Can Lube Star Affect Accuracy?

[JohnH]

Been using FWFL for about sic weeks now. I normally try not to clean my rifles unless there has been obvious leading or a good shooting load turns sour. I notice over time (60+ rounds) that the lube star forms a hard cake on the muzzle, if I shoot (almost always 20+ rounds in the afternoon), leave the gun uncleaned for a couple days, the cake also takes on a whiteish tinge. The cake is hard enough that I have to scrape it away with my fingernail, wiping with a cloth won't remove it.

I'm curious, could this cake begin to act like a bad crown? Am I chasing a ghost? I only lube the bottom groove, so I don't know how to reduce the amount of lube any farther if that is the ultimate culprit.

By what factors do you base your cleaning on? Do you clean after a specific number of rounds? Do you clean only after fouling build up of some kind? Do you always use a brush or do you use patch only? What is clean?

[felix]

Yes, "natural" lubes tend to get hard over time due to ambient conditions. Only you can tell about the accuracy situation. When that falls off then by all means do a cleaning job. What is more critical to accuracy, in terms of weekly outings, is the lube hardening around the throat area. This is load dependent for the most part. Cooler loads make this happen more quickly, and really shows up immediately in 22RF bench guns because of their tight chambers. These guns need to be cleaned just after 5 or 10 minutes of rest, about when the lube starts to get hard. If you always want the very best accuracy, clean the gun immediately after a shoot while the barrel is still hot. ... felix