Fouling shot

[Sneakon]

Seems like the first shot I take out of a clean barrel is a flyer.  What do you guys think about a fouling shot, especially before hunting?  How much powder would be enough for a fouling shot?  Any alternatives?

[forest]

I'd think about 50% of hunting load.

[prairie dog]

Any alternatives?

Yes, there are alternatives. Give some thought to how are you cleaning your barrel and what you are leaving in the barrel after you clean it.

Oil in the barrel is never good for putting the first shot into a group.  Wiping the bore with a couple of dry patches might remove enough of the oil.  Wiping the clean bore with an alcohol soaked patch then two dry patches before loading works in my rifles.  

You might consider cleaning the bore after every shot and sighting in for the point of impact your rifle wants to shoot with a clean bore.  I'd not want to hunt a fouled bore all day in any but the driest desert climate.

[Sneakon]

I like the idea of wiping the clean bore. I don't use any oil, but I do swab with TC bore butter after getting the barrel clean and dry, so that residual may be what throws off the first shot.  Should have known that, but thanks for the reminder.

[pathfinder]

Fouling shot is what my other shot's will be. Just use your regular load.

[Loyalist Dave]

Perhaps I missed it, but are you shooting a rifle or smoothbore?  If it's a smoothbore, you may need a slightly larger ball.  I read in a recent magazine article of a fellow who did some "experimental archaeology", and found that his smoothbore shot better on the second or third shot, but never came to the conclusion that maybe he needed a slightly larger ball to begin with.  

If it's a rifle, you may want to try a thicker patch, or again, a slightly larger ball, for the presence of fouling causing better accuracy is often due to the residue actually reducing bore size just a bit, at least in my experience.


LD

[Stormrider51]

I should probably keep my mouth shut but here goes.  In a hunting situation there is only one shot that counts, the first one.  In match shooting on the range most of us will fire a fouling shot and that's fine because you won't leave fouling in the bore for any amount of time.  You will load, fire, wipe, load.  When you are done you will wipe the bore and then run an oily patch down to protect it until you clean and oil it at home.  It's different in hunting when you will load and may not fire the shot for several hours.  Black powder residue from a fouling shot will likely cause rust to set in unless you live in a very dry environment.  Rust not only harms the bore but will affect the point of impact of the shot you fire.  

Let's turn this around and consider it from another angle.  Wipe the bore of a clean rifle to remove oil and dry it.  Load and fire one shot.  Clean the barrel well, load and fire another.  Chances are both will hit near each other if you are a decent shooter.  The first shot is never a flyer because they are all first shots from a clean bore.  So if you sight  in the rifle from a clean bore condition you will know where your rifle will hit and you won't be risking rust setting in while you wait for Bambi to wander by.  Try it.  I think you will discover that I'm right.

Storm

[Hanshi]

I can't say I've ever noticed a pattern for the first shot being out of the group.  Our first shot normally seems to be right in the group.  Also an inch or so either way won't cause a missed deer.  Maybe it has to do with cleaning/drying the bore before taking to the range/field.

[mvan52]

I have hunted with muzzleloaders since 1976 and mostly the flint gun's of various (and sometimes dubious)makers. The thrill of the Hunt is only equal to the thrill of the smoke and flash one experiences when firing the weapon. Through the years of trying this and that as far as the fouling shot vs. the impact theory. I know that in some cases there is a noticeable  difference. The method for loading I have developed thru the years is a simple solution and works very well for me. I use a grease lube for my patches. Mostly Mink oil from TOW. I load in the usual manner. Then grease up a  patch heavily and shove it down the barrel with your jag and remove it. This will leave a heavy coat of grease in the rifling which will act somewhat as fouling in the bore.It is also a plus for protecting the bore in foul weather or long storage. Try this out and see how it works for you.

[sse]

After many different tests, my first shot is always as good as the subsequent ones.

[trg]

Lubing thenbore ahead of the first ball is well worth trying juts do not use a light weight liquid that can find its way to the powder.i have never had a problem with a clean bore shot being "off' with obver two dozen mL's i am very interested in waht the cause could be. i suspect it is in the driver error category