i dont clean in the field. after i shoot, im automatically opening a speed loader and reloading it in case i need to shoot again. My rifle usually starts to open up groups after 5 shots. Last year i shot a doe and after i shot, i reloaded and never used it. My tags were full and so i took a piece of paper towel and lightly wettened it and cleaned the barrel out, yes with bullet and load still in it and kept it loaded for another 3 days untill we packed up and went home. Before we left i fired it right off and cleaned it out really good once we were home. i only use borebutter for my flintlock and thats only on the patches, sometimes i have to use dry patchs when i shoot in 90* + weather, the bore butter melts and makesa huge mess and kills my accuracy.

On my Prohunter,I just pop a couple of caps the night before going hunting. Don't wipe it out,and load her up. It hits the same spot as it does after shooting and using a spit patch.

In my Black Diamonds and Omega, I shoot mostly sabots. I clean between shots with the Cayugad swabbing solution, then dry patch. The point of impact is the same from a clean drybarrel as a swabbed fouled one with this routine. So I go hunting with a clean dry barrel. Dry climate, here in the west, with a stainless barrel - I'm not real worried about rust. No oil or bore butter goes in my barrels at the range - although I do store them long term with a little film of Sheath in the bore.

In the new Genesis, I'm using 2F Jim Shockey Gold behind the new 338 gr. Platinum Powerbelts. This combo doesn't settle down until you get a couple shots downrange, and doesn't like to be swabbed or cleaned in any way between shots. So I just load it and shoot it. I'm going afield with a fouled barrel in this instance. I'll clean the gun at the end of the season.

cva told me to never fire just a primer in my gun. a 209 that is, i used to fire a few in mine when i shot #11 primers.

someone mentioned a crud ring, i shoot winchester primers and ,i never get a crud ring in this gun. it will get tight at the muzzle before it does at the breech, which is where most crud rings form. the new winchester 777 primers are supposed to all but eleminate crud rings.

remingtons and omega's are usually alittle worst at forming bad crud rings ,for some reason.

if i shoot my gun clean,i'll be off 4-5in at 100yds . on a fouled barrel i can get 5-6 shots without it moving. i just cleaned my gun today ,it has been loaded on a fouled barrel for over 2 weeks. i sat down at the bench and cut the top out off a one circle at 100yds. i can tell you ,i ain't changin nothin........

I don't know about any of that stuff. My gun most certainly shoots best with the first shot. Don't get too technical. I load the gun after wiping the bore and shooting some caps and then take it hunting. I would advise you to do the same. I don't see anything wrong with firing several shots to check point of impact and then wiping the bore before hunting. That sounds reasonable.

By the way, my gun shoots the same until about 5 shots or so without swabbing as well. Swabbing isn't neccessary until so many shots I have found. I don't swab while hunting either. That's overdoing it. I just reload quickly in case.

Heres my method and belief. I sight the gun in, one foul shot, then two shots after without cleaning to check my POI, first shot is always high and right 2" at 100 yards after that its dead on at 100, 2 shots within an inch of each other.

Then I clean the barrel good, reload and shoot a fouling load.

My theroy is I want my gun to shoot the same POI in the field. I have had a few occasions where I had to shoot or had the opportunity to shoot another shot at deer. I want to know what my gun hits at dirty because that deer ain't gonna wait around for you to clean your gun in the field most likely.

And for the record, this year I shot a doe it went down, then a doe with it came back my way within 3 minutes, I shot it, then the last doe came running by and if I would have been able to get my frozen fingers to grab the primer I dropped out of my lap there would have been a 3rd deer down. Thats one of 3 times I had an opportunity.

I know you can get the same constistancy by cleaning between each shot, but is that a real hunting situation? Not a big deal at 30-50 yards, but what about 125-150? If you off 2-4 inches at 100 how about 200?

But then again I ain't no pro hunter, but I've shot 9 deer in two years with my M/L

If your gun will keep the shot within1-1 1/2inches of it's normal group,clean thefirst shot,your not gonna miss many deer. The only way to find out is by trying it! By tuning your charge,you will find THE most accurate load,(not afair,orOk group,but a really accurate group) itwill shoot very close to the others,(clean,or fouled)once you have found the "magic load". It takes allot of range work,but will pay off big when it counts.