Do you coat your barrel after cleaning and before shooting the first shot ?

[Slug Gun]

Do you coat your cleaned barrel with anything like oil or a lube of some sore or just fire the first shot into a clean dry barrel ?

 

[tim]

Do you coat your cleaned barrel with anything like oil or a lube of some sore or just fire the first shot into a clean dry barrel ?

Many, if not most, probably do finish with oil of some type according to personal preference.

 

[Bob1949]

I shoot every week so after cleaning I leave the bore dry.
If I’m going to store my rifles for longer than a week I will run an oil patch down the bore.
When I take an oiled rifle out to shoot, I clean out the oil and shoot it dry.
Hope this helps.

Bob

 

[Slug Gun]

I’m thinking that with the limited lube on a rimfire round that a dry barrel is a long way for that bullet to travel without running out of lube. I was thinking more along the way of leading the barrel do to a lack of lube and not rust prevention.

 

[Bob1949]

I’m thinking that with the limited lube on a rimfire round that a dry barrel is a long way for that bullet to travel without running out of lube. I was thinking more along the way of leading the barrel do to a lack of lube and not rust prevention.

You raise an interesting point concerning bore lubrication.
If you leave the bore wet with oil and shoot a round, you will notice an increase in energy released.
This is due to the oil residue burning as the bullet travels down the barrel.
The oil, having burnt, will deposit carbon down the bore.
Bullet lubricants are either a wax or paraffin based product and won’t burn under shooting conditions.
Precision shooters will shoot enough fouler rounds to season the bore before shooting for score.

Bob

 

[tim]

You raise an interesting point concerning bore lubrication.
If you leave the bore wet with oil and shoot a round, you will notice an increase in energy released.
This is due to the oil residue burning as the bullet travels down the barrel.
The oil, having burnt, will deposit carbon down the bore.
Bullet lubricants are either a wax or paraffin based product and won’t burn under shooting conditions.
Precision shooters will shoot enough fouler rounds to season the bore before shooting for score.

Bob

This has been widely discussed/recognized. The first shot(s) down a barrel, oiled or not is faster because properly distributed lube down a barrel from subsequent shots slow a slug down.
Oil in a bore at the end applied on a tight patch probably does not burn past the first couple inches.....if at all, majority of it is in the pores of the steel.
Leading is rare, if you get it it is likely because of a problem with cleaning and/or equipment.I have had countless rimfires over 25 years, don't think I ever had lead past the throat.
My smith,which has built countless world record 22's, hasn't either FWIW.

 

[doclu60]

Bullet lubricants are either a wax or paraffin based product and won’t burn under shooting conditions.
Precision shooters will shoot enough fouler rounds to season the bore before shooting for score.

Bob

To answer the OP's question, I clean then dry patch and shoot the barrel dry. Lead for a dedicated RFBR competitor is less likely an issue than carbon fouling, IMO. I have have seen lead when bore scoping, but rarely. While lead is usually seen in the area just ahead of the leade, I have seen it in the forward end of the barrel where it chokes down as well.

As to the cropped quote, the statement of lube is only partially true. The two top brands in match ammo, Eley and Lapua have very different lubes and they both show different characteristics when fouling a clean bore. Eley uses a beeswax/tallow lube (as mentioned) and Lapua uses petroleum distillate. I have found fouling with Lapua can take, depending on the particular barrel, over twice as many rounds to come back in than fouling with Eley. To combat the higher round count I always foul with Eley, even when my ammo for score is going to be Lapua. It only takes a coupe of shots to transition from the Eley to the Lapua lube and cuts down on round count and time when on the clock. JME, YMMV.