The first shot

[Farmer Joe]

Before we settle down and take our first real shot, ,we always take what we call a'' fouling shot''. That shot is never recorded, always at a spare target, never looked at and sometimes sounds different but I have noticed that lately if I load the same grains of powder and keep everything consistent like the 2nd ,3rd etc. I don't need to take that shot. What I'm asking is ,does any one notice a difference and does every one take a fouling shot?

 

[LRB]

I don't, and again , I don't. Every barrel is different. I have a Rice round bottom grooved barrel. It doesn't seem to care, whether one shot or twenty, if I miss, I know it was my fault.

 

[DanC]

Depends on what I'm doing. But if I am after accuracy, then yes. I either take a "fouling shot", or I just put a charge in without a ball over it and fire downrange. This fouls the bore, then I wipe the barrel once and again after each shot. This way, the bore condition is as consistant as possible from shot to shot. I agree with D.S. and others that say consistancy and attention to detail improves grouping, assuming I do my part and shoot reasonably well.

Just how I do it- what seems to work best for me.

Dan

 

[rabjr]

I don't, and again , I don't. Every barrel is different. I have a Rice round bottom grooved barrel. It doesn't seem to care, whether one shot or twenty, if I miss, I know it was my fault.

+1 :thumbsup:

 

[Rogue River]

I pop a cap or two but never take a fouling shot! Of course I don't compete, just hunt and go out and plink at targets and cans nothing serious! :grin:

 

[Walks Alone]

I don't see a need to bother with a fouling shot for either hunting or shooting primitive matches. They are all I do with my muzzleloaders, and they shoot good enough for both without one. When I shoot competition for score its with modern firearms.

 

[Farmer Joe]

I should have said that I pop some caps, if I don't ,well you know. I heard about Rice barrels, good stuff.

 

[biliff]

Kept track of where my first shot goes for awhile and finally figured out the difference doesn't amount to a hill of beans if its even there at all.

 

[necchi]

For target work, the first one goes in the dirt back stop.
It's all about bore condition, the clean bore won't shoot the X in a target. It may hit the nine or even nick the ten ring, which is plenty goodnuff for many folks, but I enjoy shooting and doing it as well as possible.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I don't take a fouling shot. But I do "poof" the gun by shooting off a powder charge with no ball, just to make sure I have all of the oil washed out. Since I heavily oil my guns after cleaning and oil fouled powder is easier to remove if it doesn't have a ball on top of it.! :hmm: :hmm:

 

[roundball]

"...I have noticed that lately if I load the same grains of powder and keep everything consistent like the 2nd ,3rd etc. I don't need to take that shot. What I'm asking is ,does any one notice a difference and does every one take a fouling shot?

I've seen the occasional reference to this 'first shot POI being different from successive shots' thing but have never had it happen, never bother with a fouling shot...last thing in the world I'd ever want to do is take an immaculately clean Flintlock, intentionally foul the bore, then go hunt with it like that all day.

Never having experienced this variance, it may be due to the fact that I don't measure group size with a dial caliper, just a regular ruler and may not notice it if it's that tiny...or, it may be due to others equipment, products, or methods that may set themselves up for the POI variances, dunno.

As an aside, like many others, I follow a reverse procedure to the above when sighting in a new Flintlock or a new load...I take every shot from a cleaned, dried, lubed barrel so there's no question that the first shot on a good buck will be dead on the mark 'cause that's all we get...

 

[Farmer Joe]

I hear you guys, I've been shooting chunk at 62 yards and found that I'm not as good as I once was, so I'm starting to think that the first shot might be the best shot. While deer hunting,it's my only shot. The guys I shoot with all do what necchi does and I gotta admit that the only time I win is when they let me.
I'm planning to put peep sights on all my guns soon like the one in a past issue of Muzzle Loader and I should mention ( because I'm new here) that I went to an under striker for hunting and that's something that I should have done 30 years ago.

 

[Semisane]

As an aside, like many others, I follow a reverse procedure to the above when sighting in a new Flintlock or a new load...I take every shot from a cleaned, dried, lubed barrel so there's no question that the first shot on a good buck will be dead on the mark 'cause that's all we get...

I'm right with you there roundball. I sight in my guns the same way and hunt with a clean dry barrel. If I don't shoot on a hunt the gun stays loaded for the next hunt, or the one after that, and I never have to worry about the bore. One of my sinfully scoped Renegades is sitting in the rack right now with a load that's been in it since December.

 

[leslie]

Big difference between hunting and target shooting,where winning and losing is measured in millimeters or fractions thereof.As you do, target shooters have practices they follow to achieve maximum accuracy,a fouling shot is almost universal.As you say I would not pack a dirty gun around all day either.Most of the people I shoot with do both and follow completely different routines with different rifles.

 

[larry wv]

If I shot for score I would use a fouling shot. Most of my front stuffers shoot to a different point clean as in first shot and dirty as in fouled or all the rest. Larry Wv

 

[hanshi]

I never take a fouling shot for the same reasons others have posted. I don't want to have to clean my gun if I haven't taken a shot at game. I prefer to leave it loaded until the next hunt.

I've also never noticed a different poi from a clean barrel. It may be off a bit but not enough for me to measure.

 

[wahunterinrok]

The only time I noticed a difference is when I ran an oiled patch down, then fired, don't know why a dry patch didn't follow.... one of those moments

 

[Zonie]

I mainly shoot targets anymore and I've often noticed that the first shot out of a clean barrel will be out is the group that is subsequently fired.

I've given some thought to this and the only thing I can come up with is I remove my barrel to clean my guns after shooting them. When they are reassembled it is very possible the barrel isn't quite seated back into the stock in the position that it really likes to be in.

The recoil of the first shot may cause the barrel to seat where the gun wants it to be rather than where I put it. :hmm:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

You can figure that out by taking a shot on a clean barrel, then clean the barrel in the gun. Then another shot.

Personally, I think the only way to have a consistent barrel is to clean every shot. Otherwise you have different degrees of fouling with each shot.

Especially when hunting. I sight in with a clean barrel, and clean every shot in the field. Always shooting with a clean barrel has to be the most consistent. At least in my mind.

 

[oletymepreacher]

A test I performed , using a chronograph, showed higher velocity coming from a fouled barrel(2nd shot and after). 100 fps difference. Might be enough to have shot #1 to be out of group at longer range.