6 Dasher No-Barrel-Cleaning Test

[Carl Ross]

I got busy and didn't make time to shoot a PRS match for 5 months, so this just sat.

In September they have an "Ironman" where they shoot a normal daytime match in Lewistown, MT, followed by a night match in Cody, WY the same day. I've shot it before and it's a good time, so I made it a priority to attend.

The night match is suppressed only, so I had to throw a can on this rifle. I don't like adding variables to the test, but it's always had to fit around life, so it is what it is. I installed a TBAC Magnus, shot one round, adjusted zero, and was fortunate to be able to leave it at that. I was in a hurry getting zero'd, and there was so little wind I was fighting suppressor mirage pretty badly, as a result I only did 10 rounds and I feel even they were a little compromised. Picked up 20 fps from the can.






After a little practice, two matches, and a couple trainings, I'm ~ 250 rounds farther in, so I'm due to shoot another round whenever I can make it to the range.

 

[207North]

Any updates on this?

Have you had any issues with hard bolt close?

Is the muzzle brake starting to close up on you yet?

 

[Formidilosus]

Is the muzzle brake starting to close up on you yet?

Do what?

 

[207North]

Do what?

Carbon will build up in the ports closest to the muzzle causing occasional bullet strikes.

 

[Formidilosus]

Carbon will build up in the ports closest to the muzzle causing occasional bullet strikes.

No. It does not.

 

[207North]

Stolen from the internet.

 

[Carl Ross]

Any updates on this?

I shot rounds 1581-1600 for this just before I did the TMK testing with this gun. I'll probably process it shortly, was focusing on the new bullets.

Have you had any issues with hard bolt close?

None.

Is the muzzle brake starting to close up on you yet?

There is some buildup. It's not this brake's first barrel, and I've never cleaned it ever. It was my "freshest" brake, not actually fresh

Also, I put a can on at 1330ish rounds and haven't switched back yet, my tolerance of brakes is waning.

Here's the one I took off of it today.

 

[207North]

Thats crazy. I have been using N150 for the last few barrels and cannot get anywhere near those numbers without all sorts of carbon issues.

The brake looks like you are getting pretty crusty but not terrible.

I am pretty sure this season will be supressed here also.

Great info. Might have to try varget this year.

 

[Formidilosus]

View attachment 987014

Stolen from the internet.

Exactly. “The internet”. How is it that carbon can build up and cause bullet strikes, but it doesn’t get blown away by the gasses?

I have muzzle brake with over 30,000 rounds on it.

 

[207North]

Exactly. “The internet”. How is it that carbon can build up and cause bullet strikes, but it doesn’t get blown away by the gasses?

I have muzzle brake with over 30,000 rounds on it.

It has happend to me a few times now, once costing a match from random fliers that were feet off target. I did not take pictures of the brake to post here.

You must be lucky because it is a common and pretty well known issue with high round counts on muzzle brakes without cleaning.

 

[Formidilosus]

It has happend to me a few times now, once costing a match from random fliers that were feet off target. I did not take pictures of the brake to post here.

You didn’t explain how carbon can build up and block a bore, yet be unaffected by the muzzle blast itself.

You must be lucky because it is a common and pretty well known issue with high round counts on muzzle brakes without cleaning.

Lucky? Oh there’s all kind of “common” things said that are pure nonsense. I shot muzzle brakes for nearly 20 years and beside others doing the same on 5.56 through 50BMG’s and never once cleaned carbon off a brake. Literal millions of rounds that I was there for. I have suppressors with more than 70,000 logged rounds in them- and magically, they still look like a normal suppresor inside.

 

[alexnelon]

It has happend to me a few times now, once costing a match from random fliers that were feet off target. I did not take pictures of the brake to post here.

You must be lucky because it is a common and pretty well known issue with high round counts on muzzle brakes without cleaning.

I've seen brakes erode to the point of losing effect, but never seen a hole actually close up. I'm no physics expert but that's not jiving.

 

[ACHILLES]

Seems more like oil or cleaning solution getting left on the brake causing accelerated build up.

 

[Formidilosus]

Seems more like oil or cleaning solution getting left on the brake causing accelerated build up.

Ding! Fries are done. Ding! Fries are done…..

 

[207North]

I dont know what to say, but you can literally see exactly what I am talking about in Carls photo. I would get a unexplainable flier, check the brake, see a copper streak and a flaked off chunk of carbon.

In this case his brake build up is enough you cannot see the blue triangles visible in the top 2 ports. The gas usually clears out the first and second port decent, but cannot clear out the rest.

 

[Formidilosus]

I dont know what to say, but you can literally see exactly what I am talking about in Carls photo. I would get a unexplainable flier, check the brake, see a copper streak and a flaked off chunk of carbon.

In this case his brake build up is enough you cannot see the blue triangles visible in the top 2 ports. The gas usually clears out the first and second port decent, but cannot clear out the rest.

View attachment 987072

I didn’t say carbon won’t build up a bit on flat spots. But it isn’t blocking the bore.

 

[Carl Ross]

Updated everything. 1600 rounds in as of this test, still have the TBAC Magnus on.

 

[solarshooter]

Updated everything. 1600 rounds in as of this test, still have the TBAC Magnus on.

View attachment 987109

View attachment 987110

Do you have data for every round logged? Could you make a plot of MR for every shot and put a trendline on it? Also if you do would you care to share it? I'd love to mess around with a big dataset like that.

 

[Castle Rock]

It’s good that you included the ambient temperature, I think that has a large bearing on fouling.
There also seems to be some correlation between temperature and accuracy.

 

[Carl Ross]

Do you have data for every round logged? Could you make a plot of MR for every shot and put a trendline on it? Also if you do would you care to share it? I'd love to mess around with a big dataset like that.

I do not. The images are there if anyone is silly ambitious, but I'd be surprised!