Clean barrel sight-in

[Old/New]

Anyone try to sight in for hunting from a clean barrel? Maybe because when you drive to your hunting spot you do not want to get out of your truck and fire off a fouling round? I know you can try a couple of primers but I was just wondering if anyone tries to hunt from a clean barrel.

SWThomas...don't you do this?

Here is a picture of a target I shot when up at the hunting camp this past weekend (scouting for turkeys). I was using a 45cal Accura with 10mm 200gr XTPs which shoot real good out of this gun.




The first shot was the one on the right from a squeaky clean barrel. This is a 5 shot group at 100 yds. I was using the light blue smooth Harvester sabot and 100gr of BH209. A couple of weeks ago I used the light blue Harvester CR sabot. They also shot great (actually a bit better but all shots were from a fouled barrel).

I think it's worth a try to keep experimentin'.

These 200gr 10mm XTPs may just have to be my deer load!

[driftrider]

I sight mine in in late September and don't clean the bore until the middle of January.

Mike

[Semisane]

I've been hunting on a squeaky clean barrel for years - don't even pop a primer before loading. I run a very wet alcohol patch down the bore to remove the oil from the last cleaning/storage, pumping the rod vigorously to blast some alcohol through the nipple/breech plug. Then I give it a few minutes to dry before I run a dry patch and thenload it. After loading, I run a very light oil patch down to the top of the bullet. The gun stays loaded that way until I take a shot, sometimes all season. I've never had a failure to fire doing this. Here are five shots from my Omega X7 with a full cleaning between shots and each shot loaded as described.



And here's the Mustang.



Those are about as good a 5-shot 100 yardgroup that I can shoot with either gun.

[nchawkeye]

I always sight in with a clean barrel...With my inline, I clean between shots, even in a hunting situation...With my flintlocks, I can go from a .018 to a .015 patch and keep shooting...

[sjsfire]

I used to hunt on a clean barrel but not anymore. Not much difference really but I pop two 209 primers now. Just whatever one is comfortable with.

[sabotloader]

Old/New

I shoot what I like to call a 'semi-clean' barrel. First i also should tell that i shoot T7 powder, if I were shooting one of the Pyro's or real BP - I am not sure I could do this.

I verify POI just before hunting season, i shoot 3 to 5 rounds of my normal hunting load to verify. Then I will swab the barrel with a misted windex patch - then a dry patch followed by a very lighly oiled patch. Each time I shoot the gun during the hunting season I repeat this process and at the end of the season, January the gun will be broke down and stripped cleaned.

We hunt in some pretty lousy weather and I have never liked a bare barrel bore as it does not have any protection from the elements. That very light film of bore oil (today I am using Montana-Xtreme) does not affect POI + it allows me to dry patch the barrel at the end of each day.

Think you will like that 10 mil/200 grain XTP for whitetail... I think you will find it will do an awesome job. I am going to use a 10mil/200 grain Lehigh this season. From what I have seen and the shooting that I have done with the bullet - I am convinced...

[bronko22000]

Old/New - I always sight in with and hunt with a clean barrel.
Now realistically if you look at that target of yours, shooting 100 yds, off a solid rest your group on a fouled barrel is only about 3/4" higher and 1 1/4" to the left of your squeekey clean barrel. Your entire group is under 1 1/2", which is really good. The way that rifle shoots with that load combo I wouldn't foul the barrel. Even using BH209, in humid conditions most of us face in the fall and winter, any fouling will attract moisture which may do harm to your bore.

[lemoyne]

I started many years ago scrubbing with boiling water so that the breach plug and the barrel were squeaky clean and loading as soon as it coled off. I check my sight in for hunting that way to. The first shot is normally all it takes. Lee

[SWThomas]

I use a procedure similar to Semisane. I always run an oil patch down the bore when I'm done cleaning my rifle. So when I get to the hunting spot I still have oil in the bore. I always run 2 clean/dry patches down the bore to absorb any residual oil. Then I run an alcohol patch, flip it over and run it again. Then I run 2 more dry patches. Then I pop a primer and load up. I've had pretty good luck using that method so far.

[Grouse45]

Those 200grn XTP'S are excellant bullets for Deer. I have shot two Deer myself and my Buddy shot two with them in the same year. We were both very happy.

I noticed your group is vertical stringing. Increased velocity would tighten those up i bet to one little hole. 100grns of BH209 with that light bullet is slower in my guns then the equal charge of 777. The Deer wont know the difference just figured i would let ya know.