Cold bore or fouled barrel.

[hookr88]

I fire 2 fouling shots from each rifle before arriving in hunting camp. 3 would be better but I am a cheapskate and don't reload. If I miss I clean the rifle and switch to the other one. I probably wouldn't miss so much if I fired 4 fouling shots from each rifle.

Probably as many different ways to approach the problem as there are different ways to hunt. Great topic!

How much do you invest in your hunting vs the cost of 2 extra rounds a year? Just buy the cheapest ammo you can for your fouling loads. If your not zeroing, just fouling it doesn’t matter where they go.

[shmacker]

That podcast is an interesting listen.  For the guys who don’t clean their barrels, do you run an oiled patch through the barrel before putting your gun in the safe for a few months?  Or just zero cleaning/oiling?

[Stein]

I don't oil it at all during the year, but I have a stainless barrel and try to keep the humidity in my safe on the lower end.  It's never been an issue even for my other rifles that aren't stainless.  Like some of the others, on a normal year I'll clean it once before I put it up.  If I don't shoot it much I've gone two years.

[CarbonHunter]

I keep the outside of the rifle oiled but the barrel gets a swab about every 100 rounds or once every year or two if I’m not shooting much. That’s for a proof barrel and my other rifles I swab once a year or every 25 rounds.

[Fidelk]

1. Any oil in the barrel after cleaning should be burned out by firing a round or two......more, if you are sighting in or confirming your zero.

2. Once sighted in, do not clean if you will be hunting with it in the near future.

3. I believe a cold barrel is best to determine accuracy.......after taking the first shot, wait at least two minutes between following shots.......cool it down a bit.

That's all that I think I know. You can test this by setting up a steady rest and after doing the above, shoot the same number of shots as rapidly as you can without a cool down interval and then compare the results.

[Sneaky]

That podcast is an interesting listen.  For the guys who don’t clean their barrels, do you run an oiled patch through the barrel before putting your gun in the safe for a few months?  Or just zero cleaning/oiling?

I still oil to prevent any rust but I don't scrub the bore anymore. I am about 300 rounds in since cleaning on a suppressed 6.5cm and its running/grouping like a champ. The no clean thing is new to me and if I get an issue I will report back.

[CaNINE]

I stopped cleaning barrels about 7 years ago. I do clean and lube the action and bolt as needed.  There is simply no reason to clean a barrel….unless you stick the bore in the mud.

[Magnum_Willys]

I shoot big hunting magnums quite a bit at 1000 yards over the year.  Accuracy drops off after 25-30 rounds I find and thorough cleaning of the carbon gets it back. 
Accuracy for me is 5 shots I can cover with my hand at 1000 yards.   

[CaNINE]

I shoot big hunting magnums quite a bit at 1000 yards over the year.  Accuracy drops off after 25-30 rounds I find and thorough cleaning of the carbon gets it back. 
Accuracy for me is 5 shots I can cover with my hand at 1000 yards.

I suppose it varies by gun. I haven’t cleaned my RUMs for hundreds of rounds and they’ve maintained accuracy. I do keep a round count and am watching for changes in group size.

[Magnum_Willys]

I see much less need to clean with H1000 vs n570 an RL33 fwiw

[dmoua]

From my experiences, the first few shots with a clean bore will always be anywhere from 30-50 fps slower and have a point of impact shift. Within 5 shots or less depending if I go to bare metal or not it’s usually back on track and back to where it was initially zeroed. It’s what I have noticed with the last 5 dasher barrels and my other barrels I use for hunting. I’m a cleaner and clean my comp rifles after each day of competing. Hunting I’ll clean every 200 hundred rounds or so. It doesn’t take much effort and I know it will always shoot as expected.

I have yet to see a big shift of impact with a cold bore shot with a barrel that’s already been fouled. Maybe a tenth or less at 100 yards and more than likely due to cold shooter syndrome. If a barrel has a noticeable shift with cold bore shots, it’s only good for plinking imo or close encounters.

[pickardjw]

That podcast is an interesting listen.  For the guys who don’t clean their barrels, do you run an oiled patch through the barrel before putting your gun in the safe for a few months?  Or just zero cleaning/oiling?

Yes, though I haven't in the last few years since I stopped cleaning. Just happen to shoot them all frequently enough. Small safe 

[Crunchy]

Well made to the range today to shoot a fouled cold bore to see how it grouped with the 5 other rounds.  It grouped very well.  at 200 it was within shooter error which was 1 inch right of point of aim. ES of 19 and SD of 7.1.  Not thrilled with that but not sure where it's coming from . Looking at a new scale maybe or trying to figure out how to hard reset my Chargemaster 1500.  Had it for 10 years so maybe I need to upgrade the scale.
speeds
1 2935
2 2952
3 2933
4 2946
5 2942
6 2950

[jrebel]

Well made to the range today to shoot a fouled cold bore to see how it grouped with the 5 other rounds.  It grouped very well.  at 200 it was within shooter error which was 1 inch right of point of aim. ES of 19 and SD of 7.1.  Not thrilled with that but not sure where it's coming from . Looking at a new scale maybe or trying to figure out how to hard reset my Chargemaster 1500.  Had it for 10 years so maybe I need to upgrade the scale.
speeds
1 2935
2 2952
3 2933
4 2946
5 2942
6 2950

That ES and SD are just fine if the rifle is grouping well.  An ES of 30 or less with SD in the single digits is pretty darn good.  👍

[Crunchy]

Well made to the range today to shoot a fouled cold bore to see how it grouped with the 5 other rounds.  It grouped very well.  at 200 it was within shooter error which was 1 inch right of point of aim. ES of 19 and SD of 7.1.  Not thrilled with that but not sure where it's coming from . Looking at a new scale maybe or trying to figure out how to hard reset my Chargemaster 1500.  Had it for 10 years so maybe I need to upgrade the scale.
speeds
1 2935
2 2952
3 2933
4 2946
5 2942
6 2950

That ES and SD are just fine if the rifle is grouping well.  An ES of 30 or less with SD in the single digits is pretty darn good.  👍

you are probably right but you know how that chasing your tail thing goes.  If I don't settle soon I will burn this barrel out haha.  Three different powders, two different primers and two different bullets.  I am going to shoot one more ladder and I give.  It is shooting very well.