Hunt with CLEAN or FOULED barrel?

[Varmint Hunter]

Since black powder and most substitutes are corrosive to one degree or another, I was wondering: do you guys hunt with a clean oiled barrel or do you leave fouling in the barrel from a previous shooting session to ensure shot placement?

[Buckskins & Black Powder]

first shot is on a clean barrel, second shot if needed is on a dirty bore, after second shot i load up #3 on a dirty bore and usually leave it loaded for 2-3 days before i'll fire that load off and clean the rifle.  A lot of people swab between shots, and while thats fine to do, i prefer to know where those 2 other shots will go on a fouled barrel if i need to take that many shots.

[reward]

Most of the muzzleloaders I've owned preferred a fouled barrel except for a Knight wolverine 54 cal. I currently shoot a 45 cal cva kodiak and a t/c hawken 45 cal. I foul both barrels with 30gr 777 in the cva and real black powder in the hawken. The cva gets one patch of windex and 2 dry patches and the hawken gets 1 spit patch and 2 dry between shots. My next 2 shots are real close without cleaning in both guns. Never got more than 2 shots at a deer so I'm pretty confident with both guns. Take some time and experiment both ways, I've found I am better off doing that than just relying on someone else's advice. Good luck!!!!

[gt2003]

1st shot is from a clean barrel then I swab with a spit patch.  I run it through on one side then turn it over on the cleaning jag and use the clean side to swab the barrel again.  I then run a dry patch through it then reload.  It doesn't seem to affect the accuracy.  I get great groups.  I shoot a knight wolverine, #11 cap, 80 grains 777 and a 220 grain precision rifle dead center bullet.  I've always done it this way so I have no idea how it would perform with no cleaning/swabbing between shots.

[Redhawk1]

My first shot is on a clean barrel, that is also how I sight my gun in also, with a clean barrel.

[alsaqr]

"My first shot is on a clean barrel, that is also how I sight my gun in also, with a clean barrel."

Ditto for me.   

[slave]

No doubt my encore will produce a tighter group off the bench on a fouled barrel, but I sight in for hunting on a clean barrel fouled by 1 primer fired before sighting in or taking to the Field with my desired hunting load.

I am not sure if burning a primer helps POI at the range but it dose help dry out any moisture or oil that may be left in the barrel from the last cleaning that could have an impact on the powder if it was left in contact with it for any length of time. My second shout or a 3 shot string at 100 yards will hit about two inches higher and 1 inch right of my clean barrel point of impact. Not enough difference for me to concern myself with in a hunting situation that would require a second or third shot in that given day. Lets face it, nothing is perfect and in the woods I am not capable of out shooting the rifle in any state that the barrel may be in. Have not found a way to convince a buck to stand perfectly still exactly 100 yds in front of my shooting bench on a day with no wind.