hunting with black powder...

[kennisondan]

If I am going deer hunting with black powder what do I do about cleaning, needing a fouling shot or two before the gun settles down; I do not get to shoot at a lot of deer, so is there any consistency between clean cold barrel shots ?
If I start sighting in and blow tube or wipe and get good results; can I then clean and cool and dry the barrel and finish sighting with nothing but clean driy cool barrelled shots and get consistency for my first shot out of a cold dry clean barrel at the moment of truth ?
I am worried about how I will foul it hunt with it, clean it, foul it, hunt, clean, etc.
If I hunt all day or moring and afternoon till dark thirty it will not lend it self to being able to shoot a couple of fouling shots after I clean it each day. Now that I understand the fouling is so corrosive I cannot foul it and leave it for days (2 3 ) can I ? I live in La. and the humidity is high on a low humidity day.. lol...
Am I going to have to use smokeless loads for hunting so I do not need to clean it, foul it then hunt with it and then repeat ?
I understand that at a match or target shooting it is not a problem such as presented here above..
thanks..
I have a soule kelley sight coming and am about to get pretty serious with some sighting in and trigger time finally and want to develop a deer load as well for the gun while I am at it. If I have to just shoot smokeless for hunting I will but it would just SEEM that the gun would be consistent if cleaned the same way and the final sighting in done with clean dry barrel ?? if not I am not sure what to do...
If I ran a patch after every shot, it is still my understanding that I will not get consistency until a couple of shots are used to foul it....
thanks..
I am willing to go to some trouble to get this right as I want excellant accuracy for shooting deer and any and every thing else too.
what say you shooters ?
dk

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I approached it a bit different.. I sight my hunting rifle to hit on with the first shot from a clean barrel. I have never needed a second shot but that is just a simple " Knowing " the impact difference and applying the necessary adjustment in the sighting.

[218bee]

I agree that knowing where first shot goes from clean barrel will serve you best for hunting....no fouling shot needed.

[Boz330]

I deer hunt exclusively with BP both cartridge and ML. I set up for a clean barrel and one follow up shot. Chances are that you wouldn't get a follow up shot anyway. Unless you are hunting out beyond 150 yds the difference should be negligible. Just take a rod and some patches plus your favorite cleaner for clean up after you are done hunting if you get a shot. Even leaving it over night isn't the end of the world but I try not to do that.
As pointed out earlier, trigger time at the different distances you may get a shot is the best prep. A hundred yard zero will put you below a deer at 150yd for the same POA, so range estimation is critical. They do have a rainbow trajectory. Lots of satisfaction when you score though.

Bob

[NickSS]

I agree with the other resopnders. Sight it in for the first clean barrel shot a second one should jit within a couple inches of the other out to 150 yards or so. As for cleaning I have left my rifle fouled for several days in dry conditions and never had a bit of trouble. I shoot a lot of ML Rendezvous with black powder and I never clean my guns till I get home at the end of the shoot. This is up to four days or even five and have never had a problem or any rusting. I do this mostly because my ML is quirky. If I clean it by even running a damp patch down the bore it misfires for some reason I have not figured out in the 20 years i have used it, even popping two or three caps does not fix it.

[northmn]

I agree with the other resopnders. Sight it in for the first clean barrel shot a second one should jit within a couple inches of the other out to 150 yards or so. As for cleaning I have left my rifle fouled for several days in dry conditions and never had a bit of trouble. I shoot a lot of ML Rendezvous with black powder and I never clean my guns till I get home at the end of the shoot. This is up to four days or even five and have never had a problem or any rusting. I do this mostly because my ML is quirky. If I clean it by even running a damp patch down the bore it misfires for some reason I have not figured out in the 20 years i have used it, even popping two or three caps does not fix it.

With a ML, especially a patent breech like on a TC or a Hawken, you are pushing crud into the breech. To clean it proper you need to flush it out totally. Agree with the others on cold barrel sight in for hunting.

Northmn

[waksupi]

If you would use patched round ball, and the Dutch Schultz loading method, you would have no worry about different points of impact.

[SamTexas49]

Another suggestion I always used is Id make sure my rifle was aclimatized to the temperature. Taking a warm rifle out into a "cold" climate may cause condensation to collect in barrel. Also before leaving home or the vehicle park area Id like to pop a cap or 2 to clear nipple before loading to hunt. I found this was very useful in North Central Montana. (oops gues this should gone in the ML section?)

