Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

I am new to the BP world-recently bought the Omega and love the sport.

I clean between shots and have nice sub-dip can groups up to 60meters- 150gr 777 pellets 250g .50 ShockWave Super Glides-

Here is where my question actually starts:
Sfter shooting last time I throughly cleaned the rifle for storage-including running TC borebutter throught the bore and leaving it greased.

When shooting today I thought I had put enough dry patches through to get the greasy residue out-since Sabots call for dry bores.
First shot flew 8" high at 50m
Clean, Shoot hit back to my zero was at last range visit
Clean, Shoot (two more times) perfect 3shot zero

Now that I am cleaning I want to know what condition to leave the bore-the next time the rifle goes to the field it will be for meat, not paper-I don't want to have a 8" flyer when its a trophy.

I clean my bore with Cabelas brand citrus cleaner solvent-will I get fowling/corrosion in the bore if I just let the bore dry and store after cleaning it-and don't put the butter in there? How do you guys do it?

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

Every gun is different so test first and be sure.
I use Sheath a light coat protects the bore and it is the only thing I have found that shoots on the aim point with that first shot. I used to clean with boiling water before hunting and go out with a clean barrel but always worried about flash rust. Lee

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

Ok, So lets say that I shoot a fouling shot before hunting this season-I was planning on setting a load and hunting with that set load until I shoot a deer-no pulling loads.
I go to college so I will be going out every morning and just hunting a few hours a day.-I just don't see it as practical to pull and load 30+ times

If I shoot a fowling shot, then set my new hunting load-what will that do to a barrel-left uncleaned-at the end of a month and a half long season?

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

You could simply set your rifle up to clean bore hitting. This is a lot of work, but a lot of people do that. You start with your CLEAN rifle and shoot one shot. Then go clean your barrel again. Then shoot One Shot. And again and again, until you know exactily where that first shot on your clean barrel will hit. Then you have to make that first shot count.

Of course you know where the rifle hits when fowled, but an 8 inch difference is a lot of difference. You could look for a first shot projectile that matches the fowled projectiles on the target. This might mean loading a powerbelt for instance first, and then an XTP for the following.

Try this, start with a clean barrel and load. Then with a patch, LIGHTLY put a film of bore butter in the barrel. I have read posts that claim this makes the first shot hit the same place as the rest on a fowled barrel. That way you could leave the clean rifle loaded and not have to unload every day in your situation.

I am testing the Sheath for the same properties, as LEE described. He is the one (among a couple others) that suggested this, and since he has always had good information in the past, I am more then willing to learn.

Today when I shoot, I intend to clean the bore with an alcohol Swab and then two dry patches. After that I am going to load. Then I am going to swab the bore with a patch lightly coated with Sheath. My White normally shoots the first hit 2 inches off. I want to see if I can repeat the yesterday testing and get the same POI as the first through the last. I will report back the findings...

Good luck.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

I have not experinced that problem, and I don't dry patch the butter out of my encore after storage. I do however run 2 or 3 209 primers through mine which could take care of any excess butter.

Not questioning your shooting skill, but with an 8 inch miss after several good shots, is it possible that it was just a bad shot by you. I'll be the 1st to admit that while I am know to be a pretty good shot, I have been know to let a few fliers go that were nothing but my fault.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

For S&G's try a light gun oil instead of BB for storage or after cleaning protection. Prior toloading run dry patchs through to ensure all the excess oil is removed. Snap a couple of primers just to make sure the breech area is clear and free. Then see if the POI shifted or not!


I don't have any problems with my ML's in this regard and hunt on clean barrels, with not a worry about a possible 2nd or 3rd. I also don't worry about leaving my loaded for extended periods unfiredand never had to worry about cleaning when I do fire. If wet weather I always shoot out the load and completely clean before reloading and hunting again.
I don't like BB, allI use issheath.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

I highly suggest not using borebutter on inlines like this that use sabots. What I suggest is, you shoot it at the range, clean it with simply green or simular, store with some good oil barrel down, and before hunting, shoot ya a fouling shot.

