How many on this forum?????

Bigtime

Guest
How many on this forum own a muzzleloader that they have 100$ confidence in. I mean, do you know that your ml is going to fire everytime and that it is going to hit the intended target everytime.

I have a CVA that will fire every time but unless the barrel is fouled it will not shoot a good group. Has anyone heard of this? I have to shoot my ML once before it will start shooting a decent sized group, or I have to pop 3 or 4 primers through it to get the barrel "fouled". What do you say fellas? Is it time for a new one? BTW, it's a CVA Optima Pro.
 
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Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I think that is a common occurance with muzzle loaders, BT. It is also the case with some regular rifles.
 

buckshooter

Old Mossy Horns
I agree with soilman. My CVA has to have at the least 2 caps fired before it groups well. Got a couple of center-fire rifles that are the same way. Clean they shoot OK, after a couple of shots they start grouping much better.
 

Quackman

Twelve Pointer
I always shoot 2 primers out of my TC Encore. 3 shots can be covered up with a dip can at 100 yards. After 3 it gets cleaned. Most of my centerfire rifles also shoot better after a few shots. I will only clean the barrel after 20-30 rounds. My Rem 700 I clean more like every 50 rounds.
 

rem1148

Guest
Have an Accura V2. Always pop 3-4 caps before loading to clear any oil at end of breech plug to ensure ignition. I clean it after shooting to check scope and reload to hunt with. It isn`t shot that much, after that it isn`t shot unless its at a deer or end of season. I have great confidence that my ML will fire every shot. Had an old Hawkin misfire one time during preseason check. Killed a bunch of deer with it. It`s still in my safe! Killed a few with the V2.

Hope you and your family are doing well BT!
 
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1SHOT1KILL

Old Mossy Horns
I cannot recall ever having a misfire with my Savages or custom smokeless muzzleloaders, within the last 12-15 years or so. Back in the smokeless powder muzzleloading R&D and experimental days, I had quite a few, but it could have been the bullet/sabot combo, breechplug design, the percussion modules design, powders, or any combination there of, that I was experimenting with at the time. With my smokeless muzzlelaoders, they shoot best with a dirty bore, so from September to Janusry they do not get cleaned.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I shoot a Whites ML Systems..it's never let me down and for some reason seems to not be as sensitive as some to being "dirty"...although I don't typically let it get that way. As far as accuracy, it's as sensitive to the clean and dirty barrel issues, like any other gun that shoots black powder.
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
I do, but mine is a flintlock..... :)

I don't believe a muzzleloader has to be fouled to be accurate, I believe the right combo hasn't been found...

I had a buddy that had an Optima that would start throwing a different group after the first shot, even with a
clean barrel...We found it wasn't the barrel but the breech plug that was the problem...This was happening with
777...We switched to FFF Goex and the problem went away...
 

Lucky Clucker

Old Mossy Horns
I got a magbolt 150. and it is very accurate and has only had 1 misfire in 9 years and it was the bad primer,I sight in with a clean barrel,took awhile but I do n ot like it to be dirty while hunting a few days and letting it corrode up in the barrel, it shoots just as good dirty, 2 777 pellets, and 245 powerbelts.
 

Bigtime

Guest
Thanks for your opinions guys. My optima pro has misfired one time out of the 8 years that I have owned it. I believe that my expectations are a bit too high for my ML. I didn't realize that the "dirty barrel syndrone " was so common. I was going to buy a new Knight Ultra Light but there's nothing wrong with mine. In fact when I think about it, the day that it misfired I still killed that buck on the second go around. Heck, I don't ever remember missing an animal with the old CVA.

Hey rem1148, thank's for keeping us in your prayers and on your minds. Things are going much better, thank you!!!
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
Both my muzzle loaders I have complete confidence in....TC renegade and a TC BD.....only ever had one misfire in 30 years.....yes only one and that was at a range when I wasn't cleaning the barrel. 90 percent of my deer have fallen to the muzzleloader.
 

81toyota

Twelve Pointer
When I was enlisted during basic training out Drill Sergeant said that a clean weapon will save your life but a weapon thats fired a couple times before will save your life in less time.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Thats common with many firearms. My center fire stuff gets cleaned after deer season and wiped down periodically. I never clean after siting in until season is over.

One of the muzzle loaders requires cleaning every few shots or you gonna need a hammer to get the bullet down the barrel.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I don't hunt with clean bores. The first shot is often (usually) different than the rest, and that's pretty well documented. So a sight in session before the season and a cleaning after the season works for me.
 

roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
With Flintlocks, care & feeding for 100% reliability is a learned thing and once over that learning curve, I don't even think about it.
In fact, ironically, Flintlocks may be more reliable than some of the circumstances being discussed about more modern MLs because everything can be seen and gotten to while hunting to refresh the prime occasionally, etc.

As to the first shot accuracy thing, you already know sighting in should be done for the very first shot out of a clean cold barrel...rarely ever get a 2nd shot anyway.

And personally...I would never go hunting for hours with a fouled bore.
If you have to do something like that try real Goex blackpowder...extremely fast ignition & accuracy.
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
I don't hunt with clean bores. The first shot is often (usually) different than the rest, and that's pretty well documented. So a sight in session before the season and a cleaning after the season works for me.

I always sight in with a clean bore and hunt with a clean bore...Never found one I couldn't get to group with a clean bore with the right components...
 

roundball

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
In fact, I carry a couple of what I call "field cleaning kits" in my vest...squeaky clean after every shot and carry all the litter out of the woods too.

 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I always sight in with a clean bore and hunt with a clean bore...Never found one I couldn't get to group with a clean bore with the right components...

With my ML as well as centerfires, I often find that the clean bore shot is about 2+ inches off of the resulting group. Now I guess you could clean thoroughly between each shot and sight it in for a clean bore, but I prefer just to use the first as a fouling shot. That way every shot after the first still groups the same. I check the zero right before the season comes in and leave it fouled for 2 weeks.
 

UncleFester

Old Mossy Horns
I've had my White Mountain Carbine missfire on me before, but my Traditions and Savage Smokeless have been rock solid. They're all accurate and I have complete confidence in the Savage, my skills are the only weakness there...
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'll fire a couple of shots before I start out but other than that I always shoot from a clean bore. Always...even on the range I'll swab between shots.
 

wardbr549

Guest
I pop a cap in my CVA. I shoot it and clean it with a spit patch all season. then clean it really well and put it up till next year. I get a 1" group at 100 yds. Love my CVA!!!
 

useyourbow

Eight Pointer
Don't you risk corrosion if you hunt the whole season with a fouled barrel. (ML) When sighting in I shoot, clean, shoot a gain. Clean, cold bore first shot is my goal because that is what I will be taking in the field. Now, once the rifle is sighted in I will shoot follow up shots with a fouled bore to view impact/group in case I need to follow up in the field.
 
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