my first attempt at wiping

[chaneylake]

went sorta ok, 5 at 1.5 in, 5 kinda around them, maybe it was the finger, will try the same load again. shootin a 200 yds

I need a lesson in "wiping"

[Opencountry]

I use Sagebrush 2" round patches and a 3/8" delrin rod for wiping between shots. I have a 3/8" long 3/32" pointed brass rod inserted into the end of my delrin rod to keep the patch from slipping to the side of the delrin rod while pushing through the bore. I use a mixture of 1 part Napa cutting and grinding oil and five parts distilled water to dampen my round patches. I soak them and then squeeze nearly all of the liquid out to the point that they aren't really wet, just good and damp. I keep the damp patches in a little mason jar in the fridge when not with me at the range. They get really bad smelling (rancid) if left out at room temp. After firing a round I push one patch down the bore and out the end of the muzzle. This patch comes out really black. The second damp patch, also pushed down the bore and out the muzzle, looks almost clean. I dry the chamber with a wool 28 ga. bore mop (made by Dewey), then fire again. It's that simple. You'll find the balance between being too wet and not wet enough by trial and error. Hope this helps.

Edit: I guess I should mention I'm shooting a .45 cal. rifle.

Robert

[chaneylake]

Opencountry, I am going to try your method, I am trying to push down a wet and dry patch at the same time with the delrin rod, just to speed things up, even though time is on my side

[Opencountry]

Opencountry, I am going to try your method, I am trying to push down a wet and dry patch at the same time with the delrin rod, just to speed things up, even though time is on my side

I found that I was leaving the firing line earlier using my wiping technique during competition than those using blow tubes. It was very hot, perhaps 95 degrees and very dry, and many of the shooters were having to put a dozen breaths down their bores to control fouling. Once you get used to wiping, the routine, it is a fairly fast and efficient procedure. There were a couple guys who with their homemade lubes were able to keep up with me, but the ones using DGL and SPG fell far behind in the very dry and hot conditions. When you're wiping it makes no difference what lube you are using; the first damp patch turns the dry fouling into a wet paste. I run a second damp patch to get the bore really clean. Some shoot after the first. You'll have to experiment to see what works well for you. I like the results I get with two.

Robert

[bobw]

Was wiping last weekend at the Q. PP bullets with a grease cookie to keep the fouling moist enuf that 2 wets and 1 dry left me with a clean barrel for each shot. Tried the load without the cookie and could not maintain a constant bore condition here at home. But then I don't use an exotic wad sequence either. I didn't shoot as good as I would have liked,but then neither did the majority of the shooters either. I felt the short comings were with me, not my gun or load. Our group finished late Sunday afternoon on the 805 yd buff. My elev sight setting was on the money with the 1st shot. I dialed in only another 1/2 min left windage, even though that I missed downwind I felt that was partly my hold. My 2nd shot was on the money windage wise and I realized my vert was my fault not the setting. The paint on the target was real skinny and the next 6 shots were all hits verifying to me that the load and wiping drill are goer's. My 3 patch routine left me about 20 seconds before I needed to shoot again with 5 of us on the line. Find a routine that gives you the barrel condition that works for you. Practice it and get it down perfectly. bobw

[Opencountry]

Congratulations! Sounds like all of the planning and hard work paid off in the longrun. It's a good feeling when you know you can have confidence in your equipment and methods.

Robert

[powderburner]

I think he needs to change his name to buffallobobw... how many of them did you get in that stand bob

[bobw]

Went the last 6 in a row Dean. What I was doing all weekend wiping wise flat worked. My Rifle a Shiloh has a .450 bore diameter and I was patched to .4495" tight, any amount of residual fouling will bind up the next round right now.Now before everybody says that is the only way to do it . I'll tell them about my shooting pardner The Powderburner who used a tight chambered 44-77 with a full charge of powder and a grease cookie with his ppb's and only blow tubed after every shot. Not once in 48 shots was it inadequate. HE ALSO NEVER CLEANED HIS BARREL between targets just rehydrated his fouling with his blowtube technique. His score was higher than mine and he was hitting more consistant than I did all through the match. The heat,wind and the dust made this years Quigley as tough as any match I've ever been in conditions wise. That's how we learn to cope and find out what really works. If they get us paired right so we can spot for one and the other I'll get to watch Dean do it again at the Montana 1000. bobw