Clean vs. Dirty vs. Cold bore

[rossislider]

Wow, that really tightened up!

[AverageJoe]

Results are as to be expected and why I never clean my rifle before a hunt.

 

P.s....Great shooting! That is an awesome group.

[azshtr]

I've had the pleasure of seeing the record grouping by McMillan... yours is very close Well maybe not that close but dang nice.

[Hoss50]

My 257 seems to start loosing it after about 40-50 rounds down the tube. It seems to like about 10-30 rounds the best.

 

I generally just punch the bore with a tight patch with some CLP on it before I put the rifle in the safe. I don't put a bore brush down the barrel very often. Only when the groups are getting way rough or it is going to sit for a long time. I used to be more diligent about full cleanings every time but this 257 weatherby does not seem to like it. I had never really shot 1 specific rifle often enough to notice this trend until now though either. My dad had lots of things to choose from so I often went from one gun to another for different hunts. I now pretty much exclusively carry my weatherby for most all varmint and big game hunting so I have learned my rifle much better then the guns I have used on past hunts. I don't kill much but practicing with the same rifle all the time and dialing in loads has really helped my consistency and helped me notice the cleaning trend.

[Coach]

^{I'm certainly no expert on this topic, but it's something I've read a lot about and the previous posts seem to validate. There has always been a debate about how much and how often to clean the bore, fouling shots, etc.}

 

^{Accuracy depends a lot on replicating everything from grip, alignment, trigger pull - all things constant - right?}

 

^{Any barrel has microscopic imperfections. Copper, being soft and pliable fills gaps and rounds hard edges making the bore smoother. The more imperfect the barrel, the more consistent it becomes with fouling. - to a point.}

 

^{I'm in the camp of get it shooting, and don't scrub the bore before a hunt.}

[STOMP442]

Most impressive group there lance. Did you do any break in on the barrel at all? only reason I ask is that when breaking in a barrel I have seen groups with similar results with groups starting around an inch and end up about half that with the same bullet and load by the time break in is over. I have a large target with multiple aiming points and I will start shooting from right to left top to bottom and literally watch each group shrink in size from dot to dot.

[CraigK]

Interesting results. Thanks for posting. Indeed one heck of a group.

[firstcoueswas80]

Surprised I haven't seen anyone mention the type of bullet varies what you see.

 

For several years I used nothing but the TTSX with stellar results in my 257 wby, only down fall is they foul like crazy. 1/2 moa at 500+ but foul a ton. I recently switched to the 110 Accubond, I'm not sure why and they don't foul as much.

 

Also, the berger hybrid does not foul my 7 LRM barrel that much, although that barrel is treated with dyna bore coat, as is the 257.

[STOMP442]

The Barnes bullets are pure copper resulting in a longer length for a given weight and more bearing surface. Add all that together and you got yourself more fouling.

[lancetkenyon]

I just wish I had an antelope tag this fall to use this gun on........

 

Maybe Taylor will use it for her elk hunt in November.

 

There is still a chance for a deer tag in October.

[AverageJoe]

Get a wyoming tag. Not too late to put in for wyoming. You can still draw a unit or two that are decent even with 0 points