I have embarked on a project to get a decent grouping 100yd load with LY31141 cast soft. Purpose will be for deer hunting. Hardness is about (Lee Tester) 9.2ish. Gun is Marlin 336 CB. It shoots COWW bullets very well at 100 (1 1/2 inches or so depending on the day) at a vel. of 1875ish fps. with 21gr IMR 4198/dacron. Can't get the softer alloy 31141 to shoot as well with that load. I'm getting 4-5in groups at 100. I intend to try slowing the load down and use a slower pwdr like 3031. Should I clean the bbl well and start evaluating accuracy with a clean bbl, or should I foul it first with harder bullets then use the softer ones. My purpose for asking is I was wondering if the softer bullets would need some lube in the bbl first to shoot without leading. I want to evaluate loads in small groups, so I don't have to pull a lot of inaccurate rounds. If I shoot 5 rounds and they are accurate, I will load 5 more etc. I know if the bbl is clean, a couple shots may be necessary before the group begins to form.