"UH-Oh".........
Remember 'CORE'? That's "Consistency of Residuals Encountered"..... Well, 'CORE' has bitten me in three different guns!
I have tested EBN (EsterBee350 with 13% Carnauba) quite a bit in three guns since my last report. Accuracy was excellent in all three! For a while and at times that is! The basics were there as they need to be like "no leading!" It tickles me how that is so important with so many! I'm not saying it isn't; don't get me wrong! But it's a given to me and not worth even saying or talked about...... If it leaves lead; it's dead! That's my criteria long before any complex testing starts.
Both the Hornet and the Marlin .25-20 started getting weird around 25 rounds dirty. The Hornet didn't ever 'cold start' out of the group... AT LEAST WITH THE FIRST ROUND!
Both guns displayed a somewhat repeatable phenomena then! Good first shot and a low second! The .25-20 started it at 27 rounds dirty and idle three days. At 70 yards, the first shot was 3/4" high. The next shot was 2 1/2" low! The third shot was right on. 4 more shots make a 1" group along with #3. The Hornet would drop the second shot as well. It was well fouled at over forty shots. The Hornet didn't always display this but the Marlin did. The Marlin basically made a 3" 70 yard group that had the rest of the shots into about 1"! Like I said this lube is accurate with the best of them except for this.
The .38-40 was able to stay right at 1" at fifty without cold starts of any kind. In the 30's through the bore it wanted cleaned, I could tell.
A close examination of all three guns showed bright clean bores in all. It was only after refracting strong lighting and 10x magnification I could see deposit. The lands shined even on their edges..... Carnauba!
I think the second shot low thing is a purging shot. The first shot literally 'tricks' you into thinking you have passed the cold start test, softens the hard deposits, and then the 'blade' drops and round two plows out the bore!
R5R had a feeling.... I think I may have the same one.... High Carnauba % may not fly when the mercury drops even with Ester's help.
I cleaned all guns with a bronze brush and Hoppe's #9. The first pass through gave above normal resistance!
I enjoyed Bruce's post. His analytic mind (I'm the same way) wants to pin down the problem! ME TOO! But just what is the problem? Our minds are incapable of thinking in milliseconds, much less microseconds! Yet our boolit and its lube see this every shot and we don't see what they see.... only the results of it. Like Bruce I would like to take a bite at a time at what's working. Very Hot barrels are an unimportant abstract as far as I'm concerned. I don't think most of us consider an "Extreme" Lube being designed to spray from a semi-auto. Some of the bogger throwing lubes we have criticized may have their place there. Nor are handguns the primary objective either. They are easy to please lube wise. I see the very best accuracy from a rifle (1 moa) being the goal over many rounds with a cold winter factored in! The first shot (hunting) being extremely critical not fast multiple shots.
S O O O what is my next move. First Carnauba will drop in % or maybe out. I have pondered this to the point my wife looks at me sometimes and says: "What are you thinking about?"
A la Bruce I'm going to modify what has worked for me.
See post #1000.
btroj mentioned the NRA formula being modified to work with new or different additions. I'm going to start there..... (I've been there) I like about 40% Beeswax. I like about 40% Alox 350. That leaves 20% for ester 2 stroke, carnauba (4% max), maybe even castor oil....... Those with experience are saying "That's way too thin!" Yeah..... I know... I'm thinking about that too.
I am not against Gear driving a "stake" through Alox 350's heart either! I hope he does and I'll be thrilled! We need "wetting" in "Extreme"..... THE BEST ONE!
Eutectic