Clean barrel sight-in
 

Anyone try to sight in for hunting from a clean barrel? Maybe because when you drive to your hunting spot you do not want to get out of your truck and fire off a fouling round? I know you can try a couple of primers but I was just wondering if anyone tries to hunt from a clean barrel.

SWThomas...don't you do this?

Here is a picture of a target I shot when up at the hunting camp this past weekend (scouting for turkeys). I was using a 45cal Accura with 10mm 200gr XTPs which shoot real good out of this gun.




The first shot was the one on the right from a squeaky clean barrel. This is a 5 shot group at 100 yds. I was using the light blue smooth Harvester sabot and 100gr of BH209. A couple of weeks ago I used the light blue Harvester CR sabot. They also shot great (actually a bit better but all shots were from a fouled barrel).

I think it's worth a try to keep experimentin'.

These 200gr 10mm XTPs may just have to be my deer load!

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I sight mine in in late September and don't clean the bore until the middle of January.

Mike

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I've been hunting on a squeaky clean barrel for years - don't even pop a primer before loading. I run a very wet alcohol patch down the bore to remove the oil from the last cleaning/storage, pumping the rod vigorously to blast some alcohol through the nipple/breech plug. Then I give it a few minutes to dry before I run a dry patch and thenload it. After loading, I run a very light oil patch down to the top of the bullet. The gun stays loaded that way until I take a shot, sometimes all season. I've never had a failure to fire doing this. Here are five shots from my Omega X7 with a full cleaning between shots and each shot loaded as described.



And here's the Mustang.



Those are about as good a 5-shot 100 yardgroup that I can shoot with either gun.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I always sight in with a clean barrel...With my inline, I clean between shots, even in a hunting situation...With my flintlocks, I can go from a .018 to a .015 patch and keep shooting...

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I used to hunt on a clean barrel but not anymore. Not much difference really but I pop two 209 primers now. Just whatever one is comfortable with.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Old/New

I shoot what I like to call a 'semi-clean' barrel. First i also should tell that i shoot T7 powder, if I were shooting one of the Pyro's or real BP - I am not sure I could do this.

I verify POI just before hunting season, i shoot 3 to 5 rounds of my normal hunting load to verify. Then I will swab the barrel with a misted windex patch - then a dry patch followed by a very lighly oiled patch. Each time I shoot the gun during the hunting season I repeat this process and at the end of the season, January the gun will be broke down and stripped cleaned.

We hunt in some pretty lousy weather and I have never liked a bare barrel bore as it does not have any protection from the elements. That very light film of bore oil (today I am using Montana-Xtreme) does not affect POI + it allows me to dry patch the barrel at the end of each day.

Think you will like that 10 mil/200 grain XTP for whitetail... I think you will find it will do an awesome job. I am going to use a 10mil/200 grain Lehigh this season. From what I have seen and the shooting that I have done with the bullet - I am convinced...

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Old/New - I always sight in with and hunt with a clean barrel.
Now realistically if you look at that target of yours, shooting 100 yds, off a solid rest your group on a fouled barrel is only about 3/4" higher and 1 1/4" to the left of your squeekey clean barrel. Your entire group is under 1 1/2", which is really good. The way that rifle shoots with that load combo I wouldn't foul the barrel. Even using BH209, in humid conditions most of us face in the fall and winter, any fouling will attract moisture which may do harm to your bore.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I started many years ago scrubbing with boiling water so that the breach plug and the barrel were squeaky clean and loading as soon as it coled off. I check my sight in for hunting that way to. The first shot is normally all it takes. Lee

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I use a procedure similar to Semisane. I always run an oil patch down the bore when I'm done cleaning my rifle. So when I get to the hunting spot I still have oil in the bore. I always run 2 clean/dry patches down the bore to absorb any residual oil. Then I run an alcohol patch, flip it over and run it again. Then I run 2 more dry patches. Then I pop a primer and load up. I've had pretty good luck using that method so far.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Those 200grn XTP'S are excellant bullets for Deer. I have shot two Deer myself and my Buddy shot two with them in the same year. We were both very happy.

