Point of impact change

J

jaybic

Guest
Hello all,

This question branches off of my JB bore paste question. Maybe a dumb one but here goes.

After having cleaned a rifle barrel of any kind,(Benchrest barrel, varmint, factory hunting rifle barrel) is it normal to notice any shift in point of impact on the first round fired after that cleaning session.

In otherwords, is a fouling shot( or two..three???) needed(like muzzleloaders normally do) to put the barrel back into a state of maximum accuracy for a first round cold barrel bullseye...the "money shot" if you will?

Thanks again for the shared wisdom. I appreciate it.

Jamie
 
99.99% of the time....yes. There is always one that goes against the rule of thumb but out of dozens of custom barrels and probably a couple of hundred factory ones....I only ever had one that didn't change POI after a cleaning. Most of them would even change an inch or more, then come back in. I used to get a kick out of it at the local range watching guys re-zero their gun for hunting season. They had normally cleaned them well and lubed the bores and after about 20 shots they were back where they started. All they really needed to do was fire a couple of shots in the backstop prior to putting it on paper but some get real wound up when it's not where it was the year before and start cranking on the knobs after the first shot. After I shoot the couple of foulers....I always let the barrel cool down completely on a hunting rifle...that way you know where that first cold shot is.

Hovis
 
BR rifles and heavy barrelled live varmint rifles might put the first shot out of a clean barrel into the group they'd shoot after a fouler or two, lighter barrelled rifles might not. The only way to know if to fire a group with the rifle in question, and check impact of each shot. Before my knees crapped out on me I'd never clean the rifle's barrel after it was sighted in. Firing a couple of foulers out in the field is probably not considered good form by a guy's hunting partners.... :D

It's one reason that BR shooters fire a fouler or two before going for the record target too.
 
I sight my rifles in just before hunting season and i don't clean them tell after i quite hunting. also cold weather can bother your zero.
 
Larry and Noth are exactly right. Don't clean after sightin....unless you get water in the bore or something like that.

Hovis
 
I had something odd happen.

I got a box of the Midway USA Dogtown bullets for my 22-250. They are very inexpensive, and a kind of generic bullet. Midway says they are made by some well-known American bullet manufacturer, but will not name that firm.

I did not expect these too be so great, and so I loaded up five rounds using these bullets just as fouling shots, and to warm the barrel up a little bit.

My first five shots out of the cleaned barrel were into 3/4 inch. I mean, these were the Dogtown fouling shots.

I don't expect that a 3/4 in. group at 100 yd is so wonderful in itself -- but under these circumstances I was quite impressed.

I'm going to give these bullets another chance, and try to make up some serious loads with them, just to see what they can do.
 
Foulers

Right now my varmint and target rifles have been cleaned and set aside. Its almost hunting season, and time to get used to shooting the heavy kickers.

In almost 25 years I have very rarely had a hunting or varmint rifle hit the same point of impact after cleaning. Usually its 3 or 4 shots before its back on.

My standard regime before hunting is to shoot my rifles for 3 to 4 weeks before the season just to get used to them again. This is how I work it.

I shoot 25 rounds out of each rifle for the 3 to 4 weeks in 5- 5 shot groups. The rifles are cleaned completely after each session.

On my final sight in, I will load 50 rounds for each rifle using the same lot of powder, same lot of bullets, and same lot of primers used in the practice sessions. And yes I buy3 lbs of powder, and 5 boxes bullets, and a 1000 primers so I am sure to have the same lot, plus I check lot #s.

When I sight in the rifles, I normally will shoot 3 to 5 groups out of each until I have made sure that they are back where they were before. I do not clean the rifles after that.

I make sure that I get to my hunting area early enough to be able to plop down on my backside and try to shoot a hedgeball from a 100 yrds out. Where I go the farmer has a hedge tree in the pasture that is almost exactly 100 yrds from the front porch. Damn conveinent. This insures that the rifles did not get banged around on the trip down as to knock the settings off.

After this I go into the farm house, take out my roll of black electrical tape, and put one piece over the bore about an inch on both sides, then make 2 to 3 wraps around the barrel ensureing the tape stays in place. Why the tape? Well as one poster said water in the barrell. But not only that, but if you do any walking or stalking, and it has been raining, it gets slick and people do sometimes trip or slip. The tape keeps mud, water, and all other debris out of the barrell :D. Plus tape does not effect point of impact, ya just shoot right through it .

Just my 2 cents Good Luck
DR
 
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DR4NRA

My only question is heat. If you are firing off 30 or 50 rds in a fairly short period of time, how hot do your barrels get?

I do think that the chill autumn air is going to lessen the heat buildup compared to the hot days of summer.

But what I am thinking, when you shoot at that game animal, you are shooting out of a cold barrel.

With these practice regimes, you may be shooting a very hot barrel-- possibly too hot to clamp with your hand -- at risk of getting burned.

Comment?
 
cold barrel

Pete, the barrel is allowed to cool completely,the groups are shot at least 45 minutes apart if not longer. I also use a timer set for 2 min. this assures me a good interval in between shots. I get to the range about 7 in the AM and dont leave until about 5 or 6 PM. Plenty of time to shoot 25 rounds through each.

The reason I load up 50 for the final sight in is that if I only shoot 3 groups to confirm the rifle it leaves me with 35 rounds of the same load, brass length, seating depth, etc. I shoot a 25.06 which in my part of the woods where I hunt it is nearly impossible to find a store that carrys the round. Heaven forbid to have something happen to where the sights get banged, and have to use up all the rounds you have to resight. A good scout is always prepared. Never hurts to have left overs.

Steve you are correct. 1 shot, 1 kill, faith in yourself and equipment. I have only had to fire more than once 3 times in the last 15 hunts.

One a hornady 120 gr blew up on impact, stopped right at the shoulder blade, distance was 160 yards, second shot caught him in the spine as he was jumping a fence. I still have the jacket of that bullet that took a nice quarter size piece of hide and fur with it.

2 was a nice buck at about 130 yards shooting a Nosler 115 Ballistic tip, first shot put a nice 25 caliber bullet hole through both shoulder blades, never expanded at all, 2nd hit him in the ribs, and blew a hole an inch to inch and a half going out.

3rd was a buck at about 150 yards, shooting a Nosler accu bond, again the first shot went right through no expansion, second was in the ribs, again punched right through, had to track that critter about 200 yards.

I have never used a Nosler since
 
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