Well, after two years of February Foul Outs, I surrender. I'm going to have to clean my rifle and pistols during a match.
I didn't want to do this and wanted to believe it wasn't necessary with proper preparations. But, yesterday with temps in the 60s and relative humidity in the teens, the rifle developed the nastiest fouling I've seen in over five years of shooting black powder. The last ten inches of the rifle barrel was a combination of hard fouling and lead that was as solid and slick as any interstate hiway surface.
There is something about our weather in February that the gunz don't like. Fouled out of a big match on the last stage last year in February and yesterday on the last stage bullets started going everywhere except where the rifle was pointed. The rifle in question is a .38 special loaded to the top with 2F and topped with a 158 Snakebite, Biglube bullet. This set up gets me through six stage matches regularly during every other time of the year. So, I believe I've done all I can in the preparation department.
So, today, I got up bright and early and dragged the bore-snake through the rifle. No effect on the hard fouling at the end of the tube. Several pulls later with the bore snake, several wet patches with the rod, and a few passes with the brush, and there is still fouling in the end of the rifle barrel. Clearly, I pushed things past the point of no return. I give up. I'm going to have to clean gunz during a match, which is something I really, really, really didn't want to have to do.
So, my dear colleagues, what is the least obtrusive, fastest, and best routine for keeping gunz running in February during a match?
Do I want to put a case in the chamber and run a rod down the barrel every other stage? Do I want to try to find a place to lay the gun while pulling a bore-snake through the barrel after every other stage?
What's the best way to deal with keeping the gunz running? (I really don't like using the bore snake because it is hard to pull, doesn't do a great job, and requires finding a place to use it -- which is dang near impossible at a big match).
Save me !