How many shots can you take out of a muzzleloader before

[silvergts1998]

How many shots can you take with a muzzlerloader before accuracy suffers? I was told while sighting in my gun that I should clean it between shots. Sounds a bit excessive.

[MountainDevil54]

CVA Accura @ 100 yards... 3 shots without swabbing. 300gr xtp mag 120gr RS.


only you will know how many shots you can take with your rifle and its preferred loads.

[SGT. D]

I agree 100% with MD54. I have 2 accuras and I can shoot 4 or 5 powerbelts without having to struggle much in loading. I usually shot 3 and after the 3rd shot I'll spit swab the barrel and reload and shot. Your going to have to find out what works with your gun on your own

[RICHARDCatdaddy]

I shoot a Thompson Center 50 cal,cap and ball.No inline.After 3 shots I always swab the barrell.And make sure the nipple is open also.

[Runner]

I guess we all have our own ways of doing things. When sighting-in (for accuracy) I keep a separate ramrod handy with a well-worn .50 cal brush on it. I have a lightly greased (Bore Butter) patch over the brush. In between each shot, I swab the barrel with that patched brush. Doesn't matter which muzzleloader (I own three currently) I'm shooting, I use the same method.

I figure it's the first shot I'm mainly concerned with and I'm generally hunting with a recently cleaned weapon each time out, so I want my practice and sighting-in to closely resemble my actual hunting situation.
-Runner

[MountainDevil54]

check out American Pioneer powder. ive shot almost a full of can of it and its awesome. There is a learning curve to it though. My rifles want the projectiles seated HARD onto of the powder for the best accuracy. 6 shots without swabbing and at the end of the day, final 2 shots were within 1/2" center center.

[SGT. D]

Use that powder myself Good stuff No crud/burn ring. Easy to clean. Makes shooting my ACCURAS allot more fun to shoot

[miassmaro98]

i'll shoot about four before i clean the barrel on my cva wolf

[MZS]

Is there no concern of part of the pellet still burning while reloading the next? (assuming you are using pellets) I read one account of this a while back on a forum somewhere.

[Runner]

I suppose that's just another good reason not to use pellets. Far as I'm concerned, they are junk. Pellets + saboted rounds = urinate-poor performance. Shoot some pellets out over water, or crusted snow sometime, for more good reasons! Heck you could probably kill a small duck at 20 yards or so, just with the chunks of unburned or still-burning pellets that remain. Some night shots into the air will also tell the tale. Looks like a friggin roman candle going off! And just because you don't necessarily have to clean a muzzleloader often, doesn't mean you shouldn't anyway. Is the whole world getting lazy, or what? That's what those stupid pellets were invented for anyway,....lazy a$$es. They can have my share, that's for sure.

[MZS]

I suppose that's just another good reason not to use pellets. Far as I'm concerned, they are junk. Pellets + saboted rounds = urinate-poor performance. Shoot some pellets out over water, or crusted snow sometime, for more good reasons! Heck you could probably kill a small duck at 20 yards or so, just with the chunks of unburned or still-burning pellets that remain. Some night shots into the air will also tell the tale. Looks like a friggin roman candle going off! And just because you don't necessarily have to clean a muzzleloader often, doesn't mean you shouldn't anyway. Is the whole world getting lazy, or what? That's what those stupid pellets were invented for anyway,....lazy a$$es. They can have my share, that's for sure.

I am new to all this and I have only used pellets so far. I thought it was just blackpowder in general that left a "fire trail" in darker conditions. Kind of cool to see though! The pellets I shot were square sticks and frankly I am not impressed since they result in "dead" space. But the square pellets were all that was left in mid-season, probably for good reason.

[quigleysharps4570]

Best advice would be get out there and shoot...see what your rifle tells you.

[slammer]

I suppose that's just another good reason not to use pellets. Far as I'm concerned, they are junk. Pellets + saboted rounds = urinate-poor performance. Shoot some pellets out over water, or crusted snow sometime, for more good reasons! Heck you could probably kill a small duck at 20 yards or so, just with the chunks of unburned or still-burning pellets that remain. Some night shots into the air will also tell the tale. Looks like a friggin roman candle going off! And just because you don't necessarily have to clean a muzzleloader often, doesn't mean you shouldn't anyway. Is the whole world getting lazy, or what? That's what those stupid pellets were invented for anyway,....lazy a$$es. They can have my share, that's for sure.

i use pellets and so far this year i shot at 3 deer at 70 yards and they all fell over