Pre-Lube barrel, before shooting ?

[243winxb]

How do you pre-lube the barrel? Same lube as on the Bullets? How, if you do pre-lube?

Thank You.

[ABJ]

Yes I prelube all my hunting guns. Do I need to? No not really, the cold dry barrel first shot is generally only around an inch out. The lube I have found that works best is Black bear grease lightly on a patch pushed from breech to muzzle and removed. Any light coating of animal based oil seemed to work. What didn't work is the boolit lube or petro based oils. As an FYI my boolit lube is carnuba red which is known to cause cold barrel flyers.
Tony

[MT Gianni]

I clean to bare metal when changing lubes then shoot at least 10-15 before shooting groups. I have seen accuracy change too often when changing lubes to not do it that way.

[243winxb]

I know if i dont pre-lube a Lyman H&i die & try to size a bullet, the high friction sticks the bullet in the die.

I agree, clean barrel of lube, before using a different type of lube. Seen problems with 22 LR ammos.

[stubshaft]

I use Rooster Red Jacket Bullet Film to pre-lube my bores. It allows me to shoot to POI with the first shot, which without it normally drops a half inch low.

[G. Freeman]

I've been shooting 3 decades and was always taught to keep the bore dry before shooting. When you lube the bore, the barrel fouling is very dirty.

I only lube the bore after the bore is scrubbed clean and if it needs to go into storage for awhile.
The bore gets dry patch before shooting. Otherwise all my bores are dry.

[W.R.Buchanan]

It is common place to run an oiled patch thru the bore when finished cleaning the bore.

However it is necessary to remove said oil from the bore before firing, as it burns the oil and leaves carbon deposits in the barrel when you fire it.

Learned that in a Precision Rifle Class.

Randy

[No_1]

I use synthetic 2 stoke oil mixed with beeswax to make my boolit lube. I use the same oil as a final wipe in my barrels before I put the guns back in the safe. I have never patched it out before shooting and never noticed accuracy issues.

[charlie b]

I shoot a dry bore. I don't hunt so having the first shot off a bit is no big deal. Different guns also react differently.

The carbon steel barrel on my Axis (.223) shoots first shot within MOA of the rest of the bullets. Doesn't matter if I cleaned it from last time, left some oil in there or wiped it dry and clean. FWIW, the POI shifts about 1/2MOA from cold to hot. It still shoots tiny groups when the barrel is too hot to hold.

My .308 has a stainless barrel. When cleaned I leave it dry and shoot it that way. All my cast bullets are powder coated. The first one, jacketed or cast, is always off a bit. Interesting part is for jacketed bullets the first round is a bit low on velocity and hits low. Cast, powder coated bullets the first one is a bit high in velocity and hits a little high.

[greenjoytj]

After you clean your firearm the metal is given a light coat of oil inside and out to preserve against rust. Before the firearm is shot again one dry patch swabs out any excessive presents of oil.
The patch does not and can not pull out all the oil from the microscopic pores in the barrel.
It’s on this residual oil in the metal pores that your first bullet shot rides out on.
No pre lubing is required. Your first shot will lay down a coating of what ever was lubing your bullet. The concept that your second shot will go where the first shot went is a myth.
There are just too many variables in play with the bore condition to allow this.
At best your second shot will just be close to the first shot and that’s with smokeless propellant, throw in black powder or a substitute and the bore condition rapidly becomes much worst.
That’s why many shooters make the effort to use clean burning powder and or give the bore a wipe between shots, in order to establish a more standard bore condition for the next shot.

[charlie b]

Some hunters will save a target and use it to gauge the load. Take it out and shoot the first shot of the day with their hunting load. Put the target away until the next range day. Shoot the first shot. Repeat until 5-10 rounds are on the target. That is the hunting 'zero'. Ideally the targets are fired with the same temp as when hunting, but, that is a bit too much to ask for some who hunt in different climates than their home range.

Yes, second round may be off a little and a good hunter will know where that round will go as well.

This is a bit overkill for many. The key is to know your gun.

[243winxb]

I like to see a lube star on the muzzle, but it takes firing many rounds till it shows up. The barrel is well conditioned then.

I was thinking some way to pre-lube may work. Guess I will keep cleaning, before shooting , with #9 & patch the barrel dry before firing. Thank you for the replies.

Photo shows RCBS Pistol lube on S&W M28, 357 mag muzzle.

[DonHowe]

For me it matters what the rifle is used for. If for plinking/fun shooting or match shooting where you get unlimited sighters or foulers it doesn't matter where the first shot goes. If hunting it does. If hunting it matters where the first shot goes. It matters if shooting a match with limited sighters or BPCR where more sighters means more fouling to deal with.
I have lubed (not oil) the barrel before a match but prefer to not scrub all the lube film out of a match barrel until the end of the shooting season.
Many shooters disbelieve in a "seasoned" bore but I b eleven it is a benefit ax do many romfire match shooters.
As this last is opinion please don't offer some extensive test results.