Is accuracy affected from leaving loaded?

Darkhorse

Senior Member
I want to issue a WARNING here. And this applies only to those shooting patched round balls. Your patch lube is very important here as some will cause a rust ring right at the patched ball.
My favorite shooting lube is Original LeHigh Valley, it is a slick liquid lube. It's great as a patch lube, cleans as you load, and shoots tight groups. But, unlike grease type lubricants the LHV dries out and causes corrosion. I believe it's called Galvanic corrosion.
Mr. Flintlock lube appears to be the same formula as LeHigh Valley. So I sent an email to Mr. Flintlock and asked him if his lube would do the same as LHV. I didn't get a reply so as far as I'm concerned it will cause that rust ring also.
If you leave your rifle loaded when using this stuff as a patch lube it WILL cause a rust ring in your barrel. Depending on weather conditions it may take as little as a day and a half to do the damage.
For this reason I load my first shot with Bore Butter as my lube. It will not cause a rust ring even after a couple of months. Another lube that is safe is Crisco. Track of the Wolf sells a product called Mink Oil which is a good cold weather lube that is also safe to leave loaded during the season. This Mink Oil is not the same thing as that which is sold for dressing shoes and boots. That one has many additives the Track of The Wolf product doesn't have.
So, yes I leave my rifles loaded until a shot is taken. But only with a patch lubed with a lube I know won't dry out and cause a rust ring. The only ones I'll use are Bore Butter, Crisco and TOW's Mink Oil. There are a lot of other lubes that work fine but these I've used for years and know they work.
 

NCMTNHunter

Senior Member
Did you clean it good between sighting it in and loading it to hunt? If so I would bet it shoots different poi depending on if the barrel is clean or dirty. My encore shoots exactly 3” lower with a clean barrel than it does with a dirty barrel every time.
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
I want to issue a WARNING here. And this applies only to those shooting patched round balls. Your patch lube is very important here as some will cause a rust ring right at the patched ball.
My favorite shooting lube is Original LeHigh Valley, it is a slick liquid lube. It's great as a patch lube, cleans as you load, and shoots tight groups. But, unlike grease type lubricants the LHV dries out and causes corrosion. I believe it's called Galvanic corrosion.
Mr. Flintlock lube appears to be the same formula as LeHigh Valley. So I sent an email to Mr. Flintlock and asked him if his lube would do the same as LHV. I didn't get a reply so as far as I'm concerned it will cause that rust ring also.
If you leave your rifle loaded when using this stuff as a patch lube it WILL cause a rust ring in your barrel. Depending on weather conditions it may take as little as a day and a half to do the damage.
For this reason I load my first shot with Bore Butter as my lube. It will not cause a rust ring even after a couple of months. Another lube that is safe is Crisco. Track of the Wolf sells a product called Mink Oil which is a good cold weather lube that is also safe to leave loaded during the season. This Mink Oil is not the same thing as that which is sold for dressing shoes and boots. That one has many additives the Track of The Wolf product doesn't have.
So, yes I leave my rifles loaded until a shot is taken. But only with a patch lubed with a lube I know won't dry out and cause a rust ring. The only ones I'll use are Bore Butter, Crisco and TOW's Mink Oil. There are a lot of other lubes that work fine but these I've used for years and know they work.


I wonder if pure bear oil that you`ve rendered yourself would leave a rust ring over a period of time?
 

Darkhorse

Senior Member
Did you clean it good between sighting it in and loading it to hunt? If so I would bet it shoots different poi depending on if the barrel is clean or dirty. My encore shoots exactly 3” lower with a clean barrel than it does with a dirty barrel every time.

Of course I did. Not to mention that it could be weeks or months between sighting in and going on a hunt! My rifles are always cleaned the same day they are shot. I don't do a 10 minute cleaning job either, it takes me about a 1/2 hour to clean one rifle to suit myself.
All my hunting rifles, but one, will put that clean, cold bore shot to Point of Aim. That one rifle is a 300 Win Mag and it takes 4 fouling shots before it begins to shoot to POI.
As for the flintlocks I do a lot of load testing and by changing lubes or patching material I've never had a problem getting that first shot to hit dead center. For instance, my deer load is 70 to 80 grains 3fg, .530 round ball wrapped in a .018 thick patch lubed with Bore butter. The follow up shots are 70 grains 3fg with a .015 patch lubed with canola oil. This load also shoots to POI.
Truth is, I don't consider it a problem, at least one that some load development won't cure.
Which one of these shots is the cold bore?
CCI06272017-0002-657x1024.jpg
 

Darkhorse

Senior Member
I wonder if pure bear oil that you`ve rendered yourself would leave a rust ring over a period of time?

I really don't know if it would or not. But just thinking about it....blood has salt in it, does fat also contain salt? If it does a patch lubed with rendered bear fat just might cause some rust in the barrel. I don't want to find out in one of my rifles.
 

The Original Rooster

Mayor of Spring Hill
I've always used bore butter so I'm relieved to hear that it doesn't cause any corrosion over time.
 

NCMTNHunter

Senior Member
Of course I did. Not to mention that it could be weeks or months between sighting in and going on a hunt! My rifles are always cleaned the same day they are shot. I don't do a 10 minute cleaning job either, it takes me about a 1/2 hour to clean one rifle to suit myself.
All my hunting rifles, but one, will put that clean, cold bore shot to Point of Aim. That one rifle is a 300 Win Mag and it takes 4 fouling shots before it begins to shoot to POI.
As for the flintlocks I do a lot of load testing and by changing lubes or patching material I've never had a problem getting that first shot to hit dead center. For instance, my deer load is 70 to 80 grains 3fg, .530 round ball wrapped in a .018 thick patch lubed with Bore butter. The follow up shots are 70 grains 3fg with a .015 patch lubed with canola oil. This load also shoots to POI.
Truth is, I don't consider it a problem, at least one that some load development won't cure.
Which one of these shots is the cold bore?
CCI06272017-0002-657x1024.jpg

I should have been more clear. My question was for the OP. I was wondering if he sighted in by reloading a dirty barrel then cleaned it after sight in and reloaded for the hunt. After the hunt fired a shot on a clean barrel and was seven inches off. Then after a another shot or two getting back on zero with no adjustment.
 
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