Cleaning barrel when load testing- any? or what type?

[Paul]

Ive often read reviews or articles where different ammo. or loads are being fired. In many, the writter says something like 'barrel was cleaned between each load'. Im gussing between say the 34.3gr load and the 34.7gr load etc etc.

My query is what level of clening are they describing? Or what do you do? Are they talking about just a dry patch to remove a bit of powder, or with some cleaner/ solvent and patchess, or going the full cleaner and wire brush treatment?

Id appreciate some guideance so I can get my own system in place. Currently when doing any load development or testing, I'd do a light clean with cleaner between loads. The thinking her ebeing to try and give each load a 'similar starting point', and of course tgrying to have similar barrel temp diring each load shoot.

Thougths and suggestions?

Kind regards,

Paul

[marksman]

my thoughts on it are that when testing rimfire ammo to see what shoots it can take a few shots between brands to get a true picture of what the ammo will be like, l am unsure the exact reason but have discussed it with others coming up with the powder residue difference or the bullet coating ect...
so not sure why but have agreed with others that it happens here l will clean between different brands

when doing a test on a centerfire l want to know what the rifle will do with fowling so my tests are a round robin fashion eg.. 5 x 3 shots of differing charge weights that are shot after a couple of fouling sighting shots but of one of each load at a time at its own little target going from 1 to 5, then 5 to 1 and then 1 to 5 again so that the fowling is part of the test
basically a Dan Newberry OCW http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/
although l have been doing the 10 shot satterlee test before the OCW lately to shortcut the test and it seems to work for me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACyfeeBHVOA

l would not recommend cleaning between test loads if reloading

as was said for the rimfire ammo testing l may do a clean between different brands of centerfire ammo but a couple of fowling shots before testing groups

so that is what l think on that subject

[SCJ429]

Personally I would not shoot one powder type after another, not that I have done any testing to see if it is detrimental to the size of the group.

I do not shoot factory ammo and perhaps these journalist do not want to be criticised for shooting one type after another and disadvantage one brand.

Rimfire is again differant where a lube is used one the lead projectile and I would clean between different brands, just in case it is detrimental but again I have no proof.

[Madang185]

You can probably buy an argument over this topic. The write prefers to clean when testing after every three groups of 3 plus one sighting shot. The clean barrel is then fouled with one shot and the next 3 X 3 shots fired. It seems to work okay. I would not claim that the barrel is chemically clean. However I would suggest that if you fail to clean after 10 shots the accumulated fouling starts to interfere with the potential results.
It is an issue rarely mentioned and will of course depend to some degree on the individual barrel. In the past one writer claimed that the only way to test a barrel/ ammunition combination was to fire 100 consecutive shots????? Nothing was mentioned about the speed of shooting or any cleaning, I wonder what he proved?
Shoot safe.