Clean vs Fouled Barrel POI

[Caprock]

Near everyones rifle prints different with a clean barrel than when fouled. But my new 44-77 takes the cake. A squeaky clean barrel prints 7 inches left and 2-3 inches high at 100 yds. When its really feeling the oats its 6-7 inches high. Once fouled the load shoots 2-3 moa so far. Better eyes and a sturdier bench would sure help but I think this bullet may be a winner.

Them ole dead fellers could compensate on a buffler easy enough but when its a buck deer things get shrunk up a mite. My eyes won't let me make such an adjustment all that easy.

I don't have enough lead down the barrel to call it settled in but hoping it may eventually settle down a little with regard to reducing the extremes.

Federal 210
75 gr Goex Express compressed .250
Walters 060 op
1/8 spg cookie
Walters 060 wad
KAL 380 gr PP, .434 diam wrapped with Paper store onionskin 100% cotton

How do you deal with this in a hunting situation???

[rdnck]

Near everyones rifle prints different with a clean barrel than when fouled. But my new 44-77 takes the cake. A squeaky clean barrel prints 7 inches left and 2-3 inches high at 100 yds. When its really feeling the oats its 6-7 inches high. Once fouled the load shoots 2-3 moa so far. Better eyes and a sturdier bench would sure help but I think this bullet may be a winner.

Them ole dead fellers could compensate on a buffler easy enough but when its a buck deer things get shrunk up a mite. My eyes won't let me make such an adjustment all that easy.

I don't have enough lead down the barrel to call it settled in but hoping it may eventually settle down a little with regard to reducing the extremes.

Federal 210
75 gr Goex Express compressed .250
Walters 060 op
1/8 spg cookie
Walters 060 wad
KAL 380 gr PP, .434 diam wrapped with Paper store onionskin 100% cotton

How do you deal with this in a hunting situation???

Running a patch with olive oil down the bore before the first shot will usually help. Notice I said help. Generally speaking, a paper patched bullet will shoot true the first shot and the greasers are the ones that act up. It looks like you might have a bad condition you will just have to live with.

Changing the bullet can help, even cure the problem, but you might have to go through a LOT of different bullets to find one that shoots true from the get go. I have one 45-70 in particular that acts ignorant for the first four shots from a clean barrel, then turns into a tack driver. I finally stumbled on to a greaser that works in it from a clean barrel, but I obviously don't hunt with this rifle for this reason.

Bottom line, change your bullet, then change the powder if the bullet change doesn't work. It's all about the barrel harmonic of clean versus dirty, and the olive oil trick seems to work by fooling the barrel into thinking it is fouled in. Shoot straight, rdnck.

[Caprock]

Near everyones rifle prints different with a clean barrel than when fouled. But my new 44-77 takes the cake. A squeaky clean barrel prints 7 inches left and 2-3 inches high at 100 yds. When its really feeling the oats its 6-7 inches high. Once fouled the load shoots 2-3 moa so far. Better eyes and a sturdier bench would sure help but I think this bullet may be a winner.

Them ole dead fellers could compensate on a buffler easy enough but when its a buck deer things get shrunk up a mite. My eyes won't let me make such an adjustment all that easy.

I don't have enough lead down the barrel to call it settled in but hoping it may eventually settle down a little with regard to reducing the extremes.

Federal 210
75 gr Goex Express compressed .250
Walters 060 op
1/8 spg cookie
Walters 060 wad
KAL 380 gr PP, .434 diam wrapped with Paper store onionskin 100% cotton

How do you deal with this in a hunting situation???

Running a patch with olive oil down the bore before the first shot will usually help. Notice I said help. Generally speaking, a paper patched bullet will shoot true the first shot and the greasers are the ones that act up. It looks like you might have a bad condition you will just have to live with.

Changing the bullet can help, even cure the problem, but you might have to go through a LOT of different bullets to find one that shoots true from the get go. I have one 45-70 in particular that acts ignorant for the first four shots from a clean barrel, then turns into a tack driver. I finally stumbled on to a greaser that works in it from a clean barrel, but I obviously don't hunt with this rifle for this reason.

Bottom line, change your bullet, then change the powder if the bullet change doesn't work. It's all about the barrel harmonic of clean versus dirty, and the olive oil trick seems to work by fooling the barrel into thinking it is fouled in. Shoot straight, rdnck.

Thanks, I'll try that.

[powderburner]

you might also run your mould out to 405 , or about 1.1 inches long in mine the 405 is a lot more consistant,

[Don McDowell]

Sam I'm wondering if you coated the bore with tc borebutter or even just bullet lube would that first shot print to the sights, or at least close enough that a first shot kill could be reasonably assured?

[Kurt]

My .44-90 round barreled Rough rider will shoot in the group with the first shot with the original type PP bullet. The GG postell will always print different with no set pattern.
The 34" octagon .44-90 will go 2" to 4" 4 o-clock.
The .50 will print a 2" 10 o-clock.

Kurt

[Old Jim]

When firing GG bullets from my Shiloh 45/70, the 1st shot is always 5-6" high-left from a clean barrel. I tried running an SPG-lubed patch thru after wipin any oil from the barrel; still high left. Normally, 4-5 shots from a clean, dry barrel is what it takes to settle things down to a round group. Most testing is done from the bench. It doesn't seem to matter if Goex or Swiss powder is used in the loads. And changing primers didn't help. So ..... I do what needs to be done when shooting targets. Hunting loads in this rifle calls for a sight-setting to take the first shots into consideration.

Jim

[Caprock]

you might also run your mould out to 405 , or about 1.1 inches long in mine the 405 is a lot more consistant,

Whoops I stated the weight of my .40 cal bullet The KAL 44 weighs 425 gr and is 1.16 long.

Sam I'm wondering if you coated the bore with tc borebutter or even just bullet lube would that first shot print to the sights, or at least close enough that a first shot kill could be reasonably assured?

I'll try that too. I used to do that with muzzleloaders and it sure helped.