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Post by Kyle on Dec 25, 2015 14:33:32 GMT -5
I find that I get the best accuracy out of my gun when I have it fouled 50 plus shots. About a month and a half ago I gave Ethel a thorough cleaning and removed all traces of powder and copper fouling. After 50 shots or so she was back to drilling holes. I wonder if we clean our SML's too often and don't allow the accuracy to shine through. I smooth form. Thoughts?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2015 14:36:30 GMT -5
Kyle,
What kind of barrel do you have?
Steve
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Post by Kyle on Dec 25, 2015 14:37:48 GMT -5
Krieger 450/458 1/20
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Post by keith on Dec 25, 2015 14:42:46 GMT -5
I have gotten to where I don't clean barrels but every 300-500 rounds or if accuracy/precision diminishes. I used to follow that old shoot and clean break in, then every 10 to 20 rounds and clean for the life of a barrel. Then I met shooters who impressed upon me that I got a lot more out of shooting than cleaning and they were competing at the national level. I tested it myself and it has paid dividends.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2015 14:53:41 GMT -5
I find that I get the best accuracy out of my gun when I have it fouled 50 plus shots. About a month and a half ago I gave Ethel a thorough cleaning and removed all traces of powder and copper fouling. After 50 shots or so she was back to drilling holes. I wonder if we clean our SML's too often and don't allow the accuracy to shine through. I smooth form. Thoughts? Could you tell that your sized bullets were looser than normal until fouled up to par....? My Mcgowen takes a factory 275be on a clean barrel one hand loading ,then after around 20 shots, it turns into a 2 hand push and doesn't get any tighter than that.... I use a dry mop then with a couple strokes and it seems to smooth loading a bit..... Has Hank ever cleaned his spml....? Killing deer over 400yds attest to shooting dirty works well......
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Post by deadeye on Dec 25, 2015 15:04:25 GMT -5
I find the same as all have said,don't clean until accuracy starts suffering- if you have a good efficient load can ride dirty a long time! ime
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Post by keith on Dec 25, 2015 15:14:14 GMT -5
I still want to try coating my SML bullets with hBN just like I do my metallic stuff and see if it makes a difference.
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gar
Junior Member
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Post by gar on Dec 25, 2015 15:24:00 GMT -5
Once a year whether it needs it or not. Mostly to clean the BP to make sure I never get it stuck. Accuracy has not suffered as long as I have gone without cleaning so no idea on how many rds. it would take before accuracy begins to degrade.
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Post by 12ptdroptine on Dec 25, 2015 15:27:25 GMT -5
All barrels are not the same. I have found that my purple gun shoots superb dor about 20 rounds then starts throwing fliers. Now keep in.mind it is still sub moa @200 yds. But that is not acceptable . Clean it there and it has gone back to 1/4 moa at that distance. Kind of hard to keep shooting it when the accuracy starts to fall off....however...it boils down to the face that they all are individual barrels and have their own traits. What works for one. Doesnt mean it wjllwork on others Drop
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Post by deadeyedon89 on Dec 25, 2015 16:16:08 GMT -5
I have not cleaned my rifle since picking it up from Jeff and it seems to hold tighter groups the more I shoot it... I say ride dirty till the gun starts opening up with groups!!
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Post by Richard on Dec 25, 2015 20:28:37 GMT -5
The shoot and clean method of breaking in a new CF barrel (if it is a custom hand lapped match barrel) is practically a waste of time. You will not get it smoother than when it comes from the barrel maker..............................but! One thing that I do after cutting a new chamber is this: The lead angle that the reamer cuts can leave a little swarf of metal on the the side the reamer comes off of when turning in the lathe. So, when the chamber is finished, I take a tight fitting patch and a little 500 grit lapping compound and run it in thru the chamber to the leade and short stroke it a few times to smooth out the leade and remove any overhang of metal. JUST the leade--not the whole barrel. I have talked with a number of accuracy gunsmiths that I shoot with and they agree on the procedure.
Kyle: I have never gone more than about 40 shots without cleaning? Had I read this yesterday, I would not have cleaned (JB) my barrel. So maybe this week I will forgo any cleaning and then the following week try some Parker 275 BE's on a dirty barrel and see what if any difference it makes. (I will try them this week on the cleaner barrel) BTW, do you ever put a dry patch down the bore in between range trips?
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Post by Kyle on Dec 25, 2015 22:14:18 GMT -5
I have sent a loose fitting dry patch down the bore for the purpose of removing lint, small pieces of tree bark ect. I don't think that jeopardizes the removal of fouling much.
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Post by keith on Dec 26, 2015 7:55:52 GMT -5
I know guys who use sandpaper on a dowel or steel wool on a brush to clean up the leade after chambering. I always thought the shoot and clean wasn't about making the barrel smoother, plus a barrel can be too smooth, but was about attempting to break in the throat and lead since they are the only part of the barrel where a bullet contacts that should have tooling marks that haven't been lapped out. I personally found that chamber clean up technique leads to a fast barrel break in and I just shoot them to zero then clean them. After that I shoot them a lot and clean them infrequently.
People have said that because the SML had no freebore or leade that barrel break in isn't necessary. They may be true from that very narrow view but the barrels do seem to shoot best with some level of fouling so you are breaking in a barrel to a certain condition which you hope to maintain. When I do clean them I don't take them down to bare metal.
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Post by jims on Dec 26, 2015 10:04:49 GMT -5
Years ago I used to clean after every shooting session. Now for the last ten years of so I only clean after the season. Maybe I do not need to but since if sits idle for a number of months and it was out in different weather etc. and I am cleaning the breechplug etc. I just feel better about it. Resight in the Fall and its back up to speed.
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Post by hillbill on Dec 26, 2015 16:44:35 GMT -5
I too shoot dirty until accuracy falls off, on most of my barrels it takes about 5 shots or more for best accuracy to return. at best I clean twice a year..
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Post by airborneike on Dec 27, 2015 0:49:23 GMT -5
The "shoot/clean" method of breaking in a barrel is not necessary IMO but much is gained if the gun smith will take some extra effort in cleaning up the leade before shooting. I like to look at the throat with a borescope and then use very, VERY fine sandpaper and steel wool on a formed wooden dowel and then re-look and some brushing then. The leade will almost always be the roughest part of the chamber job and there is very little that can be done when chambering to pervent it. Not talking about bad rough, just small amounts of "swarf" that cling to the cut edges. If you get large amounts of copper fouling on a new barrel it is most likely because of an unpolished leade.
I can get around 20 shots with my Douglas before accuracy begins to fall off.
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