products for shooting in a barrel

[kdubya]

Well after finally getting my wallet out and buying a .243, I have been looking at border barrels method of "shooting in" a barrel two products are mentioned , ie forest bore foam and shooters choice solvent,

anyone know of any stockists be it mail order or within a reasonable distance from gods country?

cheers KW

[Mungler]

Okay, I don't have an FAC but I like to read and understand what does on elsewhere - the .177 .22. .243 raging debates and what's best to use to kill a fox at a gazillion yards.

 

However, I have no idea what this is about - would someone please explain.

 

Cheers,

 

Mung

[kdubya]

just for you mungler

 

 

'SHOOTING IN' A BARREL

 

There is much discussion about 'shooting in' a barrel. Everybody seems to have their own way of doing it, so this is a brief monograph about how we do it.

But first, a few words on why 'shooting in' a barrel is necessary. No matter how well lapped or how finely finished the internal surface of the barrel is, the first few bullets down the barrel seem to leave a significant fraction of themselves behind as heavy metal fouling. A subsequent bullet shot up a barrel with heavy metal fouling will tend to press that fouling into the barrel causing dints and roughness in a bore that the barrel maker has gone to a lot of trouble to make smooth and even. So it is important to get all that metal fouling out before shooting another bullet up the barrel.

 

When we shoot in a barrel, we fire one shot and then use a phosphor bronze brush and Shooters Choice to clean the barrel of powder fouling and loose dirt. Having dried out the barrel with a few patches, we squirt some Forrest bore foam up the barrel and leave it sitting for 24 hours to get out all the metal fouling. There is no way to quickly clean metal fouling out of a barrel and we find Forrest bore foam seems to do the job best as the foam clings to the whole interior surface of the barrel.

 

After 24 hours the Forrest bore foam has turned dark blue, but all traces of the metal fouling is gone. Now we fire another shot and repeat the process.

 

We do this about five times. Finally, we fire five shots and then give the barrel a final 24 hour soak in Forrest bore foam. The bore of the barrel will now have been 'conditioned' and metal fouling should be minimal from now on. Yes, we take a week to shoot in a barrel! But there is no quick way to remove heavy metal fouling. Anyone that says there is doesn't have a bore scope!

 

Using moly coated bullets seems to minimise the metal fouling during this shooting in process and makes it all a lot easier.

 

For general cleaning after shooting, we use a phosphor bronze brush dipped in Shooters Choice. This is pulled down the barrel from the muzzle a few times to loosen off the powder fouling. The barrel is then cleaned out using dry patches. It is important that the phosphor bronze brush is clean and in good condition. It should be kept in container so that does not pick up any sand and dirt. If the brush collapses on one side, as some makes tend to do, then throw it away and use a new one. A phosphor bronze brush will do no harm to your barrel provided it is free of dirt and in good condition. It is also important to clean out the chamber and the area in front of the locking lugs, just behind the back of the barrel.

 

I should just say at this point that we are getting no favours or promotional payments for mentioning Forrest bore foam or Shooters Choice. I mention these products because that is what we use - for now. Someday, we may find something that we like better for one reason or another and then we will use that instead.

 

Forrest Bore Foam is available in the United States as Outers Bore Cleaning foam and is available from WalMart's. In the UK, the distributor is GMK Ltd.

[dunganick]

i tried the foam when doing work experiance in chris potters, and although i couldnt say it, i found this stuff rubbish, As it happens i too am a butches boreshine person (when i actually clean, which is not very often) although i also use hoppes No9 which i find equally effective.

 

The foam made a mess, didnt really work, needed alot more time to work, alot more jags to get dirt out, i am glad i didnt waste my money buying that product.

 

As for running in barrels, i am not convinced even though i do actually run my barrels in using the clean/shoot/clean technique.

[hawkeye]

I asked a friend who coaches shotguns and rifles shooting about the cleaning of my new 223.

 

Told to just squirt WD40 down the barrel before i put in safe on a night and leave upside down,

then when needed again just pull a jag through with kitchen roll wrapped on it to clean oil out and thats it.

 

:yp: :yp: :yp:

[Devilishdave]

You might get away with using WD40 if you are using the rifle regularly but it will evaperate so if you dont use it for a few months your rifle will be unprotected. I would doubt you would ever fing a reputable gun smith recomending WD40.

 

Dave

[kirky640]

cant see that all that foaming is realy worth the hastle !!!

both my rifles shoot great never done this foaming wotsit before

cheeers kirky

[Dead-Eyed Duck]

Never used this foam stuff either.

