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Dirty gun?

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Honkytonk View Drop Down
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    Posted: June 18 2018 at 8:25am
At the risk of sounding insane, has anybody ever experienced an improvement of accuracy once the bore gets dirty? I don't mean after a couple of warm up shots, I'm talking 10-12 rounds later! It could have just been me, but I felt pretty comfortable over the rifle all morning. Thanks!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Canuck Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 18 2018 at 9:41am
Is there excessive wear in the bore?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Honkytonk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 18 2018 at 10:11am
By the naked eye it looked ok, maybe some slight frosting. Without slugging it, I now suspect exactly what you said. I picked it up cheap so not a great loss. I had put an Addley Precision mount on it and a walnut cheek piece. (It's a No4 Mk1 Sporter.) I can use the mount on my No5. I would also use the butt stock/long bolt with cheek piece on the No5 for hunting season.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 18 2018 at 10:51am
That's certainly the the case when shooting the .22 rifles; but I've not noticed that with the .303's
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote A square 10 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 20 2018 at 7:06pm
thats not uncommon - after you clean you need to shoot some rounds to get it to where the sweet spot is , 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Goosic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 20 2018 at 7:32pm
The sniping systems my squad used were always cleaned but always fouled as far as the barrels we're concerned.
To get our required MOA shots we kept the barrels slightly copper fouled and doped the scopes accordingly.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2018 at 6:15am
Yes, weird aint it? POI does seem to change on a squeaky clean barrel as it gets dirty. 

Hunting season. Non corrosive ammo. I sight the rifle in with whatever number of rounds needed (usually about five or six) on a cold barrel (POI changes again as the barrel warms up) and then I don't clean the bore again until the shooting in the field is done (the exception being wet weather, then it gets one pass of an oiled patch after the hunt followed by a dry one the next morning before heading out again).


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote hoadie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2018 at 12:39pm
Simon;

You still want these old rounds? (Brass/Black powder?)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote englishman_ca Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2018 at 12:50pm
you betcha. PM sent
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote EnfieldHunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 20 2019 at 6:30pm
Have not cleaned my barrel in 10 or so years. 

Yes I always run an oil patch when it rains 

Just no benefit.  I clean the outside and action every use 

All my handloads are non corrosive 

Oil patch yes.  Scrubbing ....nah.  Why bother?   So I can copper foul it next year?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote britrifles Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2019 at 12:55am
Originally posted by Honkytonk Honkytonk wrote:

At the risk of sounding insane, has anybody ever experienced an improvement of accuracy once the bore gets dirty? I don't mean after a couple of warm up shots, I'm talking 10-12 rounds later! It could have just been me, but I felt pretty comfortable over the rifle all morning. Thanks!

In a brand new barrel, yes, I’ve seen accuracy gradually improve over time.   

My LB No. 4 had a brand new barrel when I got it and used Hoppes 9 to clean it, after every time I shot the rifle.  Accuracy gradually improved until about 1000 -1500 rounds fired, then started getting worse.  I cleaned out the copper with Sweets 7.62 and accuracy was restored.  

If you only shoot 100 rounds per year, it will take a long time to badly foul the barrel with copper.  Of course, this depends on how smooth the lands of the barrel were to begin with.  
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