So, how much is accuracy affected by shooting a muzzleloader with a hot barrel, after firing several shots?

I was shooting yesterday and had a few flyers as much as 8" to the right and 4" high. I was blaming the hot barrel for softening the sabots.

When I would let the barrel cool for a bit, I didn't have the problem.

WhatI am asking is, is this what caused the flyers being that far off?

I was shooting my Omega with 100grns. APP FFFG and a 240 grn. XTP.

Most shots were in about a 2" group at 100yds.

I also was shooting 250grn. SW with the same load when I started shooting when the barrel was cold and was getting slightly smaller groups.

I did swab between each shot with 50/50 windex/ alcohol and a dry patch following.

Well, it sure sounds like the hot barrel is responsible for your fliers. Run the test again after tthe weather cools off, and allow more time between the second andsubsequent shots. If your first two shots go into the same group, that should be OK for hunting purposes.

Just out of curiosity, why do you swab between shots when using APP? It should not be necessary to swab, since there's not enough residue left after the shot to neeed to remove it before the next bullet can be seated-with T7, perhaps, but not with APP. I note the outfit that makes that stuff says NOT to swab the barrel between shots!

I have had similar results with my different inlines when pushing them hard on a hot day. Maybe not to an eight inch extreme as you mentioned but I sure had a couple that make me sit there and shake my head. Actually on hot days, I often times take as many as three different rifles. By the time I load, shoot, clean, check target, shoot the other two and follow the same guidelines and then re-load the original rifle again, it has cooled to a point where it will shoot true.

One fellow I know of takes a cooler with ice, water and towels. He wets the towel, rings it out and wraps it around the barrel to transfer the heat from it faster. I think that is the appeal of these rifles, there are so many things you have to be aware of to make them produce the best possible accuracy..

Have fun shooting.

Odds are... it was the heated barrel - but.......
I sometimes think those sabots with the T/C Mag Sabot XTPs are custom & slightly inferior to save on costs. That's just my opinion. Plus.... there has been a couple of reports at this ML board that on occasion, T/C has packaged 44-cal XTPs with black-colored sabots in thosae packages. I would then have to guess that shortages of 45-cal 240 grain XTPs sometimes occur.

So now you have another speculative reason why your flyers occured. I used to get flyersonce in a whileusing the 44-cal green sabot/bullets. Poster Cayugad has also - so we both quit using those green sabots & 44-cal bullets for 100+ yards shooting.

Have you tried as low as 70 fgr. APP FFF with those No Excuses? As high as 110 gr? Tried fiber wonderwads under the bullet? My Omega loved APP FFF when I tested it three years ago with 250 gr. Shockwaves. Moisture and thosecoarse grains that didn't want to remove themselves from my powder flasks turned me off from further testing.

I use to use 777 in both pellets and experimented with the loose. Pretty much had to swab between shots.

Why do I swab between shots with the APP? Good question!

I noticed a big difference in the amount of crud compared to 777. I even considered not swabing with the APP but went ahead and did it anyway.I just thought that each shot with a clean barrel would be best.

I wasn't aware that they did not reccomend swabing when using APP.
Good to know.

No, I haven't tried any other bullets, except a few Powerbelts. They were 245grn. and did not group very well.

I did have excellent groups with 90 grns of 777 and a 250 grn. SW. I just did not care for the crud build up at the bottom of the barrel with the 777.

I'll try again on a cooler day.

I'm basically new to muzzle loaders and I am learning much from you guys. Thanks !

this most likely will not help, but here it goes. i shoot 22cal browning buckmark plus in competion .out of 3 shot groups,there is always 1 bullet than does not group with others. so, i shot 10 real quick to see if its hot barrel.it wasnt,it was bullets.not all are perfect .now on to the big boys.i saw best 243 rem bolt action rifle with hart barrel shoot a half moon.i would pull up with sav 250-3000 and i shoot almost in same hole.he was pissed. a 2000 dollar gun he had.so, i said, can i look at it.i could not pull a 1 dollar bill between foream stock and barrel. i said, maybe heat from barrel iscausing barrel to not float in forearm. he called me and said thats what it was.he had it floated to.if pressure is in wrong areas on rifle, you can get all kinds of flyers, like you said when barrel heats up.1 way to find out is like some said., let barrel cool down between shots, take 22 cal along and plink, thats what i do.if the hot barrel is causing it, LOOK for area where the stock is binding the barrel. sometimes on wood you will see a burnt mark or rub mark. sand that down.cayugad said it happened to him,so that good info.i have also seen this from bullets as some said also.i seen those maxi-hunters shoot 2 bullets real close and then shoot one 8 inchs away.it was BULLETS.why it did not shoot other 2 all over, i cant tell you but i got rid of mine in a hurry. most of problems i see at range is wrong bullet for gun.hope this helps a little from a none expert,

If you shoot till the barrel is so hot it will burn your hand when you hold on to it it will heat walk; somemore than others. Mine will walk right up the target in 3 or 4 inch steps when it gets that hot.It has been a hot summer here in AR and I have had to let the barrel cool 3 minites between shots when its 100 or over.Lee