gelarson

Going back to the old days of competitive centerfire shooting - I am terribly skepticle of firing a bullet that counts from a really clean well lubed barrel.

Now, I can only speak to t7 powder, none of the others - I have been using t7 since it came out and I have a lot of faith in it. I am also shooting sabots so there is no metal contact with the bore. And the way I treat my barrel with bore butter I do not get plastic fouling or the infamous "Crud Ring." I will take my rifle out prior to hunting season and re-sight it in and generally check it for proper operation. Generally, I do not strip clean it again until after hunting season - I want the fowled barrel. I DO however swab the barrel with damp windex patches, dry it, and then I will lightly, and I mean lightly coat the barrel with a high quality gun oil. I do not remove or clean the breech plug unless I have shot 30 rounds or so. When the season starts the rifle may stay loaded the entire season, depending on my bad luck and/or if I feel I may have compromised the load in rain - snow - sleet... Most often I do not worry about it, because of the protective measures I have taken to keep everything dry. Storage of the rifle between weekend trips is also important and related to the temperatures and hunidity out side.

I use this same technique with my stainless barrels, nickel barrels, or blued barrels. It works for me and several of my hunting partners but YOU have to see what works best for you.

Good luck in your ML'ing efforts - they really are fun