Poof! (How to shoot powder without a load)

I haven't attempted this yet, but I know that when I go to the range with a clean barrel, my first shot is almost always a flier, even if I run several patches down the barrel to wipe away any leftover residue. After that first shot, things tighten up.

This means that when I go hunting with a clean barrel, that first (likely only) shot that I'll fire will most likely be a flier as well.

This leads me to think that I probably should fire the rifle once the night before the next morning's hunt, and preferably NOT where I'll be hunting the next day. I'd like to do this without a load of lead flying around.

How exactly would one go about loading up a "blank" for this purpose? I would imagine I should load powder and somehow tamp it down with a patch on top without the brass ball-pusher fitting on top I imagine, so the patch doesn't just come right back out when I remove the ramrod. Is that the ticket?

Are there any "gotchas" that I need to think about??

You need nothing but some powder. I’ve shot many blanks in demonstrations with just black powder, just pour in a dose and don’t lower the barrel.
The real question is how far off is your first shot? Unless it’s extremely wild the corrosion would concern me more.

Its generally a bad idea (in my opinion) to have the fouling sit in your barrel for long periods of time. The load used for hunting may be in there for several days before getting fired and the barrel cleaned. During that time the fouling will be working with the humidity in the air to corrode the barrel.

Is your first shot flier going to a consistent place on the target? If so, You may want a tighter patch to hold the ball or know where that first shot goes and apply that offset to your first shot on game. It can be quite a load development challenge to get the first shot out of a clean barrel to align with the subsequent shots from a fouled barrel. In most hunting situations it is well worth it to try to know your first shot group. With respect to load development, it will mean cleaning the rifle after each shot so that you shoot using a clean barrel. There are some hunters that concentrate load development and sight adjustment for first shot accuracy.

If you intend to hunt all day and fire the load at the end of the day to clean it, then a load of powder with a folded patch to hold the powder in place will foul the barrel. Do try this first on the range to see if your shot after the fouling shot has the point of impact matching the point of aim. Once you have the ball loaded, do run a damp patch to remove most of the fouling above the loaded ball.

I'd try to figure out what's causing that flyer instead of firing a fouling shot first.

My opinion is, you are flinching on the first shot and settling down on subsequent shots.

Some guns simply shoot to a different point of impact in a clean barrel. I also think trying to find a load that puts the first shoot within reasonable distance to the following shots is a good idea. After all, when hunting, its the first shot that matters.

I would try a thicker patch for the first shot. I would also use a dry lube to reduce slickness. I am thinking the first shot is not engaging the rifling in the extent as the subsequent shots on target are engaging the rifling. Yes, you want to always use the same components from shot to shot. Yes, you want the condition of the barrel to be consistent from shot to shot. So, you should find the specific conditions needed for hunting performance for that first shot in a clean barrel. When hunting, its the first shot that is the most important.

Hmmm....shoot the night before and RELOAD!!

If it's below freezing, rust is extremely slow in doing its' dirty work. If you leave the gun outside you might be ok that way.

I have a rifle that wants to be dirty to be accurate. I tend to shoot in the garage if I am on my property. I use a very small powder charge of about 10 grains and I put a slightly loose disc of cork on top of the powder. I just cut a thin slice of wine cork for 50 or 54 caliber (front end that was in bottle for 50 and back end for 54). The reason is that I cannot shoot "up" in the garage and some other places so I need the powder to stay put. If I could shoot up, the powder would work without help. The cork comes out pretty fast so I wouldn't point it at something that it could hurt or break. However, on concrete or hard ground the cork is soft enough not to leave a mark and doesn't bounce or ricochet. If I do this long before heading out hunting I will reload with a patched ball (or conical if that is what the rifle takes) but no prime or cap and a safety measure in place. I don't want to leave a fouled barrel overnight or for hours and I don't want to take it from one temperature and humidity to another without a load in there protecting the charge. What I ultimately did and have working for several rifles (but not all yet) is to load what the sights print "dead-on" and I have a slightly different load for the second and third shot that prints with the first clean barrel shot. I've never needed more that 3 on a hunt, and rarely even used 2.

Clean barrel flier. Odd to me. When I sight in a gun I swab after every shot. Once it's sighted then I check 3 consecutive without swab. Have even shot as many as 10 and the POI holds. I'm shooting a Kentucky 50 in competition and swab every 2. 3rd match I took 2nd with it. Sighted as I stated.
May need to rethink your load.
What are you shooting?

Thanks for all of these replies guys. (For some reason I don’t get the little indicator telling me that folks have replied to threads that I created, but I do for posts that others started and that I participated in-weird.)

More detail in response to questions here... I do coat my barrel with bore butter as part of my cleaning routine. Some like that stuff, others hate it, and I’m aware of that.

The first shot flier is usually about 4” or so off from my usual 2” cluster at 50y. That’s my self-imposes max for hunting ethically, given my skills, hunting scenarios, and strong aversion to shots that don’t do their job quickly.

I do swipe with a moist cleaning swab between shots at the range and in the field to try to keep the barrel consistently clean-ish. I’m also doing a more thorough job prior to loading that first shot at cleaning out the leftover boar butter...