 

I can proudly say that I have never run a barrel in, and I can also say that none of the 4 centrefires that I have owned have suffered as a result. All that I have done is to give them a damn good clean when first purchased, and a regular cleaning routine after. Some calibres are more prone to fouling than others - my 0.17 Rem was a real pain.

 

All would (will) produce touching bullets at 100 yards with the correct home load.

 

Buy a gun with a pedigree, and you cannot go far wrong in the accuracy stakes.

 

Before some leap in to reply to this statement, I have owned several Brno's (Cz), and they have all been accurate. The only reason why I now use Sako's/Anschutz/Tikka is that I want the gun to perform out of the box, and have to tinker with the trigger etc to get a gun to my satisfaction. I have more money now than I used to, and that is why I have chosen to spend more money on my guns.

 

Let's not forget that there is an entire industry out there that is trying to convince us that their latest whotsit cleaner/accessories etc are a damn sight better than those that have gone before.

 

That's not to say that new products aren't better, just that caution can save you a lot of money.

 

Don

 

Never used this foam stuff either.

 

I can proudly say that I have never run a barrel in, and I can also say that none of the 4 centrefires that I have owned have suffered as a result. All that I have done is to give them a damn good clean when first purchased, and a regular cleaning routine after. Some calibres are more prone to fouling than others - my 0.17 Rem was a real pain.

 

All would (will) produce touching bullets at 100 yards with the correct home load.

 

Buy a gun with a pedigree, and you cannot go far wrong in the accuracy stakes.

 

Before some leap in to reply to this statement, I have owned several Brno's (Cz), and they have all been accurate. The only reason why I now use Sako's/Anschutz/Tikka is that I want the gun to perform out of the box, and have to tinker with the trigger etc to get a gun to my satisfaction. I have more money now than I used to, and that is why I have chosen to spend more money on my guns.

 

Let's not forget that there is an entire industry out there that is trying to convince us that their latest whotsit cleaner/accessories etc are a damn sight better than those that have gone before.

 

That's not to say that new products aren't better, just that caution can save you a lot of money.

 

Don

 

Sorry, should have said NOT have to tinker .....

[hawkeye]

You might get away with using WD40 if you are using the rifle regularly but it will evaperate so if you dont use it for a few months your rifle will be unprotected. I would doubt you would ever fing a reputable gun smith recomending WD40.

 

Dave

 

 

The gun will be used on a regular basis Dave i cannot see me leaveing it in the safe for any length of time.

The RFD who told me is a personal friend and ive been told by other people that he was a international shooter and coach his guns are spot on and that is all he uses.

 

I went with him last Tuesday to one of his friends who has a 100 yds shooting range in his paddock this chaps is an RFD as well.

We spent the afternoon setting up my gun and playing with his 2 rifles one 243 with moderator that he uses for foxes and the other a 243 with out moderator that he uses for deer stalking.

 

All he uses for his guns is WD40 and he was putting his shots one on top of another so if its good enough for him,

and his rifles have taken no harm im willing to take that chance with mine

[Frank]

Forest Foam works if left for 24 hrs.

 

Hoppes Benchrest takes out anything left. (DONT MIX THE 2!)

 

A Bronze Brush is a must ( its the only thing that will remove copper fouling. ) use it with WD 40, not solvent, because it will give rong reading.

 

Frank.

[Graham M]

I agree with Frank on this as I use Hoppes myself and it really does work well. In fact too well, because it will dissolve your bloody bronze over time.

As for WD40….I found that this cause zeroing problems in my rifle due to the first shots going astray until the barrel seemed to settle down. Stopped using it after that.

Now I just use the Hoppes on a jag and leave the bronze alone.

G.M.

[miffy]

I don't clean my rifle even though i have shot the barrel out of a .22/250

 

I used to clean my rifles religiously but when i went to the range to check the zero the first shot never went were i expected it too I need to know that the first shot is spot on and i can't always fire a shot off before shooting starts so i stopped cleaning the barrel with any solvents, but just used a bore snake.

 

IF the .243 only lasts 2000 rounds then i'll buy another barrel/ rifle.

 

How much time is actually spent Cleaning a barrel in its lifetime??