In fact, this is the reason I swab every shot. I may get better accuracy not swabbing every shot, but its consistent and before hunting season, I take to the range and ensure its sighted in, go home and clean the breech plug without disassebling the entire rifle, swab the barrel with TC number 13, and take hunting. After the week season, totally clean.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

All good info-

I do a lot of shooting-and think of myself as a good shot-however I am iron sights at ~60meters I do think it was a bore butter induced miss though-further trips to the range will have to be the judge of that

What I ended up doing was running an oiled HOPPS gun oil patch down the bore and a few dries after than to get the excess oil out-HOPPS is much thinner and will still give me rust protection-Ill run a few more dries in the bore before I load though

I feel like a moron for asking but what are the sheath's you are referring to-are they the moisture wicking storage socks?

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

I quit even using bore butter on my percussion rifle. After a while shooting it, I had this build up burnt in bore butter, that took alot of scrubbing with boiling hot water to get out.

I think sheath is a oil. I don't use it as I got alot of good oils. but any good quality gun oil will do.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

Yes, light gun oil made by Birchwood Casey "SHEATH".

I actually run my oil patch down then set muzzleon some patches for storing, this makes sure no oil collects in the breech area. I only worry about this when I am going to be shooting in the near future or in prevent during hunting. Then when its time to load her up I run patches to remove excess and wipe of the crown..shes GTG.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

Wanting to test the theory of shooting off a "Sheath" protected bore for the first shot off a clean barrel, I went out 10-26-06 and did a lot of cleaning and not much shooting.




Swiss 3f is usually a great shooting powder for me. Today for some reason it was giving me fits. I applied the Sheath. I waited and then ran a dry patch down the barrel and fired one RWS cap. Pulled the dry patch and loaded 70 grains of Swiss 3f and a BullShop 500 gr NEI conical.

The first hit on the clean barrel was a little low, but I actually think it was my fault. I say this because as I was concentrating on the shot, the gun fired. I can not say for certain my scope placement was perfect nor my breath as it should have been. It hit 1" low. I was shooting at a 2" circle in the center bull. And it hit just under the bull. The next shot took most of that taped on bull off. And the next ones kind of finished off my fancy tape on bulls eyes. I then got some transparent tape and made sure the little bulls were stuck on better.

I had an audience today. This old man, my neighbor stopped over and was fascinated with my White rifle. He did not want to shoot it, but was more then interested in the fact he saw the Triple Se7en group being shot.

I then pulled the White apart and cleaned the barrel with Rusty Duck Black Off solvent and dry patched it. After that I put it all back together and ran a patch with Sheath down it. Then a dry one, popped a cap and got ready to load Triple Se7en 3f. The Triple Se7en with the Sheath coated bore shot perfect. That is a four shot group.

I then cleaned that White Rifle AGAIN! Sheath in the bore. Popped a cap. And loaded with Goex 3f. The one shot it pulled (#3 of four) with the Goex was my fault. (lower right bull)

I then cleaned the rifle again. Did the same routine with the Sheath and tried American Pioneer 3f. Whether the Sheath made a difference I could not say. I just can not get that powder to group a conical.

Since my cheering section was getting bored, I set up some pop cans. Using the Triple Se7en powder, we knocked them over then tore them apart in the steel bullet trap. Until I ran out of another box of the Bull Shop conicals.

So did the Sheath make a difference. I personally think it did. This rifle always threw them 2" on a clean barrel. I think this Sheath might be my ticket to hunting on a clean rifle. Thanks for the idea guys. I still want to test it again, so maybe tomorrow we will go shoot...

One concern was raised over this testing. When I swabbed out the Swiss, it was a very black, thick, almost wet looking fowling. Whether this was caused by the Sheath I can not say. All I will say is with the 777 it did well. Also when I used Sheath in the barrel for the Goex test, it was the same Sheath patch I used when swabbing out for the 777 test, with no additional Sheath added. So, did it coat the barrel lighter, who knows. Looks like I have more testing to do. Better get at it too... the range is calling.

RE: Bore condition when stored vs. hunting
 

Thanks for taking the time to test this "first shot from a Sheath coated barrel" issue for us. I would expect that any sort of oil or lube in the barrel would cause some inconsistencies on the first shot from a cold otherwise clean barrel. With Pyrodex andT7, I have used your previous recommendation of swabbing the clean oiled barrel with a patch saturated in iso alcohol,and then firing off a primer with the barrel wet with the alcohol. Kinda lights up the loading room :). And it seems to not affect the point of impact compared to subsequent shots - where I am swabbing between shots as recommended.

The use of Sheath for storage after the season is over, however, seems to be a very good procedure. As others have stated, I'm done with bore butter in my in-line rifles.