ORIGINAL: meh101465
"...to all hunters , do you swab after you shoot a critter,or just load back up???..."
Muzzleloading is a one shot sport...we know that going in and accept the challege...IMO, there's no such thing as a "fast follow up shot" so there's no need to load right back up in a dirty barrel.
The first shotshouldeither drop the animal where it stands so there's no NEED for a fast followup shot.....or, the animal will bolt 25-35 yards beforefalling, typically then out of sight past some trees, etc...andin that case/most cases...there's no CHANCE for a fast followup up shot.
Plus...I neverpush a deer right away anyway...after I shoot onewith apatchedball froma Flintlock, Istand right there and very quietly take maybe 10 minutes with a "field cleaning kit" froma ziploc bag and thoroughly/completely clean, dry, and lube the bore...then reload, then go fetch the deer...if it's early morning I'll drag him back to the stand and sit down to hunt some more with a clean rifle.
One of the mainthings aboutdeer hunting, particularly with muzzleloaders, is patience: think one shot...wait for it...make it count. IMO, a reload in the field is simply handy for a possible2nd deer in the same day.