That's probably one of the best quotes I've heard when it comes to muzzleloading. It sums up the experience nicely.

I do the same in the field as I do on the range. A spit patch down and back. Turn it over on the brush, same patch down again. Then a dry patch the same way. I agree with roundball about the second shot. I also like that it helps me calm down after the shot....

WhetherI swab depends on the rifle I am using. But for the most part I have gotten in the habit of shooting, swabbing, then reloading. I also swab one damp, two dry patches. I get the best accuracy out of the rifles that way.

Roundball has an excellent point in that.. this is a one shot sport 99% of the time. Place that first shot and normally a second is not needed.. unless like he said, you want to keep hunting.

roundball

[blockquote]quote:

ORIGINAL: meh101465

"...to all hunters , do you swab after you shoot a critter,or just load back up???..."
[/blockquote]

Muzzleloading is a one shot sport...we know that going in and accept the challege...IMO, there's no such thing as a "fast follow up shot" so there's no need to load right back up in a dirty barrel.

I'm not worried about a fast follow up shot , or even a follow up shot , just the next shot . Lets say you shoot , and (god forbid ) miss , how you would procede from there and continue hunting .

meh101465
Damp patch - dry patchand re-load....

What powder are you figuring on using?

Sounds like you might be shooting an inline?

Same as if I hit. Damp patch, dry patch, and reload. I don't make any exceptions unless I'm on my last tag and the deer drops where I shot it. Then I just swab with no reload.

Wolfhound

Here even on the last deer or elk we reload... Idaho had the fore-thought to re-introduce the wolf.... they are not suppose to be here - they are suppose to stay in the back... but somebody forgot to tell the wolves. We had a pack of 7 of them running right next to a highway in prime whitetail country.... course all the sheep along the highway might have had something to do with that.... those guys really have big feet when you find them in the snow or the mud. State says never fear the is no record of wolves attacking man... that is comforting.

I am shooting an inline..its a cva hunterbolt magnum . I have used pyrodex pellets and now have a supply of pyrodex rs loose powder .with mmp sabots and remington 300 gr .458 bullets it shoots around 1.5 - 2 inches . the point of impact is just about the same place with two pellets or 110 gr of rs .

I know what you mean. I don't blame you a bit. It depends where I hunt. I've gotthree properties where I reload no matter what. I saw a cougar last year on one of them. The three are all within a cougar's range. Of course the Illinois DNR says they're not here. But they said that about wolves and someone shot one last year. Now our regbook warns about shooting wolves.

Like I described in my reply...I only reload a hunting barrel one way.