To clean or not to clean

[Rusty]

This was on another thread yesterday or the day before but I don't remember what it was titled or who started it. Anyway I found this by Veral Smith who really has a way with words.

As for learning that all copper must be removed to make lead shoot, you have learned an old wives tale. It only has to be removed if it is built up enough to change the barrel dimensionally, to the degree that the cast bullets are not well guided. Which is the same reason jacket fouling hurts jacketed bullet accuracy. It builds up most in the throat, which leaves the muzzle oversize and bullets flopping, so to speak as they fly to the target. Worst case of fouling buildup which I've measured was a .309 barrel at the muzzle which produced a pushthrough slug of .300 diameter when it went through the area just ahead of the throat.

Light jacket fouling which doesn't change the barrel dimensionally does nothing to cast performance, IF LBT BULLET LUBE IS USED. It MAY with some other lubes, and may not. If you want to settle this solidly in your mind, shoot some cast groups through a jacket fouled barrel, clean it till it's spotless and shoot some more. In the fouled barrels which I've found inaccurate with cast a push through slug always revealed a tight area down close to the throat, with loose muzzle.

[Modoc ED]

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=12702

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=12713

[J Miller]

This was on another thread yesterday or the day before but I don't remember what it was titled or who started it. Anyway I found this by Veral Smith who really has a way with words.

As for learning that all copper must be removed to make lead shoot, you have learned an old wives tale. It only has to be removed if it is built up enough to change the barrel dimensionally, to the degree that the cast bullets are not well guided. Which is the same reason jacket fouling hurts jacketed bullet accuracy. It builds up most in the throat, which leaves the muzzle oversize and bullets flopping, so to speak as they fly to the target. Worst case of fouling buildup which I've measured was a .309 barrel at the muzzle which produced a pushthrough slug of .300 diameter when it went through the area just ahead of the throat.

Light jacket fouling which doesn't change the barrel dimensionally does nothing to cast performance, IF LBT BULLET LUBE IS USED. It MAY with some other lubes, and may not. If you want to settle this solidly in your mind, shoot some cast groups through a jacket fouled barrel, clean it till it's spotless and shoot some more. In the fouled barrels which I've found inaccurate with cast a push through slug always revealed a tight area down close to the throat, with loose muzzle.

Now, that makes sense and I can understand it.

Joe

[marlinman93]

Sound advice and without all the double talk.

[Old No7]

"To clean or not to clean..."

Gee, the way my mind was workin' (or maybe not???), I was thinking that's how you got the name . . .

RUSTY!!



Old No7

[Rusty]

OH DANG IT NOW THE SECRET IS OUT!

[GANJIRO]

Thank you Rusty, some shooters almost religious dogma on removing ALL copper before shooting lead defied logic so good to hear some common sense on this matter.