Sighting in your rifle

[TXhunter2]

Hey i just have a question about something i heard a couple yrs ago. is it true that after cleaning your barrel that u ahve to worry that your rifle will not be sighted in at zero from where u were shooting prior to cleaning the barrell . Does this have any ssignificane or should i clean my rifle after shooting it everytime

Thanks

[Mykey]

It' s been my experience that most rifles like a couple of fouling shots to get them back on track after cleaning. I only have one rifle that hits zero with the first shot after cleaning and it' s a Sendero. My other rifles tend to be a tad off after cleaning until i fire a couple of fouling rounds through them. Every rifle is different so i' d experiment and find out for myself.

[Vapodog]

sight in the rifle and if you' re going to use it for hunting within the next ten weeks DON' T CLEAN IT!!!! Shoot it " as is"

The barrel won' t decay if you don' t clean it and you don' t need a couple fouling shots either.

[akbound]

Hi TXhunter2,

A term police marksmen (snipers) and military snipers are familiar with is CCB. " C" lean " C" old " B" ore. It refers to where your first shot will hit the target out of your rifle after it has been cleaned and not fired for a while.

Snipers and competitors keep a " shooting log book" which contains this and additional information. Most hunters do not bother. But if you are concerned about where your rifle will print with a CCB simply just keep track of the information. Each time you go to the range with a clean rifle shoot your first shot on a separate target. Determine for yourself if there is a difference and how much. You may never need to know that information...but if there is a large enough difference.....it would be nice to know.

Or as Vapo suggested....after you recheck your zero prior to the season...don' t clean the bore until after hunting season. When I recheck a rifles' zero prior to the season I do not clean the bore again until after the season....unless the rifle gets thoroughly drenched, or some such similar circumstance. But I also know where all of my rifles shoot with a CCB. I like to know where my first shot is going....but after 20 years in the Infantry some habits die hard!

Good luck!

[mainehunt]

Good advice from both of them, I' d go with it.

[eldeguello]

It' s been my experience that most rifles like a couple of fouling shots to get them back on track after cleaning. I only have one rifle that hits zero with the first shot after cleaning and it' s a Sendero. My other rifles tend to be a tad off after cleaning until i fire a couple of fouling rounds through them. Every rifle is different so i' d experiment and find out for myself.

It has been my experience that many rifles do shoot a little differently from a clean, cold barrel, and then again, many don' t!! You need to fire yours with a clean cold barrel, and find out!! If it does shoot differently, then zero it with a clean, cold barrel, so the first shot hits where you want it to! This, according to Col. Townsend Whelen, is called the " sniper' s zero" , the idea being that it is the first shot that counts. For me this is very true, since I hunt with a Ruger No. 1 single-shot rifle.

[stubblejumper]

The solution is simple.Clean your barrel and fire a group.Then let the barrel cool and fire another group.If both groups have the same point of impact and are of equal size it won' t matter if you hunt with a clean or fouled barrel.If the point of impact is different hunt with the barrel in the condition that it was sighted in.My own hunting rifles will shoot the first three shots out of a clean barrel into 1/2" and the next three shot group to the same point of impact as the first group.As a result I usually hunt with a clean barrel.

[Gary10ec1]

I've noticed that the first shot from my rifle after cleaning tends to fly a little high but not much. As stated above though guns can be finicky so you gotta fire and see.

[James B]

I claen my deer rifle well after season is over. The next fall when I start shooting it before season I leave it fouled until the season is over again. If its a rifle that I use off and on all year then I just make sure to fire a few shots before trying for a group. Most of my rifles hit close enough with a clean barrel that hunting accuracy is not effected.

[loner]

after cleaning any rifle barrel, i always fire a couple of fouling rounds to get the oil and any other foreign matter out of the barrel before trying to get serious groups on paper.