What Is A Clean Barrel?

[mdeland]

Arnie, polish is still abrasive cutting, just much slower. I think that what is occurring in your case is the corners are keeping there evenness of profile and so accuracy is maintained but none the less the land corner sharpness and shape is slowly being degraded. It probably will be that the throat in a jacket bullet barrel will burn out before the land corner wear has any effect on accuracy so your strategy is probably sound. In a lead bullet shooting barrel with BP the land corner will need to be maintained as the throat will never wear out, in my opinion.

[mdeland]

One more though I've had is that paper patch bullet shooting is probably very good for grease bullet barrels as it has the same polishing effect as a fine lap slug. Essentially it is continual fire lapping.

[Tuscarora]

mdeland,

So you have seen then the "alligator skin" type throats ahead of the chamber from high round counts. A few lapping bullets every 400 rounds or so tends to keep the high spots smoothed out. Bullet integrity is then not compromised.

I've had one barrel go south while shooting a match. At 70 rounds in all of my data was off from earlier in the match and I was hitting way too low. Low velocity. I had pushed that particular 6.5 barrel to a bit over 2800 rounds, adjusting my dope every couple hundred rounds to compensate. It's now a 6.5-250 Savage prairie dog gun. It is short stocked and 13.5 pounds. The kids love it.

I wish that this sport wasn't so wiping intensive! I suppose that it doesn't have to be, but seems to be the norm. Not what I'm used to. I'm used to cleaning at high round counts, not 1-4 wipes per round fired!

[mdeland]

I never like wiping or blow tubing either and that is why I would rather use duplex loads in my 45-70s. When it was still legal I did well in a few midrange matches even winning a Regional with duplex loads. Wiping isn't bad with warm weather shooting but turns into a real pain in the keester when the mercury drops below 20 F.
I shoot muzzle loader matches all spring, summer and fall so that is where I enjoy straight black powder use.

[mdeland]

In my muzzle loaders I have adopted the practice of water cleaning with dish soap, warm water rinse then dry wipe followed by WD-40 patch which lifts any residual moisture out of groove corners , scratches or pores. Dry patch then coat with a patch of Gunzilla , none petroleum CLP. Same regimen with BPCR guns.
Gunzilla is still the best lead remover I have ever used on a tight patch but water is the best fluid for dissolving BP fouling.