Shooting procedure for first shot accuracy

[cptmclark]

I would like your experience with first shot accuracy techniques. I have shot and hunted with MZ for many years, currently still using my TC Hawken rebarreled with a GM faster twist barrel. Quite accurate. My most accurate hunting load is 110 gr of GOEX "express" FFFG and the TC Shockwave bullet. Recently I've had two occasions of the first shot going out of the group , like two or three inches out of the group at 100 yards. I use Reminton "RemOil" to preserve the bore and breech, and all with great results for several years. It does not leave an oily residue. Before shooting I wipe the bore clean as I can with a few patches, and they all come out clean. Then I fire two caps before loading. Between shots I wipe the bore with a water based cleaner dampened (lightly) patch or two, then two dry ones.
I know the very clean bore is not the same as a damp wiped and dried bore, but don't know how to get around that. Maybe these shots were flukes, but don't want one of those for my one shot at Billy Bigbuck. Thanks a lot. Mike

[Hardcase]

Don't take this as being snide - I don't hunt, so I'm coming from the point of view of ignorance. If your shot goes a couple of inches wide at a hundred yards, isn't that still plenty accurate? I assume that you're not trying to score a head shot, right?

Don't get me wrong, POI=POA is the goal and it makes sense to put the bullet right where you want it, but within an inch or two on that tasty venison is "good enough", isn't it?

[cptmclark]

Everybody has their neurosis, and mine is accuracy. I wouldn't hunt with a gun that throws it's shots 2 or three inches out. That could be right or left, so 4 inch group possible. I can't hold perfectly still on the desired POI, excited, moving critter, finding a hole in the vegitation. If I miss my aiming point by three inches (likely) and the shot goes out of the group by two or three, then thats a miss by 5 or 6, which is totally unacceptable. Even worse at 150 yards or so. Gotta know where it's shootin'. If I know it's a five inch shooter, I can live with it by keeping my shots inside say 40 yards. But that's no fun to be restricted like that. Other folks see it differently I know. PS: Acutally , you might have to make a head shot, if that's all he's willing to let you see:). Not typical of course.

[PAdutchman]

I do a lot of shooting with both modern firearms as well as black powder firearms. Quite simply what you are experiencing is the effects of your "fouling" shot. You might find it funny, but it's the truth. Think about it. You're sighting in a rifle. Is your bore totally cleaned after every shot like you do after you get home from shooting? Probably not. You swab it with Hoppe's and then a clean patch, and load the next round. That is how it gets sighted in. Now you take it home, clean the heck out of the barrel, and oil it up. You take it out to shoot the next time and the 1st shot is a flyer. You swab it with Hoppe's and a clean patch, load and shoot, and it's right on. That was how you sighted it in. There isn't much you can do about it unless you want to store it uncleaned, which is not advisable.

[mykeal]

Yep. Your gun likes a fouled barrel.

I don't know the details of your hunting situation, but if that extra two inches is as important as you say, you need to find a way to fire a fouling shot each day before starting the hunt. It doesn't have to be your hunting load; it could be as simple as 30 gr under a thick wad, or even a round ball, fired into a stump. Time to get creative.

[Doyle]

Loose the Rem Oil and start using Bore Butter. It is made for black powder.

The way I get around this is that I use wet patches (including removing the breech plug) after EVERY shot at the range. That way, I'm sighting in on a clean barrel. I figure that all my hunting shots will be from a clean barrel so I want my sight-in to be that way.

[cptmclark]

Well, I hadn't thought of running a lightly oiled patch after the light swabbing between shots. Breech plug is not coming out of this sidelock of course. That might more closely duplicate the first shot. Then again, this problem does not always occur. Might have to do with the oiled bore vs the water and soap swabbed bore, which is a bit tacky to the touch.

[Hawg]

Remoil isnt good for a muzzle loader bore. Leave it in the lock work where it belongs. I always fire a blank charge loosely poured down the bore to burn out any residue and get the bore dirty before I go hunting.

[YARDDOG(1)]

Pop of a few 3-4 caps through it before you charge it just my 2cts ; )
Y/D