[August]

Black powder, REAL black powder, is not corrosive. You will be fine on a three, or four day hunt without cleaning the gun. Subs, however, ARE corrosive and demand immediate attention after shooting, in my experience.

I wouldn't bother to foul the gun. The difference in bullet impact at 200 yards or less is negligible with clean, one-shot-fouled bore. Again, this has been my experience. I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a deer at 200 yards with my BP rifle with a clean bore.

Lubricant is King when shooting black powder, in my experience.

[cajun shooter]

August, I am so glad to see you print that. I have been trying to tell people that real BP is not going to rust the gun away the same day you shoot it. The subs like Pyrodex will darn sure do it as I saw that at our deer camp some years back. There is one person who says he is a BP shooter while shooting the subs. I told him he was not. The subs have nothing in common with the real BP. I have also heard this person say how corrisive real BP is. My arguement has always been if it is that bad then why do you not read about it in history. Why no stories about my rifle froze up from all the rust because of the powder we were shooting?I shoot my SASS guns and at times don't clean them for 3 to 4 days with not the least bit of problems. Later David

[kennisondan]

I am thinking that some of the problem is that folks learn that black powder soaks up water or something along that line, and that translates to corrosioin in some folks minds.. it was confusing me but now I got it.. one more point toward my degree : one day I want a black POWDER belt... loll... or a black powder degree.. lol.
I know there is a ton to learn and that is what makes it so much fun, learning from folks that will help you..
you guys are great.
dk

[StrawHat]

If you would use patched round ball, and the Dutch Schultz loading method, you would have no worry about different points of impact.


Been a while since I have read the magazines and such. What is the Dutch Shultz method?

[cajun shooter]

Maybe it's shooting and loading under an assumed name as Dutch Schultz was not his real name. It was chosen as it sounded more ganster like. I think his real name was Otto something. When I was growing up and first entered school I was asked all the time. Are you related to Dutch Schultz? I said no my family spells our name without the c, David Shultz

[waksupi]

Been a while since I have read the magazines and such. What is the Dutch Shultz method?

Well, Dutch is still around, or at least was, as of last fall. This is how your contact goes.

Dutch@blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com <Dutch@blackpowderrifleaccuracy.com>

I bet I'm an older dog at 81.

If you rashly intend to send your hard-earned $15 to

Dutch Schoultz
225 North Meramec Ave.
Clayton, Missouri 63105

Let me know your intentions by return email
AND AT THE SAME TIME INCLUDE YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS

and I'll have the material in the mail AT THE POST OFFICE within an hour or
less
of my receiving your post.

Dutch

[northmn]

About loading a Ml for hunting. Popping a cap or two will not hurt to much, but firing any kind of a fouling shot is asking for a misfire later. Its best to wipe out the gun thoroughly. I like to clean the vent on a flinter with a pipecleaner. One individual uses alcohol to remove any oil and let it evaporate. Then load it. Carried guns loaded for days this way and had them fire. The barrel gets lubed when you seat a patched ball. As that is the way Grandad carried his ML's, I think that that may have been one purpose of patch lube, to protect the bore. Used to have to clean out my BP shotguns thorughly if fired because they would misfire the next day if not cleaned and loaded. (They had chromed barrels so cleaning was not so critical for protection)

Northmn

[Boz330]

I don't even pop a cap when loading a hunting gun. The cap will leave a residue in the flash channel that could attract moisture. I make sure that everything in that area is oil free and dry as possible. I have done this during the early ML season here and if I didn't get a shot leave it loaded and gone back out during the late season and never had so much as a hiccup.
When I use to guide I would have my hunters clean their gun after zero check and load that way. On one particular hunt we spent 5 days in rain and fog and the gun went off fine on the last day. Unfortunately not at an elk. Most of the time you couldn't see your hand in front of your face because of the fog. The other guides were making their clients shoot at the end of each hunt and then cleaning their guns. That got old for some of them and they got lax and it cost one guy a nice bull. He (the bull) stood for 3 caps but then decided he had an appointment elsewhere. :violin: It worked fine after the flash channel was cleaned.
The other guides were telling my client that there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that his gun would fire if needed. In their defense though none of them were ML hunters or even shooters and they were operating on what they had read or heard.


Bob