Eliminating first shot fliers?

[Blackwater]

I still haven't gotten my new reloading room together, which has really cut into my reloading and casting. I have a number of rifles I want to work up good cast loads for. I've seen some comment on first round fliers, which sometimes plague J-bullets as well, especially if bedding is off a little. I've got the stuff to make up some BLL, and was just wondering if cleaning a copper free bore with plain Johnson's liquid wax might not prep the dry bore for cast? Anyone got recommendations for this? When I can get back to casting and reloading like I want to, I'll be auditioning lubes for each rifle to see what each one likes with what loads, just for play and edification, and just wondered if any of you have tried prepping the bore with JLW? Since it dries pretty "hard," looks like it'd make a really good bore preservative, too, especially over some good, penetrating oil? Anyone got any comments on any of this?

[HangFireW8]

I've had good luck prepping my rifle bores with a patch smeared with the same lube I use for the boolits. Haven't needed to look beyond that.

Oh yeah, I don't do more than push a couple patches through between sight-in and opening morning. As long as the rifle is stored in low humidity, no harm done.

[Geezer in NH]

I fire a fowler shot for target shooting and leave the bore 1 shot dirty for hunting.

Has worked for years with no problems.

[leftiye]

The answer is in the lube you use. If it leaves a minimal bore condition, then when the coating does not drag differently on the cold barrel 1st shot. Look at the Ultimate loob thread, look for CORE condition. SL68 was formulated with this in mind as well as a wide temp range. Runfiverun's simple lube should probly be purty good too.

[35 shooter]

With the BLL you mentioned, i haven't had to use anything in the bore.
First shots have been in the group from a cold clean or cold fouled bbl.

With Ben's Red lube i usually swab the bore with atf oil on a patch after shooting and run one dry patch through the bore before shooting again.

With Bll i either leave the bore fouled or use one wet patch of atf oil after shooting and one dry patch before shooting again just like with Ben's Red.

As mentioned above, sometimes swabbing the bore with a bit of the lube your using works also.
It may just take a bit of experimenting to find what works with the lube you use.

[runfiverun]

what happens is the lube dry's out and your first shot or two repairs the core condition.
if you wanna experiment try dropping the first shots load about 4% and see what happens compared with the rest of the group.

this same thing happens with jacketed rounds too.
yeah powder fouling is fouling [carbon bits] and it affects the passage of the next bullet [mostly in the throat]

[Blackwater]

Thanks guys, for all the info. This is about what I suspected, but it's really nice to get some confirmation. I don't have forever left to experiment, and this kind of knowledge and experience sure helps make my time more productive. I'm a babe in the woods compared to most of you here, about lubes. My first efforts were for BPCR, and it worked better than anything I could buy in my tests (Emmert's with lanolin). That's got me wanting to make my own lube, against the advice of all my friends. Everyone but me likes taking the easy way out, and just buying what you need. But that's too easy and not interesting enough for me. I have some reading to do here when I get into it seriously. Thanks for the help and advice.

[popper]

Not sure I'd try the One Step in the bore. Acrylic paint over moisture doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I tried just BLL ~ 1800 fps, got a few flyers from a 'dirty' barrel. Accuracy appeared to improve a bit with more rounds, coating bore? More tests to come.

[williamwaco]

I also get first shot fliers when changing powder. Eg. Shoot several groups with a Unique load then change to a 2400 load with the same bullet and lube. The first 1 to 3 shots (may) go wild after which the point of impact returns to normal.

As with most things, "it depends on the local daemons"

[Don Fischer]

With jacketed bullet's it's always been from what I believe is cleaning the bore to much. Always seem's that the first shot flys unless you left the bore dirty a bit.

[GONRA]

GONRA sez - isn't "First Shot Flyers" called "Fouling The Barrel" ???

[randyrat]

One way I prevent first round fliers is never clean the bore. I haven't
cleaned the bore on the 30-30 in five years using Tac 1 lube. It still is a tack
driver.
It is my "go to gun" for white tail hunting and fun range gun.
I'll second the fact your lube is still only one factor, but a big one.

[Lloyd Smale]

I cure it by not cleaning my handgun barrel every time I shoot. Theres no need to clean one unless its leaded. Ive yet to see one rust that was seasoned with cast bullets and lube.

[Oleman]

I fire a fowler shot for target shooting and leave the bore 1 shot dirty for hunting.

Has worked for years with no problems.

This! You don't see those benchrest guys shoot for record without a couple of sighters.

[mongoosesnipe]

a clean gun only shoot like a clean gun once a dirty gun always shoots the same....

unless its black powder i don't clean my bores very often, on hunting rifles just at the end of the season before putting them away and even then usually just an swab of oil down the bore unless it is a varmint rifle chances are you could get away with an actual bore cleaning every few years at the most

[runfiverun]

a lot of it has to do with the barrel itself too.
rough or pitted barrels seem more affected, than straight polished ones.

I probably should clean my varmint rifle but it still hits 1-1/2" wide ground squirrels at 300 yds after three years so I guess it's still in it's break in period.
it's never had a patch/brush/cleaner down the barrel since the one I pushed through it when I brought it home.
it has to be going on 7-800 rounds now.
I did put a little oil on the BCG the other day so maybe that counts?

[goryshaw]

My NM AR-15 A2 has 1800+ rounds down the tube in 18 months, and the barrel has been cleaned twice during that time. I think the last time was in August of last year, I couldn't practice prone due to my 2nd knee replacement of the year, so cleaned some 50+ guns while I was bored during recovery. It still shoots well enough that anything outside the X ring even at 600 yards is my fault, not the gun's.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup I'm the same way. I kind of chuckle at guys who think there rifle needs to be cleaned every 10 shots. If it truly does you have a turd of a gun.

My NM AR-15 A2 has 1800+ rounds down the tube in 18 months, and the barrel has been cleaned twice during that time. I think the last time was in August of last year, I couldn't practice prone due to my 2nd knee replacement of the year, so cleaned some 50+ guns while I was bored during recovery. It still shoots well enough that anything outside the X ring even at 600 yards is my fault, not the gun's.