Do you hunt with a clean bore?

[deermaster]

777 and Pyro scares me how fast it will rust up a bore. I have heard that you should hunt with a dirty bore, to get a better seal. My ML season lasts 2 weeks, and I always buck hunt only, as it is in the middle of the rut, so I may not fire my ML for the entire 2 weeks. If I hunted with a dirty bore, that would mean letting 777 fouling sit there for possibly up to two weeks, and I just dont want to do that with a 500$ gun.
So I practice with a clean bore, I clean between every shot while practicing, to simulate a hunting shot. Am I strange for doing this? Am I missing something by doing that? Do most people hunting with a dirty bore and just buy a new gun or barrel every few years when it rusts out?
Thanks for any info, this site is amazing, I am finding answers to questions I have had for a long time.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Clean it! I would not recomend leaving it dirty and your concerns are valid. Hunt it clean zero it clean.

I think who ever told you that was speeking about rifles which I hunt dirty

 

[mnoland30]

I'm with you. I think hunting with a fouled bore is a pain in the butt, and hard on the rifle. I use the Precision Rifle technique of cleaning between every shot. It means the bore is consistently clean, and my first shot groups with my others. I'll throw in a bullet without cleaning in a wounded animal scenario, but otherwise, I take the time to clean between shots even on a hunt. I want my second shot to be as accurate as my first. With Precision Rifle bullets, I have great accuracy and devastating performance on deer out to 200 yards. These pure lead bullets don't penetrate elk as well as I'd like, but will still pass through on a 200 yard broadside shot through the lungs. Thats with a 340 gr. bullet, 150 grains of 777 and a 30 inch barrel.

 

[FrontierGander]

clean bore all the way. I dont oil my barrels either! Thats what screws up accuracy on the first shot.

check out ultra bore coat. Ultra Bore Coat, Cerakote Gun Coating and Services from Ultra Coatings, Inc.

I applied this to most of my muzzleloaders and its excellent

 

[nfhjr62]

Gun club i belong too has a hunting sight in shoot just before deer season starts here in Pa. (has a running deer setup to use) always make sure i attend to check my and father's zero's so my rifle stays dirty for the first day.

 

[Hntbambi]

Since I use Blackhorn 209, I leave the bore dirty. From the sight in I don't clean it until after the season is over. The stainless barrel holds up fine here in the desert. When I shot Pyrodex, I used a clean bore for first shot, and swabbed w/spit patch between each shot.

 

[peashooter]

Hi all,

I shoot smokeless and I still shoot a clean bore. I sight my gun in on the clean bore . This has worked for me so far.

 

[RMulhern]

deermaster

" I have heard that you should hunt with a dirty bore, to get a better seal."

BS GALORE!! Clean it! If you're using the right sabot/bullet....when the 'fuel' hits the sabot in the arse.....you won't have to worry about getting an adequate seal!!

 

[TerryLamb]

All those goodies we stuff in there corrode. While at the range I can almost shoot all day using pyrodex, but always load a clean bore for hunting and always clean after unloading. Even the bore lead can start fuzzing up with time, but moisture and consequently rust almost instantly appears if propellant fouling is not removed.

Now, in states like mine where covered ignition and glass sights are not allowed, the differences in point of impact due to some fouling at the typical 150 yards or less is not substantial. Meaning if I miss with the first one I will likely miss in the same spot with my reload! If I could clean up shivering and buck fever from my hold it would be far more significant.

Heck, just keep it clean at the end of the day!

 

[mnoland30]

I've shot my rifle enough to know that the first shot out of a clean, lightly oiled bore shoots the same as the next shot out of a fouled bore. For a couple of years I stopped on the way to my hunt and fouled my bore, and then hunted for 5 days with a dirty rifle. Now I know it isn't necessary. I can even shoot a second shot without cleaning and it will print to the same point on the target. If I clean between each shot, my groups stay tight all day at the range.

With any rifle, I make darn sure I know exactly where that first shot from a cold barrel will go. I make it a point to go to the range at the crack of dawn on a cold day, because that's most likely when you're going to be shooting at game.

If you do everything else right, you only need the one shot. Most of my hunts the deer either runs away or drops in its tracks. Unwounded fame never stands still while I reload. My hunting buddy has a hypnotic effect on game and they wait while he reloads. The only time I needed followup shots on deer after a hit was at 250 and 300 yards (both were harvested). That's a little too far for my muzzle loader. The hit has to be perfect, and at 300, mine is close, but not perfect. I'm working on those groups.

Elk sometimes need more than one to kill them quickly, but if the first shot is good, they don't go far.

 

[MHO]

777 and Pyro scares me how fast it will rust up a bore. I have heard that you should hunt with a dirty bore, to get a better seal. My ML season lasts 2 weeks, and I always buck hunt only, as it is in the middle of the rut, so I may not fire my ML for the entire 2 weeks. If I hunted with a dirty bore, that would mean letting 777 fouling sit there for possibly up to two weeks, and I just dont want to do that with a 500$ gun.
So I practice with a clean bore, I clean between every shot while practicing, to simulate a hunting shot. Am I strange for doing this? Am I missing something by doing that? Do most people hunting with a dirty bore and just buy a new gun or barrel every few years when it rusts out?
Thanks for any info, this site is amazing, I am finding answers to questions I have had for a long time.

I agree with ICANTHITHIM. Zero it in clean, hunt with it clean. I do a lot of mzldr hunting each year. 150 grs of 777. Clean it up and it will be ready for you. My OPINION, take care of it and it will take care of you.

 

[RMulhern]

FWIW....anyone that's too lazy to clean their rifle wouldn't mind walking around all day with a turd in their britches!!

 

[black powder]

tests were made on the range with muzzeloaders and if you want accuracy the ML.shoots better with a CLEAN BORE ..

the centerfire is more accurate with a FOULED BORE ...

 

[Jackal11]

Im shooting a TC Triumph and I clean after every shot. If I didnt I would have a heck of a time trying to get the next sabot in deep enough. I'm shooting 777 with the Barnes TMZ 250 grain. I agree definatly shoot and zero off a clean bore. Just my 2 cents

CB