Cleaning for Long Distance Accuracy

I have been shooting paper patched 530-grain slugs. I have been swabbing the barrel with a mixture additive of alcohol, water, and soap to windshield wiper fluid. Then I finish with a couple of dry cleaning patches. Some on this forum say you can get more accuracy with a quick cleaning, but slightly fouled barrel.
What are your formulas and which gives more consistently close groups? A completely clean bore or slightly dirty?

Never shot them so I can’t speak from experience. However I have noted the hard core, false muzzle, 20 lbs + bench guys, have a brass tube that goes to the breech to dump a powder charge in so as to not stick a grain on the sides. Powder is measured in milligram adjusted scales, as are the projectiles. They clean between shots right down to the nipple vent. Half an hour for five shots is a rush job for them.

cannonball,
Clean for me. Trying to start from clean and dry.

One detailed cleaning article said that blackpowder shot straighter with a spit patch on one side and then use the other side which is mostly dry. Claimed to get much better accuracy with a slightly dirty barrel. Then others say to clean the barrel very clean in field terms that is. What are your thoughts with everything except cloth patched round balls. I am not interested in round balls for this topic though. Help me here please. I am hoping for some input.

I shoot a long range rifle with paper patched 540 grainers. I drop the powder first, then 2 passes with a damp tight fitting patch (just plain water), then 2 passes with dry patches, then put in the bullet. The reason to drop the powder first is so that any fouling dislodged just ends up on the top of the powder stack, rather than falling in to and possibly blocking the flash hole.

I load powder in a dirty barrel, then a wad, then I do one damp patch, wetted with plain water, then a dry patch followed by the bullet. I have quit using my long drop tube, instead I am using a drop tube that only is 4 inches long or so.

With a PP bullet, you will be able to tell real quick if you barrel is clean enough when you load it. My bullets are tight enough tolerance that if I push through it while loading, I know I am not getting my barrel clean enough.

Fleener

Fleener, very interesting. This type of cleaning was foreign to me and at first, I thought you had miswritten it. Then it started to sink in. Maybe I am cleaning my barrel to good. Sounds as if a small amount of residue left after in-between shots is not a detriment as long as the bullet is loose enough to slide down the barrel with little resistance. Thank you.

The key to accurate performance is consistency, of wind conditions on the range, lighting of the sights, of the powder quantity of the load, of the barrel condition, the ignition source and the bullet. A little bit of fouling will help to seal the bore and minimize the adverse effects of gas cutting especially if you use a wad and paper patched bullets.

Try it both ways and see which does best for you.

fleener said:

I load powder in a dirty barrel, then a wad, then I do one damp patch, wetted with plain water, then a dry patch followed by the bullet. I have quit using my long drop tube, instead I am using a drop tube that only is 4 inches long or so.

With a PP bullet, you will be able to tell real quick if you barrel is clean enough when you load it. My bullets are tight enough tolerance that if I push through it while loading, I know I am not getting my barrel clean enough.

Fleener

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I have been experimenting with a variation of this while at the range. In a clean barrel my sized PP bullet is almost scary loose (though it doesn’t move when I bump the muzzle down on a block of wood), but I start to worry about destroying the paper after half a dozen shots or so if I don’t damp swab. Instead of swabbing, I run a second wet felt wad down on top of the first dry wad before loading the PP bullet. The combo of both .50” diameter 1/8” thick hard felt wads in a 45 caliber bore seems to be able to keep the barrel consistent enough to load ‘endlessly’ without having to swab or play around with sizing diameter.

While my ‘testing’ has demonstrated, at least to me, that my PP bullet will not come off the powder, I add two narrow strips of patching paper to the first load in a clean barrel (imagine two strips of paper forming an x over the muzzy that you load the bullet on) as an extra precaution when hunting. Find no difference in accuracy, at least at hunting distances. I use a single paper strip for the second reload. If I need a third reload while hunting, it is usually time to head to the cabin and figure out what is going wrong.....

Smif, I believe I understand you correctly: Powder down a dirty barrel, a dry wad, then a wet wad, and finally the paper patch bullet. Isn't the paper patch affected by the wet wad next to it?

cannonball1 said:

Smif, I believe I understand you correctly: Powder down a dirty barrel, a dry wad, then a wet wad, and finally the paper patch bullet. Isn't the paper patch affected by the wet wad next to it?

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Yep. Remember, I am talking about range/target shooting, a load and fire situation. Little time for paper to degrad, if at all. Plus I am using 9lb onion skin 100% cotton paper, pretty tough stuff. Just trying to keep my powder dry and clear the bore of fouling. When the load will sit in the bore for any length of time, such as when hunting, everything is dry. Have left clean barrel loaded for entire hunting season plus with no lose of accuracy or performance, confirmed on targets and over chronograph. Again, loading dry components in a completely dry barrel.

From a practical perspective, I am really only concerned with first shot clean cold barrel accuracy. Second wet felt wad is for getting in as many practice shots at the range after first shot from that clean barrel has been taken.

Fleener: I believe cleaning above the wad is Rigby’s method?
BTW: I like your Avatar, they were earned! Congrats.

I still use spit and wipe between shots with 1 damp, then 1 dry. Snap a cap and load. I too quit using a drop tube years ago (I believe the bore acts Iike one).

Biggest thing for any good shooting is a good gun, load and be consistent.. there are many ways to get there..

I went to the range and tried Fleener's method, then I tried 1 damp, 1 dry and load. The grouping was about the same with either method, but I never had a misfire with Fleener's method and did with the other method. I am having a heck of a time with the target and peep sights. I think my sighting eye focus has been changing this last year.

52 bore thanks, not sure if that is Rigby's method? I do know that I used it on my Rigby at Oakridge, and it worked great.

Cannonball. I got to be honest, I just started using this method this year to get away from hangfires. So far, no hangfires. I have used this method for years with my RB rifles with no issues. I have not shot it at the range to compare accuracy. I could not see where it would change anything regarding accuracy, so I just started doing it.

I did place 2nd at 1,000 and 2nd overall with an original rifle at Oakridge this year cleaning this way. Lee Shaver beat me with one of his rifles.

Fleener

52 bore

I cant believe you are still using a spit patch. I dont know how you do it. I also quit snapping a cap between rounds. Saves me time and money.

Fleener

Some of the first advice I got about cleaning between shots was to load and then swab the barrel before firing. Didn't and doesn't make sense to me to do it that way but I could fire extended strings without difficulty loading.

I have since gone to a wet patch followed by a couple of dry before loading again.

I can't even go out with my friends doing "Rigby's Method". I get visiting and lose track of the sequence.

I know all about losing track of sequence!

If I am shooting for score, I tell people that want to talk to me that I am not being rude, I am just not that bright and will screw up the sequence, and I will talk to them after the match. 52 bore will visit with anyone during a match, and never seems to bother him.

Fleener

I like Rigby's Method. I seem to get faster ignition and no misfires. I just received some Ballistol and do not have any experience with it. I have read all of the information from the forums. My setup is this: After the shot, load powder, seat the plastic wad, CLEAN THE BORE, and load single wrap 20#paper patched 535-grain bullet.
I am thinking of using a plain water damp cleaning patch, then using a dry ballistol treated (1 to 6) cleaning patch. Does this make sense?