Pulled the trigger

[Don McDowell]

Kurt I don't get any more lead smears with 55y than 9 lb paper mill (the good stuff all cotton). Of the hundred rounds or so I fired this weekend at Byers I didn't get any lead. Some of the vertical; problem I had that wasn't necessarily caused by the wind was traced right back to 8lb paper and no jojoba oil. The 7 lb treated with jojoba held extremely good elevation in all but the switching head and tail winds. ( and there was a couple of targets I did not get my sticks set just the right height.)
The winds would switch from a tail wind to a head wind and the flags would go limp at the targets before the bullet got there. If you got lucky you'll hold a 6 o'clock six, if not you were sending prairie dogs on the scramble. Or you could let one go in a head wind and the switch would happen and the bullet would send chunks out of the top of the target frame. Byers is a very challenging place to shoot.
My thoughts on lead smears is likely a patch that is just a bit short and the bullet bumping up past the patch, but I can't really confirm that. I also think when going with calibers smaller than 45 based on a 45 case the pressure increase by pushing the powder thru the smaller bore can cause you problems with blow by, so going with a bullet closer to bore diameter helps with accuracy first, and the leading thing second.
I also believe the bottle necks suffer from the same problem.
I'm also a huge fan of the Bore Wipers from BACO, and using 7-1 mix of Napa cutting oil and water, I think helps tremendously with fouling control, less tearing on the patch, and a very consistent bore condition.