 

If ya just chuck a quid in a tub every time ya take the rifle out you'll have enough money to buy a new first class barrel when it needs one

[Graham M]

If you don’t clean it at all, then it’s hardly any wonder it only lasts @ 2000 rounds Copper will build up over a number of shots and will eventually foul the barrel to a point where it will effect accuracy. This can be anywhere between 20 and 50 rds, which is why I push a jag soaked in Hoppes through it every 50 rds. If I can’t get all the fouling out with the jag then I use a bronze which will dissolve over time but does ensure that all the copper is removed.

Then I usually put a “fouling shot†though it prior to taking it out again so that I’m not using a totally clean barrel. The reason is because I too used to find that the first shot from my .222 used to sometimes disappear into the ether, leaving me wondering where it had gone.

I now have a .243 which I download @ 10%. This not only gives me a slightly better load but also ensures a longer barrel life.

.22rf is a different kettle-of-fish and I very rarely clean those if at all, although my match rifle does get a rod through it every 1000 rds or so.

G.M.

[mry716]

Normally Copper deposits are the problem and the easiest and most efficient way to remove copper is with an Outer 'Foul Out' which is an electric / electronic reverse plating process.

 

Do be careful using Hoppes as it is carcinogenic.

[miffy]

If you don’t clean it at all, then it’s hardly any wonder it only lasts @ 2000 rounds Copper will build up over a number of shots and will eventually foul the barrel to a point where it will effect accuracy. This can be anywhere between 20 and 50 rds, which is why I push a jag soaked in Hoppes through it every 50 rds. If I can’t get all the fouling out with the jag then I use a bronze which will dissolve over time but does ensure that all the copper is removed.

Then I usually put a “fouling shot†though it prior to taking it out again so that I’m not using a totally clean barrel. The reason is because I too used to find that the first shot from my .222 used to sometimes disappear into the ether, leaving me wondering where it had gone.

I now have a .243 which I download @ 10%. This not only gives me a slightly better load but also ensures a longer barrel life.

.22rf is a different kettle-of-fish and I very rarely clean those if at all, although my match rifle does get a rod through it every 1000 rds or so.

G.M.

 

Graham

I too have the .243 now and i dont think i have shot a bad group yet with it (had a .22/250 before). I have shot 1 box of factory ammo through it which i got free from a game fair a couple of years ago (i can post pic of group) other than that i have only fired homeloads through it with the biggest group being about 1/2 - 3/4 inch.

 

The way i see it if i go out shooting and shoot 1 maybe 2 rounds then spend 15 mins to half hour cleaning over a period of say 2000 rounds, the amount of time spent cleaning, would to me personally be a waste of time. far easier to chuck a quid in a tin and get a new barrel when the time comes. Cleaning once every six months is a better alternative for my situation.

 

A fouling shot is not an option for me either. What if the first field i turn up at has a fox sat 200 yards out ?

I wouldnt take the shot as i could not be certain of a clean kill. Having a shot earlier in the day is not always practical either ( what if i did shoot earlier in the day and the lamping trip was cancelled for whatever reason.......another 15 mins spent cleaning )

 

Why down load your .243 ?? and why is it a slighty better load ??

[Frank]

A build up of copper fouling will settle your shot, as its use to being shot with copper fouling inside.

If cleaned after every outing when its zeroed, it will settle on a clean barrell, so you dont have to fire a fouling shot each time.

Works for me.

 

Bronze brush is the only thing that will remove stubborn copper fouling, i wont go into detail, but a rifle smith freind of mine showed me this with a bore scope.

 

Frank.

[Graham M]

Why down load your .243 ?? and why is it a slighty better load ??

It's just one of those things. I found a sweet spot using 46grns of H414 and stuck to it wheras the top loading is @50grns.

The top load isn't always the most accurate and sometimes it pays to start 10% lower and work your way up, this way you can sometimes find the most accurate load well before you get to the maximum powder charge.

G.M.

[dunganick]

Works for me.

 

here in lies the answer

[miffy]

Why down load your .243 ?? and why is it a slighty better load ??

It's just one of those things. I found a sweet spot using 46grns of H414 and stuck to it wheras the top loading is @50grns.

The top load isn't always the most accurate and sometimes it pays to start 10% lower and work your way up, this way you can sometimes find the most accurate load well before you get to the maximum powder charge.

G.M.

 

 

Thought you were saying that you deliberately downloaded for accuracy

 

My .243 isn't running at full load either and just for those about to start reloading.....The maximum stated load should "NEVER" be used as a starting point for homeloads, a 10% reduction being the norm as a starting point

 

 

Works for me.

 

here in lies the answer :look:

 

 

Very true Nick