Eliminate Cold Bore For Pennies... Its worth a try.

Back from the range and I don't think my first cold bore shot shift is from velocity. Setup is a 16" Lilja barrel with a Spearhead tuner and fouled with well over 600 rounds with Rem/Eley Match and indoor range. Last range session and today's first shot at the 1 o'clock and about half inch from POA. Can't remember past range sessions cause it was not what I was looking for.

Velocity shots 1 - 10:
1101
1095
1089
1094
1093
1089
1094
1098
1091
1087

Shot 1 - 100:

Hi 1109
Lo 1080
Ave 1093
ES 29
SD 5.8

I will try the straw method on my next range session and see what velocity I get from the first shot. Setting up the Garmin is so easy compared the Magnetospeed and Shooting Chrony.
 
Mystic Precision said:
Shooting from a clean bore is going to be different from a fouled bore no matter the conditions. I suspect, the barrel wouldn't 'settle' down for some 20 to 30rds.

Hopefully, you will be able to give this a test from a fouled bore... say 50 rds fired.

More typical of what might happen during a match day.

Good luck..

Jerry
Click to expand...

Fair.

I generally shoot 4 magazines worth before I start actually trying for groups after cleaning. I also never go to a match with a freshly cleaned rifle unless I know there is time beforehand to get a bunch of foulers through. I'm also experimenting with cleaning procedures... up until now I've always done a full chamber and barrel clean after about 400 rounds. Then I got a borescope, and realized that my previous procedure was not always getting the carbon ring out. So now I'm more focused on that carbon ring than everything else. I typically only take 2 wet patches followed by 3-4 dry ones through the barrel and call it good now. I won't brush the bore unless I see lead buildup, which hasn't really happened yet given my previous thorough cleaning regiment.


^^^^ Thanks for the update. Very interesting indeed. I'll report back my experience and try out this straw method when I can get out to the range again, but it will be a couple of weeks.
The garmin is my first chrono and it is so easy to use. I even modeled up and 3d printed a bracket for a QD Arca mount, so now I can secure it to several of my rifles.
 
The ROC said:
Back from the range and I don't think my first cold bore shot shift is from velocity. Setup is a 16" Lilja barrel with a Spearhead tuner and fouled with well over 600 rounds with Rem/Eley Match and indoor range. Last range session and today's first shot at the 1 o'clock and about half inch from POA. Can't remember past range sessions cause it was not what I was looking for.

Velocity shots 1 - 10:
1101
1095
1089
1094
1093
1089
1094
1098
1091
1087

Shot 1 - 100:

Hi 1109
Lo 1080
Ave 1093
ES 29
SD 5.8

I will try the straw method on my next range session and see what velocity I get from the first shot. Setting up the Garmin is so easy compared the Magnetospeed and Shooting Chrony.
Click to expand...

nice to see that your results mimic what I think many shooters will find. Velocity may or may not be different from the rest of the group, AND that has little to no indication where that first bullet is going to go.

Velocity alone is NOT going to tell you if a shot is in or out of a group.... nor will it tell you if that shot is high or low. Work with different brands of match ammo and you will likely find varying results to both support and contradict this theory.

I believe it has to do with the bullet coating vs powder used... and how this ages in the bore. Some types/combos just seem to 'toss' that first shot out further. I also believe that ambient TEMP can really affect whether you will see that 'toss' or not....

would love to see the collection of data with info like Barrel manf, chamber style/type, barrel length, ammo brand/type, standardised number of rds fired before test (say 50rds), ambient temp, ambient humidity, barrel surface temp.

About the only thing I expect to see is a certain brand having more or less 'toss' vs another brand of ammo (I think bullet coatings may have alot to do with this issue).... but with so many variables in the ammo alone, then adding all the variables of different rifles, likely there will be so much 'noise' that results will overlap and no trend can be established.

So it will boil down to the individual set up and how that behaves for any one shooter.

Jerry
 
Last edited:
barthammer said:
Fair.

I generally shoot 4 magazines worth before I start actually trying for groups after cleaning. I also never go to a match with a freshly cleaned rifle unless I know there is time beforehand to get a bunch of foulers through. I'm also experimenting with cleaning procedures... up until now I've always done a full chamber and barrel clean after about 400 rounds. Then I got a borescope, and realized that my previous procedure was not always getting the carbon ring out. So now I'm more focused on that carbon ring than everything else. I typically only take 2 wet patches followed by 3-4 dry ones through the barrel and call it good now. I won't brush the bore unless I see lead buildup, which hasn't really happened yet given my previous thorough cleaning regiment.


^^^^ Thanks for the update. Very interesting indeed. I'll report back my experience and try out this straw method when I can get out to the range again, but it will be a couple of weeks.
The garmin is my first chrono and it is so easy to use. I even modeled up and 3d printed a bracket for a QD Arca mount, so now I can secure it to several of my rifles.
Click to expand...

Have you ever viewed your bore AFTER you have fouled enough to get it to settle down? Everyone talks about viewing their bore to see how clean or not it is... I don't care because we all shoot a bunch of ammo with horrible results until the bore is fouled enough to settle down.

THIS is the bore condition I want to mimic....every barrel that shoots well, IS fouled.

I bet that the dreaded carbon ring is necessary to get consistent accuracy. The fear and assumption is that the carbon ring gets thicker and acts as a bore obstruction... I question that, at least for the couple of hundred rds we shoot with excellent accuracy in a typical match weekend. I would love to see what the bore looks like when a quality barrel goes from shooting itty bitty groups to crapping the bed... this is too much fouling.

Me, I leave my bores as dirty as is necessary to maintain my accuracy and clean only enough to get back to that accuracy condition. I believe that if I need more then 10rds to get my bore shooting again, I have cleaned too much... and it doesn't take much cleaning to need more then 10 rds to settle the bore down.

YMMV

Jerry
 
The ROC said:
Going off topic but a article that mimics MP's comment.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/a...lG-hOIKcvNitNk0U13h9RpQ5mQ-OKivfJy3drB4s6KVOA
Click to expand...

And it is this seasoning that I have no interest in long rimfire barrels. I appreciate their benefit when trying to balance a PRS rifle but I see a possible negative wrt to seasoning and fouling.

Small bullet... not much lube. You could see leading in a longer barrel near the muzzle... and that would be real bad for accuracy. If shooters find a combo that works for them, awesome. For me, if I need to add weight to the front of my rifle, a tuner adds weight and offers some nice benefits.

There is a wealth of info around rimfire, lead bullets and lube... so much has already been tested and figured out decades and decades ago.

Jerry
 
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