Looking to understand no-clean cast shooting?

[Canuck Bob]

I've read of a number of folks who talk about no-clean cast rifles. This really appeals to me.

My needs are mainly target shooting for 32 Special, 303 Brit, and a 32-20. No need for soft hunting bullets as I plan hard cast FN for my 444.

Folks talk about seasoned bores that get ruined for accuracy by a too diligent cleaning.

What are some tricks to realize this?

[dondiego]

The boolit has to fit properly so that there is no leading of the bore. Then you can shoot for a long time without cleaning.

[dondiego]

"Hard cast" alloy may not necessarily be the best for this.Sorry, I can no longer EDIT or Cancel any of my posts.

[fishhawk]

People put way to much emphases on "hard cast" as the way to stop leading, wrong fit with hard cast will lead just as bad as a soft boolit.

[JSnover]

Folks talk about seasoned bores that get ruined for accuracy by a too diligent cleaning.

What are some tricks to realize this?
Once you get the bore conditioned you can shoot thru the season without cleaning.
I wonder if by "ruined for accuracy" they might mean actually damaged by someone scraping the crown or the lands with a cleaning rod.

[Harter66]

Exactly what they said.

[44man]

I shoot hard cast and can go three years or more before touching a bore in my revolvers although the cylinders might get mucked up and the pin needs cleaned and lubed.
No such thing as a "seasoned" bore. Are you frying fish in cast iron? True a clean bore will miss the first shot but it only takes one shot to be back to zero. Anyone that tells you it takes more then one shot eats sugar flakes for breakfast.
Hard boolits do not cause leading, get over it, leading is worse with soft. Fit is the secret.
Untrue "FACTS" are repeated over and over until you don't know what to use.
Trash left in the bore will be shot out with every shot so there is no change unless your bore is filling with leading. You must cure leading first and softer is not the answer. Bumping up to "OBTURATE" will drive you up a wall. Darn worse thing to look for.
Even a musket for the Minie' ball needs fit over expanding skirts.
This is a good site but old wives tails proliferate with no actual testing at all.
Been shooting a 30-30 Marlin a lot, cleaned to see and found no leading so it will not be cleaned for a long time and just to worry about rust if stored.
i am not a gun "CLEANER" after every shoot. The guns go in the safe and left alone.

[rsrocket1]

I've shot a couple hundred cast boolits this year through my .308 since I started casting this year. After the first few trips I'd pull a boresnake throught the barrel. The bore was shiny before and after the snake so I simply stopped doing this. Now all I do is do a quick wipe of the outer metal parts and put a very thin wipe of oil on it. The bullets are cast with 12-18 BHN lead and lubed with 2:1 Beeswax/Vaseline. About 1/3 have been GC'ed the rest have been shot bare base. Here in N. Cal, the climate is dry so there is little likelihood of rusting due to humidity. If I were in a humid climate, I would use a little more oil, but with good fitting bullets and a powder that burns throughly, there is no real cleaning needed.

[Canuck Bob]

"Hard cast" alloy may not necessarily be the best for this.Sorry, I can no longer EDIT or Cancel any of my posts.

Sorry, I don't mean real hard cast for my majority of shooting. I have a decent supply of lead and hope to alloy up in COWW or a touch harder and use the same alloy for most uses. The hard cast reference was for a wide meplat hunting bullet for my 444 if I hunt again.

Ruined for accuracy was about having to shoot some bore conditioners with a clean barrel before it settles down. This was mentioned by a few folks in regards to freshly cleaned barrel and fliers.

Some folks like a bit of carnuba in the lube, is this or some other ingredient a good thing?

[sundog]

The 03A3 I shoot for military bolt matches can go about 2,500 rounds without cleaning. It's not the bore that needs cleaned either, it's fine. What happens is a hard ring of lube builds up in the throat. That is easily removed with Ed's Red and a tornado brush. When 'everthang fits jest right' the bore does not need cleaned. In fact, a good lube coat in the bore is a good rust preventer.

[glockky]

My 357 max does not get cleaned. After cleaning it takes 15-20rds to get it to settle into the sub MOA groups its capable of shooting.

[Garyshome]

I guess I clean my gun too much.

[geargnasher]

I don't clean my bores unless doing lube experiments (and then only rarely) or I have an alloy/pressure faux pas and get a little lead or antimony wash. Some of my bores haven't seen a cleaning rod in years. Like Sundog said, a good lube and load tend to protect the bore so no cleaning/oiling routine is required. Clean/lube the action and outside as required, but leave the bore alone.

One of the few things 44Man and I disagree on is "seasoning" of a bore. Stainless steel doesn't seem to season much at all past one or two shots, but CM bores do take 10-20 rounds and a good warmup to settle in after a cleaning and maintain from then on out. The more rough the finish, and the hotter the load (rifles), the more "season" the metal will soak up before settling in. I have a whole stable full of rifles from .22 to .45 caliber including hand-lapped match barrels and cobby factory and military ones and all the steel barrels will show you very clearly on the targets that they do take a season and maintain it if you don't muck it up by cleaning or using a junk lube like Alox.

Gear

[leadman]

I too have encountered barrels that did take 5 to 10 shots to get back to shooting consistently to poa. The boolit lube does play a part in this. LBT Blue Soft takes the most shots, Carnuba Red under 5 shots. The Hi-Tek coating takes one shot sometimes, sometimes not, depending on the gun and load.
I clean my guns usually after each range session because I may not shoot the same gun again for a year. I have gone to pushing one patch thru with Hoppe's #9 on it, then another patch with #9 and let it sit for a couple of hours while I do other stuff. Usually 3 patches and the barrel it done.

[44man]

Might be true with the lube and I love Felix for cast. But when I shot IHMSA with jacketed, I would ALWAYS miss the first shot with a clean bore, the rest hit.
But to season is to seal all of the micro pits in cast iron with oils, carbon and food burnt in. I have found only one shot is needed from a gun to obtain fouling and rid the bore of oils. We don't shoot cast iron skillets. All you want is the same friction shot to shot.