to clean, or not to clean. that is the question .

[bigrich]

i'm after some advice from knowledgeable lead slingers . i've got a 32-20 i'm shooting coated boyne lead projectiles out of , a savage 23c bolt action . towards the end of my sight in range session , 20 rounds, the point of impact was exactly where i needed it with superb accuracy . now should i do a proper clean, or treat it like a 22lr and just patch out the powder followed by a oiled patch and leave the coating/lead right where it is ? i'm using 2205 powder with 1200 fps velocity . look forward to your replies . cheers

[deye243]

The way I see it you are part way through the first test you need to do keep shooting until accuracy drops off then you all know how much lead your barrel will carry then you clean it and I've got a very easy way for you to do that.
And just to add if during this process the rifle is going to sit around for any more than a few days I would be oiling the barrel to prevent rust as coated projectiles are not like lube sized ones with a bees wax and whatever else they put in the mix as well you know like a Rimfire there's no waxy skin in the barrel another thing very detrimental to accuracy using lead bullets is rapid fire and allowing the barrel to get hot you'll find under those conditions a barrel will lead up very quickly

[bigrich]

The way I see it you are part way through the first test you need to do keep shooting until accuracy drops off then you all know how much lead your barrel will carry then you clean it and I've got a very easy way for you to do that.
And just to add if during this process the rifle is going to sit around for any more than a few days I would be oiling the barrel to prevent rust as coated projectiles are not like lube sized ones with a bees wax and whatever else they put in the mix as well you know like a Rimfire there's no waxy skin in the barrel another thing very detrimental to accuracy using lead bullets is rapid fire and allowing the barrel to get hot you'll find under those conditions a barrel will lead up very quickly

thanks for your response mate . i'm not sure what the "high tek supa-coat " is that they coat the boyne projectiles with . putting a oily patch through was my first instinct . these projectiles are hard cast , they should handle barrel heat reasonably . not that the barrel gets that hot shooting lead at 1200fps .
maybe i will email boyne themselves to find out what's in the coating they use . thanks again for your opinion and advice deye . cheers

[deye243]

I have one barrel here that will lead up after 40 rounds with any hard cast projectile that uses all these thin plastic film type Coatings on the other hand I do have some hard cast plated projectiles here I can put five hundred rounds through the barrel and I still do not have to clean it's a pity that the bloke making those projectiles closed down

[bigrich]

I have one barrel here that will lead up after 40 rounds with any hard cast projectile that uses all these thin plastic film type Coatings on the other hand I do have some hard cast plated projectiles here I can put five hundred rounds through the barrel and I still do not have to clean it's a pity that the bloke making those projectiles closed down

i ended up cleaning my savage last night . after the powder was gone the only thing coming out was the gold bullet coating . these early savages have a type of micro-groove type rifling . according to my smith i use, and american forums , these rifles have very good barrels and a reputation for excellent accuracy . after very brief load development i believe it . my smith was telling me when '96 happened people in the know where snapping up these old savages in 32-20 and 25-20 that were handed in, and cutting off the barrels and refitting on '92 winnies and martini cadets . i'm very happy with my savage