When we hunt, we do typically load at the beginning of the weekend and leave loaded until we shoot, obviously removing the pan powder when we’re done for the day or moving from one point to another by truck. So... having a clean barrel is definitely preferred.

I may he overthinking this... but always thinking of ways to improve.

TXFlynHog said:

Thanks for all of these replies guys. (For some reason I don’t get the little indicator telling me that folks have replied to threads that I created, but I do for posts that others started and that I participated in-weird.)

More detail in response to questions here... I do coat my barrel with bore butter as part of my cleaning routine. Some like that stuff, others hate it, and I’m aware of that.

The first shot flier is usually about 4” or so off from my usual 2” cluster at 50y. That’s my self-imposes max for hunting ethically, given my skills, hunting scenarios, and strong aversion to shots that don’t do their job quickly.

I do swipe with a moist cleaning swab between shots at the range and in the field to try to keep the barrel consistently clean-ish. I’m also doing a more thorough job prior to loading that first shot at cleaning out the leftover boar butter...

When we hunt, we do typically load at the beginning of the weekend and leave loaded until we shoot, obviously removing the pan powder when we’re done for the day or moving from one point to another by truck. So... having a clean barrel is definitely preferred.

I may he overthinking this... but always thinking of ways to improve.

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Has to be something. That first shot shouldn't be any different than the 2nd, 3rd and I've made even 10 without swab. Try this. Thoroughly clean the bore but leave out the bore butter and just coat the bore with a light oil after cleaning. Swab before next load. I do not have any personal experience with bore butter but have read many comments from other that have and one thing in common is the bore butter can leave some restrictive residue. Might be possible that is why your first shot flies. Once that first shot blows out any residue things go back to normal. Can't hurt to try. My only proof it's possible is the fact I don't use it and don't experience fliers.

TXFlynHog said:

I do swipe with a moist cleaning swab between shots at the range and in the field to try to keep the barrel consistently clean-ish. I’m also doing a more thorough job prior to loading that first shot at cleaning out the leftover boar butter...

When we hunt, we do typically load at the beginning of the weekend and leave loaded until we shoot, obviously removing the pan powder when we’re done for the day or moving from one point to another by truck. So... having a clean barrel is definitely preferred.

I may he overthinking this... but always thinking of ways to improve.

Click to expand...

I see you are cleaning the Bore Butter out before loading. I would recommend a good swab with a wet alcohol patch followed by a wipe with a light lubricant such as Barricade. How are you lubricating your patch? A super slick patch may well be affecting your ball and patch's ability to engage the rifling. I would use a patch dry lubricated with a Ballistol mix allowed to dry before loading. That should improve the engagement of the ball and patch to rifling and your bore will be protected for the hunting weekend.

I used Bore Butter for a while probably 30 years ago and it worked for my application reasonably well but far from ideal. I did try applying a good coat to the bore after cleaning a number of times and shooting the next event, usually a couple of weeks apart, without removing that from the barrel. Accuracy dropped off significantly and returned after I began the next round with a clean bore. Now I was shooting minies but that was my experience and I have no reason to go back to Bore Butter for any application.

Sidney Smith said:

I'd try to figure out what's causing that flyer instead of firing a fouling shot first.

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Yep!

Grenadier1758 said:

Some guns simply shoot to a different point of impact in a clean barrel

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Yep! but none of my guns do, so it's not a "gun thing".

TXFlynHog said:

I’m also doing a more thorough job prior to loading that first shot at cleaning out the leftover boar butter...

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Bingo! There's your problem, Bore butter.
You are not getting all the bore butter out before that first shot. The wax in bore butter can be very difficult to remove. Try very hot water, then alcohol to remove any water.

If you're shooting PRB, try a slightly thicker patch. Flyers are almost always either 1) your fault in shooting form, 2) a misaligned ball(sprue) or patch, 3) inconsistant patch slickness (too much/little lube) or 4) a slightly different weight ball.

To answer, powder is all you need. Most reenactors are shooting just powder. It's fine. Use less, like half of your load. 40gr is plenty, because shooting just powder is dirtier. I also agree with not leaving the fouling in your barrel for long.

You're hunting. The first shot is the true shot that counts. The others are fliers to that critical first shot. Either one and done or you'll likely have time to do a quick swabbing.

If you disagree, fire your fouling shot prior and live with whatever may come of it.

Thanks fellas. Will try without the bore butter and see how that goes. If not that, will work with patch thickness next. I suspects it’s da-buttah.

IDK, first shot might be a little off but 4 inches is probably something you're doing and not something that is going on in your barrel.

My first shot might be off because I haven't shot in a while .

TXFlynHog said:

Thanks fellas. Will try without the bore butter and see how that goes. If not that, will work with patch thickness next. I suspects it’s da-buttah.

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Spend time going to the range every day or every weekend and only firing one shot, then pack up and go home. I did it for years. You will learn a lot, iron out all the kinks and become a better shooter.

Here it is common practice to fire a powder only load from a sxs shotgun at the start it clears out any oil etc and a coked barrel always shoot better.
Feltwad