I noticed your group is vertical stringing. Increased velocity would tighten those up i bet to one little hole. 100grns of BH209 with that light bullet is slower in my guns then the equal charge of 777. The Deer wont know the difference just figured i would let ya know.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

sabotloader,
I have been trying the Lehighs but even though they shot better after changing to the light blue smooth sabots from the CR sabots and increasing the charge of 209 to 115gr I still want to experiment. Ifeel I can get them to shoot better. The XTPs are just amazing. And Grouse I noticed the vertical stringing myself but I changed sabots. When using the Harvester light blue CR sabot they just piled up into one 1" spot.

bronko2200...I agree, the group is actually good even counting the first clean barrel shot. I have been using Montana X lately. Maybe it is helping. This is why I think with BH209 and this load I can shoot #1 clean and not worry.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Try a repeat next time out and see if your first shot hits same POI. If so, adjust your sights/scope up a bit.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Exactly. I will be shooting this load (or maybe a touch more powder) from a clean barrel and documenting the results each time I shoot. If it shoots to the same poi with the first shot then I feel I willhave it nailed. :eek:

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

This answer will not help you. But depending on what rifle I shoot, some I will hunt off a clean barrel like my Knight Disc and others like my Trade Rifle I foul the barrel and then hunt from a fouled bore. My Whites will just plain shoot and they are so little off from the first shot to the second, that anything I throw that fireplug into is not going to care about my 3/4 of an inch.

That is some excellent shooting you have there. You have little to worry about.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Hunting with a clean barrel is too much work IMO! I like shooting at the range without having to clean my barrel between each shot!

With 777, one spit patch followed by one clean patch (what I still call a fouled barrel) is how I like to practice and hunt.

With BH 209, I have shot as many as 30 shots WITHOUT SWABBING ONCE! That is a lot more fun for me than having to doa lot of swabbing, not to mention what it would take to really clean the barrel between each shot. And I get great groups with this method.

It is a lot less work to foul my barrel before I hunt than it is to practice by cleaing between each shot. AND the first shot will always go where the first one did in a quick follow up!

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

Yeah txhunter, Blackhorn offers a different option. I would probably do as you do if I were using it. But (so far) I'm using T7/Pyrodex/GOEX - hence my clean barrel approach.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

I always sight my gun in on a clean barrel.Then i don't have to worry about where the very first bullet goes.It really is not much more trouble to sight in on a clean barrel,just a few more patches and time is all you need

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

The time is what I am talking about. I can get twice as many shots in during a session (or more) as compared to really cleaning the barrel between each shot.

And with 777, I don't even shoot a bullet to foul the barrel. I simply pour in about 15-20 gr of powder down the barrel, load a primer, aim it straight up and pop a cap. Then I swab with one spit patch, one clean patch, and I am ready to load up with a fouled barrel.

Haven't quite figured it out without actually firing a bullet with blackhorn since it is a progressively buring powder and needs to pressure of a bullet to go off. However, since it is relatively noncorrosive, I feel all right firing and loading up the day before the hunt, and not unloading until I shoot or the hunt is over.

RE: Clean barrel sight-in
 

No, no, no...I have no intentions of swabbing between shots when I am at the range. My first shot is my clean barrel test shot. Then I go about having fun. With BH209 I pull the breach plug at about 20-25 shots, wipe it and ream it quick then go back to shooting. Using my Lyman with Pyrodex I swab of course (and hunt from a fouled bore).

With my PH and my Accura using BH209 and my hunting loads it seems I can get away with "first shot clean barrel" hunting with no problem.

I am just suprised how many hunt from a clean bore. My impression was that most hunted from a fouled barrel. I should have also mentioned my concern was with BH209.