[acasto]

This is NOT a question about "to clean or not to clean" although cleaning may be part of the discussion.

Here is the situation. With a clean barrel, GM 20" stainless, I shoot 3 foulers to get on target. The next 10 to 15 shots will be some of the best groups I have ever fired. All is well with the world. Subsequent shots will start to open up to double my group size.
If I clean the barrel, this pattern will repeat each time.

If I don't clean the barrel, one or two out of the next 5 groups, 5 shots per group, will come in like the very first, with the others being ugly. This pattern will repeat for as many rounds as I can run through it.

I have about 900 rounds through the barrel. Is this something that will clear up and get better with time? Don't see how I could ever try to shoot a USBR target with this going on.

Now for the cleaning part. I use a nylon brush in the chamber with some shooters choice, and follow that with a soaked patch on a patch worm, followed by dry patches until clean.

Ammo is Wolf MT. I get about the same results with Eley target rifle, PMC scoremaster and CCI mini mags, with best groups coming from the Eley and Wolf.

For those who have used it, would Moly fusion do anything for this?

Thanks for any help

Tony

 

[Picher]

I have the same problem with Wolf in some of my rifles. Right after using Eley or Lapua, the Wolf will shoot great, then after two groups, it opens up.

My cure was to not shoot any Wolf and to stick with Lapua.

John

 

[acasto]

Thanks for the info. I guess I was wanting to find out if my situation was unique. It seams not. I had high hopes for the WMT.
Ordered some Lapua and some more Eley today.
The quest continues.

Tony

 

[Ben B.]

I have recently experienced something interesting. I spent a few hours testing ammo from Lapua, Eley and SK in a CMP 40x with a nice-looking bore. The first 2 groups after an ammo switch were better than subsequent groups. It didn't seem to matter whether I switched from Lapua-Eley, Eley to SK, SK-Eley or whatever.

Whether it is a real physical effect, a statistical oddity, or just spotty concentration, I'm not sure. I'm never sure of anything in this game.

Acasto, I recently have shot my best groups with WMT (actually SK Std Plus). In competition was Eley Match EPS & Calfee, Eley Tenex Ultimate, Lapua Master L&M, and my beloved SK SSHP. And yet the WMT held it the tightest for the day, 2nd place was the Tenex Ultimate.

Ben

 

[jamesw]

The April, 2005 Precision Shooting has an article by Bill Calfee on 22's shooting great then not. A trick centerfire benchresters use to help prevent fouling is to pre-lube the bore after a thorough cleaning. This can be done with colloided graphite or molly. Just wet patch with the lube and let dry, barrel pointed down.
Jim

 

[tim s]

Firstly, try better ammo to see if there's any improvement. Remember clean completely between switches, you can't switch around between brands. If the condition is no better I'm afraid that is likely all you're going to get from that bbl.

 

[acasto]

Well, heres a little update.

I've had the chance to Moly fusion my barrel, twice. Shot about 150 rounds between applications. After the first time, I was able to fire more groups before the accuracy started to fail. Not quite a whole box. (wolfMT)

Reapplied the MF and shot more today.

First, I tried a box of Eley target rifle. Great groups after 4 or five to foul the barrel. Did not make it through the box before the groups opened up. (somewhere around 35 rounds)

Cleaned the bore with a couple dry patches and finished the Eley with better grouping.

Cleaned the bore with a wet and then a few dry patches and fired a box of WolfMT. (Patchworm)

Groups stayed great through the whole box. Never opened up at all. Also noticed the barrel only took two rounds and it was dead on. No extra fouling shots required, less ammo wasted.

Thanks for all the help. This is a great site. Still waiting on the Lapua.

Oh yeah, the Eley target rifle was no better than the wolf MT where accuracy was concerned.

Tony