Fouling load?

L

Lt. Skrumpledonk Ret

New member
I understand a fouling shot oughta improve accuracy when it counts, such as in hunting. Do I really need to include everything to accomplish this? Instead of loading 75 grains of black powder and a patched ball, could I just load, say 20 grains of powder and some sort of wad or something? Yes, I am a cheapskate.
 
I don't do the fouling load. When I sight in, I clean the bore after each shot. I'm sighted in on a clean bore.
 
Before I go hunting I drop 20-50 grains or so down the bore and fire it off, no wad, no ball, no nuthin. I don't do it to foul the bore for accuracy. I do it to make sure there's no oil left in the bore.
 
My rifle seems to shoot a little more accurately on its second shot too. But if my rifle hasn't been fired during the day I typically blow its charge out with a CO-2_ T/C Discharger every evening. Then let it sweat and dry itself at room temperature over night due to the below zero cold temps I hunt in. First thing after a cup & and a piece of cinnamon toast in the early AM its barrel is again recharged for that days hunt. No need to dry fire a Cap. But I've noticed when I go through that CO-2 procedure the night before its barrel is left kind'a fouled a ~ little bit. {seen with a bore light} So I guess that's helpful concerning its accuracy for the next days hunt. No problem with rust inside or out over the years. So I must be do'in something right. Litt'l Hawken 45 w/P-Ball is good out to a 100 yards and will smack'em hard if I see em on the very first pull of its trigger/s. Every time.
 
A fouling shot is for consistency, so the first round will shoot to the same poa as the others as the barrel becomes fouled.

A 20-40 grain shot will dry and foul the clean barrel so the first round will behave like the others, whether or not you wipe between shots (good idea).
 
Rifle zero'ed clean.

And when I'm out hunting, I won't shoot enough rounds in the course of a day to foul the bbl. enough to change POI when swabbing the bore between loads. Thinking back, probably the most shots I've ever fired in a day of m/l bp hunting is three shots. Again, swabbing between shots, never saw the need to zero with fouled bbl and have to run a fouling charge before loading when hunting. It's usually very cold here in the late m/l season and my rifle and all possibles are usually stored outside a couple days prior and throughout the season so a dry mop is run down the bbl before loading.

Shooting competition is a different animal due to the fact that I'd be shooting several shots through the course of the day. I'd zero with a fouled bbl. and foul before a shoot.
 
When competing in a match, I always foul the bore, but don't when hunting. I just hate to leave the bore fouled all day and collecting moisture. I like to pop off a few caps before loading to hunt, but that's all.
 
i don't do "fouling shots". The gun that shoots bullets from clean and dirty bores to different points of aim soon goes away.
 
For consistent accuracy... {using Goex}, I clean the bore between shots --- by spraying a cotton flannel patch with some Simple Green --- run it back an forth through the pipe once --- reverse the patch; and do it again. After approx. 20 shots...I combine the procedure with a muzzleloader brass core bore brush.
 
Wouldn't that pretty much include every black powder gun ever made?
Click to expand...

No!!

Most muzzleloading rifles will put bullets from fouled and clean bores within the same 100 yard group with the right load of powder .
 
I have always fired a fouling load - but just using powder. After the fouling shot, I run a spit patch down - then load. I spit patch between shots as well. It keeps everything consistent. I do it on all of my RB rifles regardless of the caliber.

Everybody does it different and it's up to the individual. Over the years, I have tried not using a fouling shot and my first shot on paper was always off in regards to POI as to POA - after a fouling shot - they were consistent. YMMV

Again, it's a personal thing but if you aren't in the habit of doing it - give it a try and see how they land on paper - that will tell you whether you need to do a fouling shot or not - and remember, every rifle is different.
 
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