Bought Some Jacketed Bullets

[JohnH]

I had big reservations about this, figured that anything a jacketed bullet would tell me, a cast bullet would. NOT SO.

Got a box of the Hornady 220's, loaded up 4, 5 round samples and shot 'em. Had nice copper streaks forming within 5 rounds, this from what felt like a smooth bore when running a patch through it. Have reworked my range, so I'm now shooten from 60 yards, and 2 of the 4 loads produced 5 shot groups that are nickel sized, one group with 4 of 5 under a nickel and the first group vertically strung but tight in the horizontal. Outstanding accuracy overall for a big bore deer rifle.

Now I know 2 things, my bore ain't as smooth as I'd have thought, and the rifle will shoot like a house afire.

So I got some contemplatin' to do to figure out the best way to slick this barrel on up, or I could just continue to shoot as I have been, and come hunting season, load up 10 rounds of jacketed bullets and some sighters, and hunt with the bullet the gun shoots best.

Interestingly, one of the best loads used 4198. I haven't done much cast shooting with powder in the 4198/Rx7/3031 speed range. I've been approaching this from trying to find a reduced velocity load with a slower than proper speed powder. Have shot enough loads using slow pistol powders that I know that ain't working. Gonna try some reduced charges of rast rifle powder and see how that goes.

A note to Bass Ackward.... You suggested I try some jacketed in this thing quite a while back. As you can see, I'm slow on the take up sometimes, but Thanks for the suggestion, without it, I'd prolly have never tried this and still be bangin' my head against the wall wonderin' if I even had a decent rifle. If I can make this rifle shoot cast at any speed as well and as consistantly as I saw it shoot jacketed yesterday, I'll consider myself as having done something.

[Pilgrim]

Just shoot jacketed loads for the time being. By the time you have 300 to 500 or so FLGCs thru the barrel, it should have smoothed out quite a bit. Then you might just try the same powders you used with the FLGCs with the CBs. You didn't indicate which cartridge or standard loads you are using, so I can't halp any more than the above. Pilgrim

[Bass Ackward]

Now I know 2 things, my bore ain't as smooth as I'd have thought, and the rifle will shoot like a house afire.



John,

There is a big difference between a bore that is smooth .... and one that has dimensional correctness. That is the problem with shooting only lead. Lead will smooth up a bore without ever correcting the dimensional problems that limit lead performance.

So what you end up with is a barrel that probably requires harder bullets to perform than it otherwise would. Either that or it performs at a lower velocity limit. That is because hard bullets swell and maintain contact with the bore just l.ike they springback from a sizer. So they polish in those same barrel imperfections that lead is known to do.

Firing jacketed bullets to break in a barrel only makes a BETTER barrel for cast.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people believe that jacketed bullets will ruin a barrel, when all they do is create fire lapped perfection.

[44man]

John, not to worry. Even the smoothest barrels pick up the copper wash. Just clean it out often for the first batch of bullets and the bore will get smoother.
Best to clean it out after every bullet for the first 20 or so, then clean after every 5 for a while. You want the bullets to touch bare steel for a while instead of riding on the copper wash.