Did it happen also to you

[hawkeye]

Hello Guys, have a percussion rifle with fast twist barrel, shooting long elongated bullets.
During summer shooting I wiped each shot first a spit patch to clean and a dry patch in between shots.
Now doing this in winter with the humid patch and dry patch, my shooting spreading over the target.
Now only wipe it with a dry patch, shots came back together.
Anyone witness that too?

[MeliusCreekTrapper]

Is the spit patch creating ice in the barrel?

[hawkeye]

I guess not, wasn't freezing at that time

[MeliusCreekTrapper]

When you said winter, I assumed below freezing. Is your swabbing routine the only thing that changed, other than season?  Is this a new barrel that is still breaking in? Curious problem for sure.

[hawkeye]

No it's not a new barrel, have the rifle already 5 years.
Did not have noticed the problem before just this end of the year.
Now a clean only with a dry patch and everything OK again. Nothing changed in load, grease or bullet

[Daryl]

You do what you have to do, I guess. It's all about experimentation. Use what works.
I suspect if you had some extra dry (low humidity) days, you would likely have to resort
back to your spit patch first.

[flinchrocket]

Have you tried loading without a dry patch? I can’t see a dry patch doing much between shots with a bullet.

[bones92]

flinchrocket has a good point.  I stopped wiping between shots and it has made a big improvement on reliability.  Also, I began using a 1:3 mix (Ballistol:water) as patch lube, somewhat wet (not dripping, but not entirely wrung out).  This has helped a lot in loading subsequent shots and keeping fouling soft.

[hawkeye]

It's not a round ball I shoot, find out that fouling builds up without cleaning in between and spread the shot pattern

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

When shooting naked grease groove bullets, fouling control is everything.

[walks with gun]

   Possible leading and it just started to act up now.  Scrub the bore with a copper brush.

[Daryl]

   Possible leading and it just started to act up now.  Scrub the bore with a copper brush.

OP stated "Now only wipe it with a dry patch, shots came back together."

[Dphariss]

Hello Guys, have a percussion rifle with fast twist barrel, shooting long elongated bullets.
During summer shooting I wiped each shot first a spit patch to clean and a dry patch in between shots.
Now doing this in winter with the humid patch and dry patch, my shooting spreading over the target.
Now only wipe it with a dry patch, shots came back together.
Anyone witness that too?

Try a barely wet patch on a fairly loose jag so it runs over the fouling going down and then bunches up to pull the fouling out. Turn patch over and repeat. Then a dry patch. Once down and up then turn it over and run it down and up again.  Forget the spit. Wet the patches with something like windshield washer fluid and put  them in a screw lid jar. So they are ALL the SAME.  I call it “heavily damp” but not enough to drip if you can squeeze water out they are too wet. Having too much moisture can leave some in the powder channels and effect ignition. Wetting the bore is not the goal. Only getting the fouling out. Also you might need a .030” thick card wad over the powder if you are not using one.

[Levy]

Check to make sure the nipple hasn't become burned out.  James Levy

[hawkeye]

The nipple is custom made and has platinum inside

[Jeff Murray]

Mad Monk had some interesting observations on the impact of changes in temperature and humidity on velocity in a couple of other threads.  A variation of 100 fps or more with a heavy, slow moving bullet might affect consistency and point of impact?