I Thought My Gun Was Clean

[Inline6]

I am in one group and have been in another. The other was my being OCD about copper driving me crazy and my rifles actually shot worse until I stopped doing that. Today I am in the group if my gun shoots MOA at distant I am not about to screw that up with a deep cleaning. I simply run a simple powder Solent and dry patch. If my groups start to widen with the same ammo then yes I will deep clean for copper, fowl barrel and get on with it

We play different games and nothing wrong with that. Their was a time where I was not worried about cleaning in the least. When my groups opened then I would clean. In the middle of the last day of the match it popped up. Would not hold tight. Went from second to 6th in only a few stages. Had to many rounds on her. It was 100% my fault. That was when I had to come to the realization, need to have a balance. Most rifles can go a couple hundred rounds no problem. Most hunting rifles likely more. My standard for my match rifles are 5 for 5 plastic thumb tacks at 100. Most people do not expect that from a hunting rifle. Again just different games, heck I want .5MOA out of my 458Lott haha.

The trick is to find a balance, if it opens up in 300 rounds clean before 280. If it opens at 200 clean at 180, that will make things easier to clean. On top of that it takes away some mental games we tend to play. I have shot sub 2" groups at 880 yards, it was a good day. Doesn't mean I can to it right now. Some day's I'm not a .25MOA shooter and I know myself and rifles well enough to know if it is my or the rifle. Have a log and knowing when that round count opens it up, helps. At least it does for me, I have had the mental side of shoot chasing my tail burning up my ammo looking for that group...only to figure the conditions were not going to all it to happen.

Hopefully that makes sense and does not sound random.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Maybe we should curtail use of the borescope to the throat area only (can also do on the mambas if you like-it's a free world! lol). It can confirm barrels that are beginning to wear (as a result of groups opening up,) and the barrel can be cut and set back (or replaced!) I've had two that benefitted by borescoping on the chamber end. One of them had such worn-out rifling (and the caliber was large enough to see it simply looking down the chamber w/ the muzzle pointed into bright light.) Based upon how a lifetime of guns have shot with traditional (proper) cleanings, I wouldn't worry about borescoping entire barrels at all.

 

[Inline6]

Maybe we should curtail use of the borescope to the throat area only (can also do on the mambas if you like-it's a free world! lol). It can confirm barrels that are beginning to wear (as a result of groups opening up,) and the barrel can be cut and set back (or replaced!) I've had two that benefitted by borescoping on the chamber end. One of them had such worn-out rifling (and the caliber was large enough to see it simply looking down the chamber w/ the muzzle pointed into bright light.) Based upon how a lifetime of guns have shot with traditional (proper) cleanings, I wouldn't worry about borescoping entire barrels at all.

The biggest problem I have witnessed, are fast rifle rounds. 3200fps and up, copper builds up and deteriorates accuracy. When you bore scope it, looks like you can start a copper mine.

 

[SDPlinker]

I was waiting for the answer to this What is a black mamba ?

Black Mamba | Volquartsen Firearms

volquartsen.com

This is one answer, related to what we like I hope!

Black mamba - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Here is another, hopefully not related to what we like! The other I will not post, maybe Anheiser Busch can post it on a beer can?

 

[SDPlinker]

In my somewhat rookie opinion: I think getting most of the copper out is important, but not all of it. The deposits sealing microscopic pits and pores in the rifling and barrel should be left. That is why I never use a metal brush. Carbon, residual power, soot, etc yes. 100% with you on that.

Carbon is a real pain to get out. Being a guy who shoots only gas shotguns for watefowl it is the bane of my existence.

This stuff is magic for taking out carbon fouling. I've had gas pistons with chunks of carbon falling off them come out shiny clean after using.

Carbon Killer

Carbon Killer removes carbon, grease, and lead on contact. I also makes plastic fouling easy to remove by breaking down the bond between the plastic and metal. It is an aggressive cleaner designed to make cleaning easy for even extremely dirty and neglected parts. • Cuts through baked on carbon...

slip2000.com

My opinion is you are correct, copper equilibrium is reached through basically what you indicated. Light break in and cleaning at necessary intervals (not stripping) works good for me.

 

[45-70guy]

On the majority of my rifles and revolvers, I use cast bullets. It is normal procedure when taking accuracy tests to give one Fouling shot before starting the testing. During hunting season I still will shoot just less as to keep the noise and commotion down but actually never clean it during this period.
im not talking 1000’s of rounds, but maybe 1000 per caliber per year. Even with slight leading visible the accuracy for hunting distances is not affected unless it’s covering the rifling where you can’t see it.