinking a rather simple hobby.
A dose of black powder and a patched ball down the barrel doesn't get any simpler.
Target shooting or hunting with a muzzleloader is a slow methodical process, as it should be.

 

[smokepolehall]

I have owned 2 ML rifles and a ML pistol for around a year now and (I have many excuses as to why I haven't shot them yet, but that is what they are excuses), and still researching.
I have read a number of post and I keep coming up with the same question.

When in battle how can you afford to take so much time before each shot? It seems to me that if I have to clean after each shot or 5 shots what did the soldiers do, hold up a flag and call off the enemy while your doing house cleaning? Yes that sounds stupid!
When you have a bunch of people shooting at you how do you do this cleaning? With modern weapons you just keep shooting.
I have much more research to do, but I will be killing some paper this year!

Lets start with most used Muskets/smooth bores during those face to face slaughtering Battles. A Rifle could be used with some thought ahead of time. By using the prb shooting twice then drop down in ball size for several more shots . Then run & gun for your life just as they did during the French & Indian wars.I have always thought rows of people trying to kill each other at 35 yds was stupid. Gurella tactics appeal to me, the run & gun. Catch them with their pants down from behind trees n rocks. Let'em have n run

 

[animater9]

As for the heat of battle I have no experience there. But for hunting my advice is this. Make the first one count. For any kind of hunting that advice holds true. The second shot is usually at a running animal who has hit overdrive. Same for hunting birds or even rabbits. Once you shoot the rocket fuel and survival instincts kick in and lets get the heck out of here.

As a group we have a variety of techniques between shots. My personal is a spit patch. Toss a patch in the mouth and get a little spit on it. Push it up and down the entire length of the barrel a couple of times and toss it aside. Then take a dry patch and do the same. Then reload. By now the game your hunting if not dead is well beyond your ability to catch up with it.

I read here recently about using a lens cleaner in place of a spit patch. Ill be trying that soon. Sounds like a good idea. Some use 209 powder and don't swab between shots.

To get accuracy you need consistency. I feel I get consistancy and accuracy with my spit patch method above. But thats just my way. Others will offer their routine.

Tks

 

[MrTom]

Back in time to your reference, everyone was doing the same thing. Shoot, pour powder, ram the bullet, prime the pan, shoot,.... Paper cartridges around the time of the civil war revolutionized war to some degree.

 

[idahoron]

For me I developed a load that was first shot accurate. After that I worked on what I call a torture test. Basically I kept shooting until that load was no longer accurate, no cleaning. Some of my loads I had to tweak a bit some shot awesome no tweaking. While hunting, If I have time after the original shot to clean I will. But If I have to make a fast reload I have confidence that the rifle and load will preform as they should.

 

[MrTom]

For me I developed a load that was first shot accurate. After that I worked on what I call a torture test. Basically I kept shooting until that load was no longer accurate, no cleaning. Some of my loads I had to tweak a bit some shot awesome no tweaking. While hunting, If I have time after the original shot to clean I will. But If I have to make a fast reload I have confidence that the rifle and load will preform as they should.

And this comes down to simply knowing what your gun can and will do. It takes a lot of shooting to get to this point.

 

[earlwb]

The other thing is that they used undersized balls and after a few shots quit using patches even. Early on the military used smoothbores and volley fire. The military used paper cartridges with the paper wadded up on the ball if needed. During the Civil War everyone started using minie balls. The bullet’s skirt would expand to fit the bore and rifling. Plus there were grooves on the minies they would fill with grease lube too. You could shoot quite a lot before needing to clean the barrel.

 

[Waxxy]

Make the first one count.

Wise words

 

[morehops]

I use maxis and seldom have to clean between shots. I've never had to wipe the barrel when hunting even when I've had to load multiple times (doesn't happen often).

 

[GoexBlackhorn]

I have owned 2 ML rifles and a ML pistol for around a year now and (I have many excuses as to why I haven't shot them yet, but that is what they are excuses), and still researching.
I have read a number of post and I keep coming up with the same question.

When in battle how can you afford to take so much time before each shot? It seems to me that if I have to clean after each shot or 5 shots what did the soldiers do, hold up a flag and call off the enemy while your doing house cleaning? Yes that sounds stupid!
When you have a bunch of people shooting at you how do you do this cleaning? With modern weapons you just keep shooting.
I have much more research to do, but I will be killing some paper this year!

Depending on your choice of lubes, powder and bullet size, you may find that multiple shots can be fired before barrel-swabbing.

 

[a cloud of smoke]

there is a big difference between hunting and target shooting, and battle would be a third cataglory....hunting , anything in a 6 inch round is deer down, battle can be opened up ro anything on the human body is a good hit, and target shooting is where you would be for the most accurate shot and groups to make a clover leaf...for hunting you can easily shoot half a dozen times and still be on your target..so target shooting is the place to swab the barrel after each shot it you wanted to...all depends on what the final result you want...