Not gonna clean it. Not today anyway.

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A couple of weeks ago I started working up new loads for my 223. I wanted to try the 40 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and I wasn't so very sure how it'd shoot in my 1 in 9 twist barrel (Ruger Hawkeye). Well, it worked out pretty well, so I loaded up a bunch of ammo and put the rifle aside for front pasture critter work. A buddy came to see me and he loved the rifle and the load and he put about 25 or 30 rounds through my formerly clean barrel. So this afternoon I got it in my head to check the sights and then clean the barrel. I shot one round and it was about half an inch left and half an inch low. I made the necessary minor adjustment to the scope and shot it three times into the same hole (not the exact same hole, but a ragged and enlarged version of one hole) in exactly the tip of the 1 inch triangles that I use for testing loads(Windows Powerpoint triangles in pale blue). Couldn't have had a better result if I drew the group with a marksalot. Ain't cleanin it. Not today.

Darn...those little Noslers will really shoot. And thanks to Bartb and Kraigwy (either or both of them) for trigger followthrough points they made on shooting. The tips helped. I wasn't bad before, but I'm better now. Man, just show me a skunk now. Heck, show me a grasshopper. :D

The load is one grain less than Lyman max with H335 and using CCI BR4 primers. Nosler cases. Neck turned.
 
One wonders, after a proper cleaning, how many "fouling shots" would be required to bring the gun to it's current POI. If it's only 2-3, then you'd know what's required from a clean barrel.

Cheers,
C
 
Creeper, that's a good question. Each of my rifles take different numbers of foulers and none take more than about 2 or 3. This 223 has never needed too many foulers to be back on target, but this will be a good test when I finally decide to clean it good.
 
I watched a show and they were talking with a snipper school instructor and he said that he shows his students how to "de foul" the copper off there rifels on the first day just to show them. His shooting experiance is a gun will shoot 1-2" groups and within 30-40 shots will shoot 1/4-1/2 groups. Clean the gun and grooping will start all over again.
 
If you have a "good guess" of where the foulers will go relative to the fouled barrel POI, then you've got every shot figured out... at least for the "MOS"... Minute of Skunk part. :p

Good shootin',
C
 
I think the rifling profile makes a big difference. I did some informal cold bore tests with not long ago and found that my Rem 700 PSS (6 land/ groove) needs about 3-4 foulers to settle back on target whereas my 5R tubes are always dead-on from a clean cold bore.
 
My 1:9 twist CZ 527 also loves the Nosler 40 Gr Ballistic Tips, especially when the velocity is on the upper end of the loading table.
That surprised me a bit because the CZ seemed to really like 50 grain Bergers, 52 Sierra SMKs and 55 grain Bergers. I didn't expect the CZ to shoot the 40 grains that well.

One thing I like about those ballistic tips in addition to their accuracy is that they are like varmint grenades.
 
My son's .223 Rem 700 fave bullet is the Nosler 52 Custom Competition over Varget. Target bullet, though...
I'm of the school of "I don't clean it until accuracy drops off"...
And that, varies with each rifle...
 
I'm a firm believer in cleaning the firearm every time. Just not the bore.
Wipe off the outside with a cloth, check the magazine well, wipe out.
But cleaning the bore every time is for muzzle loaders.
 
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