cleaning /range vs field
 

Ineed input / suggestions on how to clean at the range (in between shots??),and to all hunters , do you swab after you shoot a critter,or just load back up???
I got my orange sabots from MMP yesterday , with the 300 remington jhp .458 bullets they shoot great .first two were dang near touching , dropped third one a little low , and left ( probably me ) .more later .
thanks in advance .Mike

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

After shooting an animal I swab with a wet patch and then a dry patch the same as I do at the range.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

Wet, dry, reload! If you need a fast follow up shot and you know where a fouled barrel shot willhit, then you don't need to clean.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

meh101465

At the range, i do patch in between shots. I use a simple windex patch that I prepare in bulk. Cayugad has a solution of windshield washing fluid and alcohol, that he uses and other people do you other things. I patch between shots at the range because that will be the same condition my bore will be in when I am hunting.

In the field - if I needed to quick load I could and would not loose to much, but in most cases I do run a spit patch after a shot @ an animal. Very seldom do I run a dry patch - as I "THINK" I have the moisture thing figured out - even at the range. I would SUGGEST that a dry patch be ran any time you think you might have left moisture in the barrel.

I posted a thing about how I prepare my range patches "Damp Bore Patches" you could look at. If you try this make sure you press as much windex out as you can with your thumbs....

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

At the range, I typically swab after every second, sometimesthird, shot. In the field, I do a quick reload with no swabbing. The difference in impact between my first and second shots doesn't warrant wasting time swabbing in the field.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

That's something best tried at the range first. I remember trying to load a bullet without swabbing in my Omega after I swtched to the 25 ACP ignition. It produced so much less fouling that I thought I could skip the swab for hunting. I got it stuck about 2" from being seated. Luckily I tried it at the range first so I knew I still had to swab after every shot while hunting. [&:]

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

Yep, I agree.Hopefully, folks take their rifle to the range and work through things before going out in the field. As I said earlier, I don't swab until after the second shot, sometimes third. In my rifle, the third bullet does go down a bit tighter than the first, but it's no where near difficult to get down and seat.Personally, I wouldn't shoot aload, or rifle,where I had to swab between every shot just to be able to load the bullet or get decent accuracy. I'd be looking for a different load or a new rifle.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

I find that the second minni that I shoot is a bit tighter on line than the first so while in the field I never swab when I have to reload. I'm not saying that no swabbing works better, just how it groups with my Traditions Pursuit. If I were you I would experiment at the range to find what works best for your gun and the loads that you are using. I think we could give you all the advice in the world but the only way to find out is by your own experimentation at the range.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

I'm just so used to it that it doesn't bother me. I take two ramrods to the range, one for loading and one for swabbing. I have all my patches premoistened and stick dry ones in a pocket for quick access. I do it even when I don't have to out of habit more than anything. A while back I was testing some sabots in a dirty bore (no swabbing period) and It was one of the hardest shooting sessions I can remember (not the loading). I kept wanting to swab the bore out.

I can understand why you don't like swabbing. Some people just like toload and shoot. I go shooting with a gun that all I have to do is load and shoot and I get bored fast. There's not enough for me to do. I can have all my shooting done in 15 minutes that way. With my ML I'll go and shoot for a few hours and have fired 15 or 20 shots max. I get just as much enjoyment out of the loading process as I do the shooting.

Edit: Don't know why it double quoted on me. [&:]

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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.

The first shotshouldeither drop the animal where it stands so there's no NEED for a fast followup shot.....or, the animal will bolt 25-35 yards beforefalling, typically then out of sight past some trees, etc...andin that case/most cases...there's no CHANCE for a fast followup up shot.

Plus...I neverpush a deer right away anyway...after I shoot onewith apatchedball froma Flintlock, Istand right there and very quietly take maybe 10 minutes with a "field cleaning kit" froma ziploc bag and thoroughly/completely clean, dry, and lube the bore...then reload, then go fetch the deer...if it's early morning I'll drag him back to the stand and sit down to hunt some more with a clean rifle.

One of the mainthings aboutdeer hunting, particularly with muzzleloaders, is patience: think one shot...wait for it...make it count. IMO, a reload in the field is simply handy for a possible2nd deer in the same day.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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....

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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 .

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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

What powder are you figuring on using?

Sounds like you might be shooting an inline?

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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. ;)

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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 .

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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.

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

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

RE: cleaning /range vs field
 

meh101465

Cool...

When you re-powder think about using Triple 7 powder it is a lot less corrosive than the Pyro's or real BP. I use T7 and it allows me to do things I would not be able to do if I were using Pyro or BP. It really is almost a smokeless powder but they add charcoal to it so it will smoke. If you make the switch remember T7 is a lot hotter than the other subs so you need to back down the amount you shoot...

And if you do not mind try to stay with the loose powder far less expensive to shoot than pellets and allows customizing loads with projectiles..

I shoot those same MMP Orange sabots but I am shootin a 300 grain Nosler Partition. Hornady make a 350 grain .458 also if you are into heavy bullets.... well actually there is a 400 and 500 also...

good luck - mike