Is this copper fouling causing poor accuracy? With pic.

Joined
Oct 8, 2012
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I agree with Form. More rifles are damaged from cleaning than from shooting to many rounds. Factory barrels definitely seem to shoot better once they have some rounds down the tube.

Hunter- Ditch the lead sled! Those things are a joke!
 
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Hunter Sargent

Lil-Rokslider
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May 2, 2016
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I agree with Form. More rifles are damaged from cleaning than from shooting to many rounds. Factory barrels definitely seem to shoot better once they have some rounds down the tube.

Hunter- Ditch the lead sled! Those things are a joke!

I will ditch the lead sled. I only used it because shooting 40 rds during load development from a 300 wsm prone sucks in the recoil department.

I didn't get to shoot tonight. The field I have permission to shoot over was being plowed, so I'll have to wait until Friday.
 
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Use a dedicated copper cleaner. I like boretech products. Also it looks like your cleaning jag is brass. Get a coated jag.

^^^ THIS ^^^^^^ He posted it before I could. Boretech Eliminator, and it won't harm the bore even if you leave it in long term (they recommend wetting a patch and running it down the bore for storage).

However, looking at the photo of your bore, it doesn't really look that fouled. You can't really see what is ahead of the chamber though. It could be really fouled with copper and /or carbon.
 
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Jardo

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I’m not sure how accomplished you are as a reloaded and you may be very experienced, but your load development as described by you could be your problem. You describe varying your powder charge which is a good first step. This is called ladders for those of us that do load development. What I did not hear you say is where you chronograph the loads to see what charge yields the most consistent shot to shot velocity. This is important to identify in shooting through your ladder progression. You should also identify accuracy nodes in the ladder that should have better groups.

Once you find an acceptable and low velocity deviation ladder within an accuracy node, you need to go one step further. You need to find the accuracy nodes associated with seating depth. In order to do this right, you should measure your chamber and determine what is your max COAL. Hornady make a good tool to measure your lands. Next step is to find a jump accuracy node by varying the depth you seat the bullets. I start this at the point the ogive touches the lands. Then seat test round at .020 deep progressions until you find your jump accuracy node.

I am with most everyone else. I doubt copper fouling is the problem. Most likely your barrel doesn’t like the bullet powder combo you are experimenting with.

If ladders and accuracy nodes are new to you, I suggest spending time on the reloaded and shooting forums on the web and study up. I spent many weeks developing an accurate load for my cooper backcountry 280 ai this summer. I had 5 range sessions before I found the perfect combo of powder, charge, bullet, and seating depth. It was worth the trouble. My cooper shoots .25 inch 5 hot groups at 100 yards all day long.


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Hunter Sargent

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May 2, 2016
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249
I’m not sure how accomplished you are as a reloaded and you may be very experienced, but your load development as described by you could be your problem. You describe varying your powder charge which is a good first step. This is called ladders for those of us that do load development. What I did not hear you say is where you chronograph the loads to see what charge yields the most consistent shot to shot velocity. This is important to identify in shooting through your ladder progression. You should also identify accuracy nodes in the ladder that should have better groups.

Once you find an acceptable and low velocity deviation ladder within an accuracy node, you need to go one step further. You need to find the accuracy nodes associated with seating depth. In order to do this right, you should measure your chamber and determine what is your max COAL. Hornady make a good tool to measure your lands. Next step is to find a jump accuracy node by varying the depth you seat the bullets. I start this at the point the ogive touches the lands. Then seat test round at .020 deep progressions until you find your jump accuracy node.

I am with most everyone else. I doubt copper fouling is the problem. Most likely your barrel doesn’t like the bullet powder combo you are experimenting with.

If ladders and accuracy nodes are new to you, I suggest spending time on the reloaded and shooting forums on the web and study up. I spent many weeks developing an accurate load for my cooper backcountry 280 ai this summer. I had 5 range sessions before I found the perfect combo of powder, charge, bullet, and seating depth. It was worth the trouble. My cooper shoots .25 inch 5 hot groups at 100 yards all day long.


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You just described my load dev method, minus the chronograph. I have tried H4350 and H4831sc, each with Accubond 180's and SGK 165's, in .5gr increments seated .015 from the lands. I then took the best groups and started experimenting with seating depth moving out to .050 from the lands. I'm by no means an expert reloader, but this is not my first rodeo.

I'm hoping to stick with the Hodgdon Extreme Powders.
 
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Hunter Sargent

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Update...I'm pretty sure the scope isn't holding zero. I have now tried 3 different factory loads, 1 Hornady, 1 Federal, and 1 Browning. Same results as my hand loads...occasionally a good 2 shot group then the 3rd shot will be off by 8 or 9". A guy next to me at the range was also shooting a 300 wsm, we swapped a few reloads and shot each other's rifles. My reloads produced a 2.5" group at 200yds in his rifle. He shot my rifle with his loads and 1 out of 3 even hit the paper.

After I get back from my 1st rifle elk trip (taking the trusty Tikka .270) I will swap scopes between the two rifles and see if my suspicions are true about the scope. Thanks everyone for the input.
 

Wrench

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8 or 9 inches is a broken scope, mount or both. 2-3" I'd look at possible rifle issues.....but when it's that far out and not keyholes, I'm going straight to the optics.
 

Wrench

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Ps, once you try outers foul out 3.....you'll never sweat copper fouling again. It'll SMOKE any concoction you can buy or mix yourself.
 
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