Bore conditioning

[charger 1]

I know we've all noticed the first shots out of a clean bore are not in the main group, but usually only a few. I'm starting to notice with rugers that the group tightens up over 20 or 30 rounds. Is this in my head or does anyone else notice it? Ruger has deep rifling, I shoot pretty hard stuff and their bores dont run very true end to end. I am assuming that it takes longer due to the bore diameter differences with the hard projectiles. Any thoughts?

[44man]

I don't notice that with my revolvers and cast. Only thing that used to give me trouble was a jacketed, first shot from a clean bore that could miss a chicken. My Ruger has been shot a lot though, I think it is on 57,600 rounds now.
I think it just depends on the gun and like you say, the bore has not smoothed yet.
I am going to try it though by shooting a group with a clean bore, then I will just shoot up a bunch and try it again. My first shot is usually in the group but I have no idea if they will tighten by shooting more. I switch guns so often I can't keep track of what each has shot.

[charger 1]

I cant remember the numbers but I know that any barrel but ecspecially the deeper cut rifling one air gauge a lot closer after 100 cast rounds than without

[Dale53]

One summer, a couple of friends and I ran a long series of tests with our various .22's. We had everything from high end target rifles, through single shots and sporters. We decided that we would not take anything for granted. If all three of us could not duplicate a particular result, then "It didn't happen". We shot three times a week all summer. It was not only fun but we reached some fairly solid conclusions, particularly about bore condition.

Understand, these tests were with .22's. However, I discovered that they pretty much applied to all lubricated cast bullets.

Each rifle had it's own cleaning cycle. Some rifles would go 300-1000 rounds without losing accuracy. In fact, most of them would. The better the barrel, the more shots they would go. We learned to NOT clean after short strings.

When chemical cleaning took place it could take as many as 25 shots to get the accuracy back. However, when we used "Ed's Red" it would come back in just a few shots (thank you, Ed Harris...). Anschutz recommendation to run a dry patch through the bore, then follow up with another dry patch with short "back and forth" strokes would restore accuracy for several hundred more shots before needing it again. Three shots would put you back in the "sweet zone".

The important thing, is to take the time, with the particular rifle (applies to rifle, pistol and revolver) and find out what IT"S cycle is. Then, just before the accuracy falls off, clean it.

I do NOT clean my guns after each use. I have been criticized by more than one good friend for doing this. I have found that the bullet lubricant protects the interior quite well, thank you. I just wipe off the exterior before putting the piece away. When the cycle nears the accuracy "fall off" I clean it. Every three cycles, I use Ed's Red, in between I use dry patches as per Anschutz. I "dry patch" at the range just before shooting. When the guns are in the safe, they are "dirty", for the most part.

The guns are zeroed and ready to go at any time. Before you criticize this practice, you might want to spend a summer gathering data...[smilie=1:

YMMV.

Dale53

[44man]

It's a very good practice and is how I usually do it, (I hate cleaning guns.) but I have been testing Lar's lubes a lot and some others and need to remove one to try another. Plus I need to check for leading with some lubes. That makes it hard to keep one bore condition. It seems as the quality of the lube eliminates a lot of problems.
When I used rifles for hunting I would shoot for weeks before season and never clean them. You can miss a deer with a clean rifle.
It is supposed to warm up this week. I haven't been able to shoot any because my benches are coated with thick ice.

[Bass Ackward]

It's a very good practice and is how I usually do it, (I hate cleaning guns.) but I have been testing Lar's lubes a lot and some others and need to remove one to try another. Plus I need to check for leading with some lubes. That makes it hard to keep one bore condition. It seems as the quality of the lube eliminates a lot of problems.
When I used rifles for hunting I would shoot for weeks before season and never clean them. You can miss a deer with a clean rifle.
It is supposed to warm up this week. I haven't been able to shoot any because my benches are coated with thick ice.


Ha!. Just empty one of those earthquake production devises you call a handgun and all that ice will break up. A true handgunner wouldn't be stymied. :grin:

[44man]

Hee, Hee, thanks Bass, I needed that. Being cooped up in the house and yard is tough. Now it is going to rain all night and turn the place into mud. I don't want to shoot my earthquake guns around the mud! Poooey, yuck.