I've had it almost 3 years. This is the 2nd muzzle loader season. 1st and 2nd are tight but I can load with the ram rod if I'm careful. After that I have to use a bullet starter. That's not swabbing between shots. I'll try cleaning the barrel first. Shooting the Hornsby sst, xtp,and the tc shockwaves never had to swab. I have 2 weeks left of muzzle season so I'll use them for now since they shoot well.