Do you hunt with....

[Grizz1219]

A clean barrel or do you prefer to have a round or two through the barrel...

 

For me.. I tried for a long time to get my rifle to group better with a pristine barrel (cleaning between rounds) but I just can't get better groups than with a barrel that has a round or two down it... So I always make sure I run a bore snake down my rifle barrel and the shoot at least 1 more round, preferably two and put it away till after the season.. How about you??

[Terry]

I put a couple rounds through the barrel before I hunt for the same reason.

[Jeremy K]

I just found my new excuse when my jar head brother grabs my firearm for inspection and gives me shit about it being dirty, now I can say it's more accurate when its dirty.

[NYBowhunter]

I take a couple shots just to get some of the oil out and to ensure all is in working order.

[turkeyfeathers]

Clean barrel here. Every year checking gun on paper to make sure scope didn't get bumped it's spot on when clean so I hunt this way. 

[stoneam2006]

Not much change for me between clean and 10-15 shots. Outta my rifled 12 gauge

[steve863]

On the first hunt of the year, or before I get to make that first shot, the gun is fired with a clean barrel.  After the first shot the gun doesn't get cleaned until the season is over. I highly doubt that the difference in point of impact, or differences in group sizes one get from a dirty barrel vs. a clean one will make one bit of difference when making a good aim on a deer.  I think we read way too many magazines where they brainwash people into believing that one needs to fire .25" groups in order to kill deer.  That surely is not true.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hock3y24]

Rifle my gun likes a few rounds then a dry boresnake through it, shotgun I shoot Hornaday Sst and never clean that thing beside the end of the season with a dry patch.

[Dinsdale]

 

I take a couple shots just to get some of the oil out and to ensure all is in working order.

I always run a light solvent and a dry patch from a long term oiled barrel.

Adding extreme heat to barrel oil just makes for nasty junk to cook inside and tougher to remove deposits.

Dirty bore for almost everything when hunting. Some rifles absolutely will shoot different clean vs dirty, and others not as much/at all for my rifles. YMMV

[bushnell]

I clean mine then take it to the range to make sure that everything is in working order and let it go until after season. So to answer your question I like to have a couple of rounds through the barrel.

[Lawdwaz]

Dirty or should I say fouled.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Lawdwaz

[ny hunter]

I sight my rifles in around September,maybe 6 rounds and then leave them like that until the season is over.Then scrub and oil the barrels before putting them away..

[ATbuckhunter]

Fouled barrel for me. Mine gets fouled on my sight in day and doesn't get cleaned till the last day of the season or the last day I plan to hunt. 

[Buckmaster7600]

I shoot my deer rifles a few hundred rounds a year and have never seen a rifles point of impact move more than 1/4 of an inch between clean and dirty. If a quarter of an inch makes I difference in your hunting u hunt a lot different than me, that's an inch dinference at 400 yards and at that distance 1 inch is the difference between a 3 and a 5 mph cross wind.

[steve863]

I shoot my deer rifles a few hundred rounds a year and have never seen a rifles point of impact move more than 1/4 of an inch between clean and dirty. If a quarter of an inch makes I difference in your hunting u hunt a lot different than me, that's an inch dinference at 400 yards and at that distance 1 inch is the difference between a 3 and a 5 mph cross wind.

 

 

Exactly!  People get so stuck up on this dirty vs. clean barrel that it's almost funny.  Like even an inch or two will make a difference under normal field conditions.  For those shooting at long distances, they will probably screw the shot up way faster because of the wind or a poor shooting rest than they will because of this mysterious change in point of impact from a clean barrel vs. a dirty one.

[Uncle Nicky]

My father was former military, he drilled it in my head that every time you fire a gun, you have to clean it when you get home, no excuses. He was an excellent shot (no scope), so I figured he knew what he was talking about. I've gone with this ever since.

[Pygmy]

With my centerfires my barrel is always fouled when I hunt because I always fire a few rounds to check zero prior to season, and then don't clean the rifle until after season.

 

With my muzzleloader the barrel is clean.

 

I have never seen enough difference in clean vs. fouled to make any difference in a hunting situation.

 

I have noticed that ( with one of my rifles in particular) the first COLD barrel shot is further out of the group than subsequent shots, but again, it has never been enough to make a difference.

[Five Seasons]

sounds like you guys might be over-oiling. Go VERY VERY light on the oil. I don't like leaving any gun with residue in it.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Except for my ML my guns to not get the bores cleaned all season. the outside get cleaned and oiled but the barrels stay as they are from my last range session prior to the season.

[chiefbkt]

Usually leave it dirty after the pre-season range check.  I will clean it during the season (if I hunt in inclement weather) and then hunt with it clean.  

[eagle rider]

clean barrel for me.

[nyantler]

I never noticed much of a difference with rifle or shotgun... with the muzzleloader however I pop a cap before loading to foul the barrel.