# Cold Bore - 1st shot - Muzzleloaders



## [email protected] (May 19, 2018)

I have shot muzzleloaders for years but had an experience yesterday that through me for a loop. I am sure most of you are familiar with cold bore shooting. I was at the range yesterday at 7 a.m. and it was pretty cold. My muzzy had sat at home for about a week and then in my truck for a couple days before I shot. So it had gone from warm to cold to being fired. Well, my first shot at 100 yards was 6 inches low. My second shot was dead on and every shot after that out to 250 yards was doing just as it should.

My question is, are all "cold bore" shots low at first? Who knows, maybe I will shoot my elk and or deer at first light when it is really cold outside and that first shot is the only one that matters. I don't know if I will be able to get back out and shoot before the opening day on Monday so just curious if anyone has any pointers. Sleep with gun to keep it warm? Warm up the truck in the morning and put it in there?

Also, does leaving a charge in the gun affect the charge after a few days? I have never thought about all of this. But if the gun can get "cold bore" syndrom than maybe the load can also get cold and react different when fired.

Any tips would be great.

Thanks,
Justin


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Its more than the bore being just cold, alot of guys lube their bores when the store them and this lube can affect point of impact. One should practice at the range with the same gun conditions as they plan to hunt with. If you get noticable POI shifts with only the first shot, you should either only practice with the gun in this clean state (clean between every shot), or run a fouling shot prior to hunting (not an option with corrosive powders).

With Pyrodex, my first shot is always where I want it, 2nd shot w/out cleaning is usually within 2" of the first, 3rd opens to +4" and I never shoot 4 in a row without cleaning. So if a quick followup shot is needed, I'm plenty good for 3 shots. This year I'm trying BH209 for the hunt. Groups without cleaning between shots are wider than groups swabbing between shots, but the groups dont open up as large with subsequent shots without cleaning.

But... I usually only need 1 shot 

As for powder left in the gun. I've noticed no difference in POI for powder left in the gun unless its very high humidity. Even then, as a test I left pyrodex powder in a barrel for 11 months once to test ignition issues, and noticed no noticeable difference in lock time vs fresh powder.


-DallanC


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

My rifle throws the first clean cold bore shot about 2" high so its 4 1/2" high at 100 yards then will put 2 more where its supposed to at 2 1/2" high at 100. I don't figure the 2" is anything to worry about unless I'm up close and could be of some help if I misjudge the distance a little on anything over 150 yards.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I've always fired off a couple primers, run a nipple pick through the breach before loading. This fouls the barrel a touch, and I don't get that POI deficiency. Something an "Old Timmer" told me 35 years ago.


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## [email protected] (May 19, 2018)

Yeah I understand all of that. I appreciate the feedback! I myself make the barrel look the same every shot. In other words, I don't clean it completely but I do run a nylon brush down after each shot. I have practiced a follow up shot without doing anything (for hunting situations) and am only an inch off. But the fowling of my barrel or lack thereof isn't the issue in this case. It is simply the gun being in a different state than it is after the first shot (aside from the cleanliness of it). It has to do with barrel being heated up and the whole gun having "stretched" if you will. 

I know that you will get variances in your grouping if you clean it vs. not and if you foul it vs. not. But after I was done at the range last week I swabbed it the exact same as I do every other shot, put it in the case and then took it out a week later (so it should be the same) and it was 6 inches off the first shot and then dead on after that. So it has to be the temperature/the gun sat for a while.

I appreciate all the feedback. Let me know if you have any more! I hope this helps clarify my problem a little bit more.


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

I don't know how to "fix" that. I've never experienced that. Usually the "first shot" is at an animal, and that's been it, game over. Rarely have I taken a Deer that was over 150 yds. ML or rifle.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

taxidermist said:


> I don't know how to "fix" that. I've never experienced that. Usually the "first shot" is at an animal, and that's been it, game over. Rarely have I taken a Deer that was over 150 yds. ML or rifle.


+2

I will never understand the mentality that the first shot is a flier and the others are "where they should be". The First should should always go where you want it, period. Purposely fouling the gun to get the first shot to behave like subsequent ones demonstrates some other base issues.

My first shot goes where I want it, always. I always swabbed between shots when target shooting so every shot was "like the first one", because in the field, the first one is the one you need to make count.

I tested increasing fouling on subsequent shots to see how much it would degrade accuracy. In my gun when I used pyrodex I know I could go upto 3 shots without swabbing if the situation demanded it and still be within Minute of Animal.

-DallanC


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Sounds as if this is the only time you have noticed this happening, at least to this extent. I would suggest that you run the gun through this exact sequence a few times before you panic too much. If you are seeing the same results every time then you got a problem.

If you have a problem then about all I can think to do is adjust accordingly...sight in for that first clean/cold bore shot and make it count or always shoot a round before you hit the field and sight in with the dirty/warm bore.

The advise from taxidermist is excellent and should always be followed, it will probably help a lot. Pop a couple caps before your first load and consider that as you clean/cold bore. I always blow a little air back through the barrel and see if the smoke comes back out the nipple, if it does, you're good to load up and go hunting. The act of firing the caps does a couple of things, it slightly dirties the bore to a more consistent level, it dries and clears any moisture from the nipple(major cause of misfires) and if the smoke comes back through it lets you know the ignition path is clear and ready to go.


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