Hunting care of ML shotgun

[tigger]

This fall my son and I are BP hunting whitetail and mule deer, the hunt is primarily for him and he will be using a in line. I plan on carrying my 13ga sxs for close work and other utility as required.

My load routine has been 10gr each bore, cap and fire as a clearing/fouling charge. After this I load 80gr ffg, card, waxed felt, RB patched with bore butter on cotton.

I plan on loading once to carry for 4 days, my concern is corrosion from the fouling charge. Should I be ok with the wax and bore butter coating the barrel or should I run an oiled jag down the bore to protect it until shooting?

160 yr old shotgun, it does not need me to mess it up after this many years!

 

[flintyboom]

I would skip the fouling shot, that is just inviting moisture to creep into your charge. It could lead to a misfire if you left it for 4 days. I would just clean out any oil with a patch, then pop some caps and then load.

 

[infideleggwelder]

It`s a smoothbore? Don`t need fouling charge- i don`t foul my rifles either. Till the first shot unless I’m bench shooting. I also have had no luck with bore butter other than to make my hands smell nice...i don`t use it. If it`s going to rain, i`ll cover the lock, and oil the metal a little beforehand.

 

[chasseur]

I don t do a fouling shot either, the trick is to know where your gun shoots cold.

 

[mooncoon]

I would fire a couple of caps through the gun first (assuming it is percussion) then load and run an oily patch down the barrel in case of corrosive fouling from the caps. I would not fire a light powder charge

cheers mooncoon