# Hunt with "dirty" barrel or "clean" ?



## RipperIII (Sep 14, 2008)

I don't clean my barrel after every round but I do clean it after every shooting session,...I 'm new to this and i thought that this is what you are supposed to do. Lately I've read and heard several people say that they hunt with a "dirty" barrel,...what is the purpose of this? any benefit? or is it based upon each individual rifle?


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## germag (Sep 14, 2008)

I hunt with a fouled (not dirty) barrel because the first couple of shots through a clean barrel will strike a slightly different point of impact than a fouled barrel. I don't want to have to clean my barrel after each shot in order to keep the same point of impact, so I zero with a fouled barrel. Since I'm zeroed with a fouled barrel, then I want to hunt with a fouled barrel. What you're concerned with when hunting is where your first shot is going to be. A cold barrel will also have a different point of impact than a warm barrel. However, your first shot hunting is going to be with a cold barrel. So.....I zero with a fouled and cold barrel and I hunt with a fouled and cold barrel....when I'm hunting I want that first shot to go where I aim.

I don't let my barrel get copper-fouled, though. That will have a serious effect on accuracy. What I do is when I get done with a range session, I scrub the barrel good. I make sure I get it good and clean and all of the copper residue out. Then I fire 3 fouling shots and put the gun away.


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## rayjay (Sep 14, 2008)

I can't help myself but I cannot store a rifle without running an oiled patch down the bore.


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## BookHound (Sep 14, 2008)

germag nailed it.


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## Larry Rooks (Sep 14, 2008)

SOME rifles will hit to a idfferent point of impact with a spotless barrel vs fouled barrel, and SOME will hit the same.
I clean my barrels after EVERY range session and that is how they go to the woods hunting too, and have NEVER had a clean barrel mess me up.  Now if I shoot once while
hunting, that is no real reason for me to go and clean the barrel, unless raining etc.  I want clean it again until hunting season is over (Probably no more than three shots fired down the barrel during that timeand I have more than one that I hunt with) or until I am caught in the rain
etc.  I spit shine the barrels after every 10 rounds and no more


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## weagle (Sep 14, 2008)

After I have my hunting rifles zeroed for the season I don't clean the barrels unless I end up hunting in the rain.

Weagle


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## bull0ne (Sep 14, 2008)

weagle said:


> After I have my hunting rifles zeroed for the season I don't clean the barrels unless I end up hunting in the rain.
> 
> Weagle



Ditto

However.............I will check the bore for obstructions before *every* hunt.


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## dixie (Sep 14, 2008)

I have a autoloader that demands a clean barrel, after the 4-5Th shot its patten starts opening up, my bolt actions aren't as picky, the patten stays the same until 10-15 round have been fired


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## Rich Kaminski (Sep 14, 2008)

I clean Rifles after every hunting session, black powder rifles after every kill.


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## Larry Rooks (Sep 14, 2008)

Heck, I got a red headed Bro in Law that bought a rifle from me some years back, shot the heck out of it, and about 10 years later wondered why it would not hold
a group any more.  First question I asked, :When was the
last time you cleaned tha barrel"?  He said "Huh' what you mean, I have never cleaned it on the inside.  Well by God, no wonder the dang thing want shoot ya big dummy.  And
this was about 500 rounds later and the barrel had never been cleaned  Oh well so much for Smarts

Then, and a good cleaning later, it shoots great again.  I wonder if he's cleaned it since??


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## RipperIII (Sep 14, 2008)

Thanks guys,
I've noticed that my first shot(clean barrel) tends to fly right 1" or so and 1/4"  to 1/2" high, then each subsequent shot zeros(from a bench)...now I'm thinking that maybe I pulled the first shot? or as ya'll say the fouled barrel makes the difference. I had a friend zero the gun out of the box, I'm sure he fired 3-5rounds, he also used federal 150gr btsp, I have tried 6 different rounds, 130gr.,140gr., and 150., with various bullet types, they all seem to group with in 3-4" of each at 100yds. "Flyers" I attribute to "operator error"


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## badger (Sep 14, 2008)

My 270  Win has 232 rounds down the tube since it's last cleaning. Stainless barrel & molyed TSX's. I have dry-brushed it a few times to remove powder fouling but that is it. Accuracy is still great, half MOA, and I won't clean it until that changes.......


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## brett30030 (Sep 14, 2008)

I'm with Weagle


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## germag (Sep 14, 2008)

Yeah, me too. My hunting rifles get scrubbed good once a year unless I take them to the range or they get wet. My target rifles get cleaned often.


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## F14Gunner (Sep 16, 2008)

Watched a special this past weekend on this subject. The results of a clean barrel or a dirty barrel vary. Depends the weapon. The majority of them tested with a clean barrel were off by as much as an inch. After the first shot the rifles were zeroed in and kept the pattern. Cleaned and refired they were again off. Not all weapons tested did this, but the majority. Just have to test yours and see what works. It was recommend that after you zero it in don't clean till season is over. 
Muzzle loaders were not in this test, so if you do shoot a smoke stick , check it out for yourself, be intresting to hear the results.


