Do you hunt with a clean bore?

[FreeTrapper]

My son and I use Hawken style percussions in .50 & .54 caliber; Patchball and Pyrodex. I have always favored a "once fired" bore when hunting bear or deer as it offers more reliable ignition, making sure that no oil has remained in the breech! We have a few other "reliable ignition" tricks up our sleeves as well as the first shot should be the last shot!

We shoot year round and accuracy has never been anything but supurb. The new "in-line" rifles must be kind of finicky? I wouldn't know.
You guys should throw them "in-line" rifles in the river and come back home to Hawken!

 

[mnoland30]

I started out with round balls, and I could bark squirrels at 50 yards, but not hit a pie plate consistently at 100. I can now hit a pie plate at 300 (with enough power to kill a deer). If I hunted at 50 yards, I'd still be using round balls.

 

[dwhunts]

I can tell you this. If you shoot your ML over a chronograph for load development, you'll shoot it clean every time. And guys if your not shooting BlackHorn 209, you're shooting the wrong powder. I'm not trying to sound like a know it all, but it's that good. If I didn't have BH209 and a magnum sub-base, I'd bow hunt through ML season. The key, I have found, to good shooting with a muzzle loader, is consistency. That means every thing the same all the time, i.e. clean bore. The only time I don't shoot my ML over a chrono is when I'm hunting. At this point I can tell you where the bullet strikes the target simply by looking at the chrono. With a magnum sub-base, BH 209 and a clean bore I've got my standard deviation down to 15-20 fps. Most people I've talked to that didn't have a good experience with BH 209 were using the wrong primer. You have to use regular shotgun 209's with BH 209.

 

[sticknstring]

I swath between shots. Always hunt with a clean barrel-at the end of the day I put my T/C up with a clean barrel too! When done hunting I'll use T 17 synthetic barrel seasoning-just got to remember to run a dry patch through it before loading it on the next outing.
I shoot 250 shockwaves or Barnes TMZ with 100 gr. triple 7.

 

[WTXDrifter]

Its that first shot from a cold clean barrel that puts food in the freezer. Most folks don't have time to fire a few shots to foul the barrel before leveling down on a Deer or Elk. Clean the barrel and allow it to cool between every shot and shoot maybe 5 shots without making any corrections to the scope. After the shots have formed a group, then adjust the scope so the group is where you want the rifle to shoot. Now you have zeroed your scope to a cold clean barrel.

 

[MHO]

Clean.

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

Clean. I Have a T/C Omega non stainless, and use 777. I took it out last year up here in MN, and our season is usually cold and wet. Let it sit dirty 2 days, had rust in the barrel. Luckily it came out, but will never do that again.

I might try getting some different powder because I like a fired bore in my center fire rifles.

 

[dwhunts]

Clean. I Have a T/C Omega non stainless, and use 777. I took it out last year up here in MN, and our season is usually cold and wet. Let it sit dirty 2 days, had rust in the barrel. Luckily it came out, but will never do that again.

I might try getting some different powder because I like a fired bore in my center fire rifles.

Get yourself some Blackhorn 209. I too have a non-stainless Omega, and have used 777 in the past. I consider that to be the worst thing I ever did to my rifle. 777 has to be one of, if not the most, corrosive powders on the market.

 

[mnoland30]

We have a 5 day season in NM. I follow the advice on Precision Rifle's website. I clean between every shot. I always hunt with a clean barrel. The shot I count at the range is the first one in a cold barrel. It is a pain, but the results are worth it.

I bought a Bergara barrel 45x209 for my Encore. It shoots the 180 gr. QT bullets with 120 gr. of Buckhorn (expensive stuff) very nicely. 1-3/4" group, 3 shots, 200 yards. The 300 plus grain bullets from Precision Rifle bullets are great on deer. I'm going to try the lighter bullets on deer this year. Every one I've hit dropped in its tracks, out to 200 yards. Beyond that range, they don't do quite as well.

I don't like them as much for elk, because they expand to 1" diameter, and don't penetrate that well. I used to get 400 gr. QT's for elk, and they work well. Killed a nice bull at 225, but it was a quartering shot through some paunch and into the heart. It only penetrated 1" into the heart. If I'd missed the heart, I'd have probably lost the elk. My buddy made a double lung shot at 200 yards and got pass through penetration. We're using Kahnke rifles with 30 inch barrels to take advantage of 150 grain loads. I haven't found an elk load that does what I think it should. It almost always takes two or three shots. A friend shot high and far back on the spine, and the bullet broke the spine, and shattered bone down into the top of the lung. Dropped the cow in her tracks and she sprayed blood from the lungs. Dead before we could walk the 80 yards to her. I hit one at 90 yards at the front shoulder, and the pure lead bullet split in two and went through neck and lung. Cracked the shoulder bone, but the cow ran 75 yards.

 

[blackfly]

Clean is the only way to go BUT if you change to Blackhotn 209 you're going to find a lot of the barrel cleaning problems will go away. It's great stuff and if you haven't yet tried if your missing out, but it does cost more.

 

[Brad615]

I'm also a huge fan of the blackhorn 209! IMO the most accurate powder out there that I have found, also easy to clean. I do not swab between shots while at the range & have shot anywhere from 3-15 x's without noticing any effect on the accuracy. Once I return home I always clean the mzl using hopes & cleans up fast. I'm on the fence as far as should I shoot it before hunting but for now I always go hunting on a clean barrel just because I'm nervous to allow any corrosion to the barrel. I have talked to other hunters who hunt on a foul barrel & have never had any issues but for me I have always practiced taking care of my weapon that takes care of me & so far that practice has not failed me. Anyone try that blackhorn 209 cleaner by montanna oil? Just curious whether or not they preferred it over hopes or other cleaners etc etc etc. Any other cleaner suggestions please send them my way! Thanks