As we do not have a 'shooting the single-shot rifle' forum, I'll put his here. Obviously a BP topic, but have noticed a progression in shooting BPCR silhouette over the past two years. A couple of years ago most everyone on the line was using a blow-tube between shots with a clean between strings (generally 5-shots). Then, a few folks moved to using a wet-patch followed by a dry patch between shots. Time consuming, but doable once you get the procedure down. Now, almost all seem to have moved to a single 'damp' patch with a magic elixir of choice between shots with a couple between strings. After shooting a match a couple of weeks ago where it was overcast and in the mid-70s, but with low humidity, I found that I had to huff & puff between shots with the blow-tube. Hot barrel and humidity in the 30 range dried out the barrel very rapidly. Think I'm going to test a mix of 2 oz of water-based cutting oil, 2 oz of Mitch's oil soap and 2 oz of alcohol in a quart of water for wetting my patches clean between shots. Will compare to blow-tube between shots at 200yd. If you are wiping between shots, what fluid are you using?

In my 38-55 I use one dry partch over a bore brush between shots.

I took cod liver oil gel tab things, soft outside gummy things, for years. I've always wondered how one of these, or a gel tab of water, would work if put in the powder in a ctg or muzzle loaded. With BP. Might that kep the fouling soft and no clean or blow tube needed?
I want to know.
joe b.

I shoot PP bullets so B tubing is not an option.

Wipe with NAPA cutting oil and water 1:6 or 8, two damp patches. Drying out the chamber with a pistol brush is all that is needed. 

Keep on hav'n fun!
MikeT

A lot of the long-range muzzleloaders use Auto antifreeze (Ethel Glycol) cut about 4 : 1. A damp patch and then a dry one.

40 Rod

In years gone by, I shot matches, 50 shots, plus sighters, using straight black powder (goex), duplexed with 4F under a 50/50 mix of 3f and 2f, without blowing or wiping, lowest Rel Humidity at 36% and would win the match or finish in the money.

Getting the best burn you can makes that best

Mike that's the kind of thing that got me off the blow tube. Sometimes it works sometimes not and a lot of blowing takes longer than wiping which always works.

Main thing is to be consistent

Boats

I have shot MOA size 10 rd groups at 200 using no BT and w/o wiping in a 45-100 using PPBs. I used about 0.300" of grease cookie and had only 0.150-0.200" of the bullet base in the case. The problem has been keeping the fouling soft enough to get the next round chambered without ripping the patch. The bore was never perfectly clean but that did not seem to make a difference as long as what fould was in the barrel was soft. I developed those loads in Germany using Swiss 2F and did not have the humidity or heat problems that I have here in AZ, accordingly I cannot now duplicate that performance. I have sold the 45-100 and now have a 45-110, perhaps I can get more grease in the cookie with the longer case and duplicate the old load's performance. 

SS