oil in my barrel

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trigger45

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my .243 gets good groups. but only after 6-8 shots that are 2-4 inches in diameter. after the 6-8 shots i get these nice little groups that would make any shooter proud. should i use windex or 409 followed by 3 -4 dry patches to get the oil out. dry patches do little cause i still waste 1-3 shots after that. thanks.
 
After I clean, I run an oiled saturated patch through the bore. Then I run a dry patch through and pack the rifle.

Then when the next time I shoot, I run a dry patch through it prior to expending rounds. No problems with having to foul the barrel before the groups shrink.
 
You might find that not running the dry patches through makes for a dirtier bore. You said that after 8 shots, you have decent groups. Have you gone well past that period of decent groups to when you start having the group open up again because of a dirty bore?
 
Some rifles just shoot better with a dirty bore. I have one rifle that takes a good 15 shots after a cleaning before it tightens up, I just don't clean it anymore. :D
 
If I leave oil in, my first 2 shots are a little bit out (by 1 MoA'ish) then everything is right as rain. For competition, I usually pull 2 patches through before firing: one soaked in denatured alcohol and the second one dry.

I've heard that it's bad to put teflon based oils in the barrel FWIW, but don't recall what the reason was.

Ty
 
I have the same issue.

An old timer once told me he runs alachol through his bores and puts them away dry, not oiled. He only target shoots, so I'd guess moisture wouldn't be a problem since he's got everything in a safe.

I remember reading way back about making up some "cheap foulers" for this exact purpose. If I remember right they used like 8 grains of W231 or some other fast burning pistol powder and a pistol primer. They'd just stuff the end with tissue paper so no bullets are wasted.
 
Fouling shots

I used to be a stickler for all barrels had to be clean to the metal - I mean a pure white patch had to exit the bore or it wasn't clean enough.Then I began shooting enough to realize that it was taking anywhere from 3-12 shots to get my rifles shooting as well as I knew they were capable of shooting. Now I only clean them "white patch clean" once a year.
I have difficulty believing that it is good for a barrels bore to leave it bone dry.
 
I have difficulty believing that it is good for a barrels bore to leave it bone dry.
Click to expand...
I would agree with you and I don't do that. But this guy was pretty accomplished, so I just thought I'd pass it along if any else ever heard of this.
 
Just remember that if you actually use the rifle to shoot something (whether hunting or defensive purposes), the first round is going to be out of an oiled bore. A deer won't stand around while you shoot a few fouling shots before taking a shot at him...

Personally, I would run a couple of dry patches through your bore (push them through with a pusher-type jag so they'll fit very tightly) and call it good. I'd avoid cleaners since (a) you'll lose any corrosion protection from remnant oil film and (b) any cleaner that contains any sort of ionic surfactant will promote corrosion. Dunno if 409 does, but ammonia (Windex) isn't good for steel long-term...
 
I had this problem big time with my Serbu BFG-50. At 200 yrds my first two shots were always in the 7 or 8 ring. Very unacceptable seeing it's on a bipod, monopod and scoped. I think I even posted this same type of question about a year ago.

I don't like leaving my barrels dry so before I shoot I always put a dry patch or two through it. That works as I get a much smaller group on the first two shots now. Not enough for me to get into a twist about though.
 
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