Crowkilla

Guys,

I am brand new to muzzleloader hunting, so please be patient before you flame me too bad on my questions. I am also self taught in every bit of this, so if anything I say is just plain-out stupid, it is because I have never had anyone tell me otherwise.

Here is what I am shooting:
Rifle - TC Omega .50 caliber
Scope - Nikon Pro Staff 3x9x40
Bullets - 245 gr. Powerbelt Bullets - hollow point
Powder - 150 grains of Pyrodex pellets

I have shot the gun around 60 times total since I bought it this summer. I have it zero'd at 100 yards. Each and every time I shoot it I give it a very thorough cleaning when I get back to the house. I do the soapy water, solvent patches, wire brush, more solvent patches, dry patches, over and over until all patches come out clean, then I run a patch of Bore Butter. During my shooting sessions I swab the bore with Bore Butter between every shot. Every 5 shots I will remove the breech plug and swab the bore with solvent until clean again.

Here's the deal, my first 5 shots when I first get to the range after a thorough cleaning at the house the night before are pretty accurate. It will hold a 1.5" to 2" group on the bulls eye and I am very pleased with this initial accuracy. The issue is that as I continue to shoot more than 5 shots, even after removing the plug and giving it a thorough field cleaning, the accuracy starts to seriously deteriorate. Shots start climbing high and right. I don't expect this thing to shoot like my centerfire rifles, but I would like to know if I am doing something wrong and causing it to lose accuracy when I get up in the shot count.

After how many shots do you guys remove the plug and swab your guns out with solvent? What do you swab the bore with between shots? Is there anything that I should be doing in addition to the things I am doing now?

Any advice is very much appreciated.