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## ScottD (Sep 16, 2008)

*Dirty...maybe*

In benchrest we clean between each target (10-15 rounds).  On the next target the first if not the first two always go on the sighter target.  The first shot will often be a little off.  It depends on how you clean, but i typically get the first shot low.

One trick you can do...after you clean the barrel, run a patch with "lock ease" through the bore.  this is a solvent with graphite power that after it dries leaves a graphite residue.  Tends to make the first shot the same as the rest.


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## BookHound (Sep 16, 2008)

RipperIII said:


> Thanks guys,
> I've noticed that my first shot(clean barrel) tends to fly right 1" or so and 1/4"  to 1/2" high, then each subsequent shot zeros(from a bench)...now I'm thinking that maybe I pulled the first shot? or as ya'll say the fouled barrel makes the difference. I had a friend zero the gun out of the box, I'm sure he fired 3-5rounds, he also used federal 150gr btsp, I have tried 6 different rounds, 130gr.,140gr., and 150., with various bullet types, they all seem to group with in 3-4" of each at 100yds. "Flyers" I attribute to "operator error"



The first shot is your cold bore shot.  It will typically be a bit off from subsequent shots.  If you are also always cleaning your barrel before that first shot, you are compounding the issue because that first shot will also foul the barrel.  

Clean your barrel.  Shoot a fouling shot or two.  Let the gun cool.  Learn the POI shift for your cold bore shot and write the variance on your dope card so you can adjust for it.

I shot these two groups using one of a local PD's sniper rifles.  I was testing POI shift when going from shooting without a silencer to putting the silencer on the gun.  This sometimes causes a POI shift and I wanted to see what the shift would be.  The unsuppressed group on the left was shot first.  Notice the "CB" (cold bore) shot.  We tried this several times during the day always letting the rifle cool.  The cold bore shot was always in the same place.  







I never tried cleaning the barrel during this time because, in my personal experience and as ScottD indicated, after cleaning the barrel you need a fouling shot through the gun to get the barrel's typical accuracy back.


Now, regarding 3-4" groups.  I'd be curious what was your rest and what glass you were using.  When shooting for groups I find I can get in the most stable position prone and using front and rear bags.

Take care.


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## pnome (Sep 16, 2008)

I clean my guns religiously.  If it gets fired, it gets cleaned.  Haven't noticed any change in POI, but to be honest I haven't been looking.  I'll have to do some testing with this in mind now though.


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## rayjay (Sep 16, 2008)

Here is a group from my 6PPC. This was 5 shots from a clean bbl. #1 was the shot at about 10 o'clock and then the other 4 went into the group.


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## BookHound (Sep 16, 2008)

Awesome group, rayjay!  What glass and rest were you using?


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## rayjay (Sep 16, 2008)

Leupold 36X, Sinclair base, Farley Compact joystick rest, Bald Eagle bunny ear bag with donut. 6ppc Viper RBLP drop port, Kreiger bbl. This gun boggles my mind and it's nowhere near sorted out yet as far as the load and bullet seating depth. Plus, with me shooting it there is no telling where the next bullet is going.

At our match last Saturday ScottD's 100 yd groups were:
.233
.202
.129
.284
.373 
His 100 yd winning agg [ average ] was .2442  

The smallest 100 yd group was a .094. The smallest 200 yd group was a .386

For comparison purposes the group in the pic measures a .4xx counting the fouling shot. The 4 in actual group is a low .1xx


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## OkieHunter (Sep 16, 2008)

I alway's shoot a couple of foulers through my rifles before hunting with them or target shooting for that matter a rifle will shoot consistant after the barrel is fouled


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## BookHound (Sep 16, 2008)

I am impressed, rayjay.  You benchrest guys really are knowledgeable and skilled in your craft.  I knew a guy who no kidding used to put little pieces of meat on a target and then shoot flies when they landed on the meat.  Even with the right gear I don't think I'm near that good.  LOL.

Take care.


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## rayjay (Sep 16, 2008)

A good BR shooter knows how to read the windflags and knows what BR gunsmith to buy guns from. 

A newbie BR shooter is baffled by the windflags and confused by what he observes at matches. This is me.


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## BookHound (Sep 16, 2008)

Doping the wind is a skill all by itself.  I still have a hard time reading mirage.  I'm also still not sure which side I'm on in the great debate over which effects performance more, wind closer to the muzzle or the wind closer to the target.

Take care.


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## Pineywoods (Sep 16, 2008)

Dirty, but only partially so for me.  I'll get my gun zeroed in on a cold bore shot (shoot, adjust until happy, then lay it down until totally cooled, then shoot one shot, repeat as necessary).  Once I'm happy, I'll run a patch with Hoppes #9 down the bore, then several dry patches.  Some electrical tape for the muzzle, good to go and hunt.
Hoppes doesn't seem to be that aggressive on copper, but keeps the bore decent.  Doesn't seems to affect my rifle's cold bore shot at all.
I'll clean the copper with Wipe-Out about every 50 rounds or so.  Maybe a few strokes with JB compound if needed.  Then 3 shots to foul again before any serious shooting begins...


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## rayjay (Sep 16, 2008)

Mark, the wind at the bench affects the bullet over the full distance.


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