Clean vs. fouled?

lister

lister

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Looking for some opinions on this.
I've been finding that the 1st shot out of my ML, clean bore, is going left by almost 6 inches, then the following shots are right on center. I don't want to be 6 inches off during deer season and I've heard that firing a no.11 cap to foul the bore (no powder or bullet, just the cap) may correct the first shot issue. Any experience with this?
Cheers.
 
270gr. 50 cal. mini-ball over 90gr. Pyrodex at 50 yards. Not sure of my twist rate though.

That's why I posted, because I thought it was excessive drift.
 
A cap won't foul the bore as you expect, just dirty it a bit. The 1st shot from a ML is called a fouling shot for good reason, it may be right on or miss terribly. Fouling makes a tighter fit up to a point where it needs cleaning. For hunting I would fire off a load prior to the hunt.
 
That's what I didn't want to hear, yet suspected....the problem is I'd be firing a shot fairly close to the hunting area. Don't really want to do that.
Thanks for the info!
 
Firing caps off before hand are done to ensure that the path to the powder is clear of any oils and obstruction, it will not foul the barrel. If fouling shots are not possible before the hunt then test fire several shots at the range cleaning between shots and see what grouping you get. If they are consistent and your secondary shots are consistent then you know what elevation and windage is required if you need a follow. Good luck hunting....
 
This may, or may not, work for you so you'd have to give it a try. It's very common, even for centre fire rifles, to print to a different point of impact from a clean barrel. The problem with leaving a dirty barrel with BP is rust so you want to avoid that. Ok, try running a patch with a very healthy dose of bore butter down the barrel before the first shot but after loading. (NO CAP!!!) Hopefully that will "foul" the barrel somewhat without the problems of fouling with a shot. You'd have to give it a try first to see if it performs though. The other thing I've done, successfully, is to run a cleaning patch (x2) followed by a dry patch (x1) down the barrel between shots. This gives enough cleaning, at least in my rifle, to keep he bore in about the same condition between shots. Keep in mind I only did this using patched balls in a 50 cal and my groups were OK but not great. Certainly good enough for hunting. If you try this let us know how it works for you.
 
If I have time before I head out I'll try that. If not I'll try it after season and report back with results. Cheers!
 
The results are---no deer unfortunately, but--it turned out the guy I was hunting with has the same ML as I do (TC Scout), so we used the same powder charge and bullet. As Big Boar suggested, I ran a patch of bore butter through after loading (no cap,lol) but my friend didn't. Before we were leaving I set up a target to empty our guns on. My shot was dead center at about 50yrds. My friends was about 6 inches left, the exact same thing that mine was doing before bore-buttering.
I would say the BB solved the "clean shot" issue for sure. Many thanks for the tips. Good hunting.
 
I have read that in the case of a BPCR that needs a "fouling" shot to shoot true, one method is to fire a smokeless load first to "foul" the barrel. Then you can leave it uncleaned for a while without fear of corrosion.

MC One Shot said:
Firing caps off before hand are done to ensure that the path to the powder is clear of any oils and obstruction, it will not foul the barrel. If fouling shots are not possible before the hunt then test fire several shots at the range cleaning between shots and see what grouping you get. If they are consistent and your secondary shots are consistent then you know what elevation and windage is required if you need a follow. Good luck hunting....
Click to expand...
 
BPCR does not necessarily require a fouling shot. It depends on your rifle, if you wipe between shots etc.

Smokeless fouling is not the same as BP fouling. Smokeless fouling may not come clean if you wipe between shots and are using BP fouling softeners/cleaners.
 
I have never heard of using a smokeless round to foul a BPCR barrel before shooting for score but have heard of some apparently firing a smokeless round, especially with a gas check or jacketed bullet to clean out BP fouling afterwards. BP lubes are much softer than the lubes used on cast bullets in smokeless powder loads.

BPCR rifles seem to be individualistic in that some need a fouling shot whereas others don't. My 45-90 Sharps was good from the first shot but liked a light swab after 5 to 10 shots whereas my 38-55 settles right down after 2 shots and I can shoot 20 or more without wiping the bore at all.
 
Ol'flinter is correct BPCR each have their own attitudes and may not like what another rifle does.

I too have never heard of using a smokeless round to foul a BPCR so I left it alone and tried to search it.

Using a smokeless round in a BPCR may be more of a PITA than anything else, particularly if there is any leading in the bore. The jacket bullet may possibly bond any leading to the bore wall making it harder to remove the lead and possibly thus affecting future BPCR rounds.
 
Fouling the bore of a BPCR with a LEAD (not jacketed) bullet smokeless round was something I believe I read in a Ross Seyfried article. This is presuming that your lead bullets are lubed with the same lube as your BP loads.

ALL my BPCR bullets are lubed with SPG, so it applies in my case. They all come out of the same bin.

Last summer I shot my Shiloh '74 50-70 carbine in a 100 yd off hand match with 100% BP loads. Targets were white painted 28 oz. tomato cans. We call it our "Mini-Quigley" match. You stepped to the line, called your can and fired for three shots. No one wanted to go first, so as a member of the host club, I volunteered. I hit three consecutive cans with a cold, clean bore.

This rifle is not unique in that regard. My 45-70 Shiloh Business Rifle will similarly shoot into the same group from the get-go with 100% BP. At least on steel out to 300m. I wet & dry swab after 5 rds. Can't be bothered with more. I'm not interested in paper punching with any of my BPCR's after I'm '0' 'd.
 
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