load developement clean or dirty barrel

[dano1]

now i have paying a great deaal of attention to what everyone on this has had to say about thier particular cleaning regimine.some shooters feel that thier rifle shoots better when the barrel is dirty and some say the opposite.now let's take a new factory rifle you've gone thru the procedure of conditioning the bore now it's time for load developement.how do you work up a load for a new rifle when your not sure if the gun shoots better with clean or dirty barrel.if the gun shoots better with a dirty barrel how does one know the actual true group size of the first or second load.vice versa how does one know the actual true group size of the fourth or fifth load if the gun shoots better with a clean barrel:

 

[marion packett]

Accuracy is the result of consistency. Where fouling in = fouling out is where the best accuracy will be. Each barrel is different. I shoot 1000yds and have had my best accuracy after 35-40 rds have been fired. Custom barrel of course that has been broken in (over 100rds).

 

[Montana Pete]

I always start out with five rounds that I do not take too seriously. Some of these first five rounds are rather cheap, such as using up partial boxes of bullets I got at a gun show -- and the like. The idea is just to foul the barrel, get out any traces of gun oil and slightly warm the barrel.

Then I take out my best ammo and begin shooting for groups.

Some shooters dislike cleaning for fear it impedes accuracy. However, there are other risks to not cleaning, such as build up of carbon or copper.