Cleaning between different bullets and/or powder

[tim tarras]

I got a tikka t3x lite in 6.5 Creed and had it out to the range to get it sighted in with some left over factory ammo (18 rounds).

I want to try 127gr LRX and 140gr Accubonds with H4350 and rl16 powders.

Do you recommend cleaning between the different test loads? IE between 127/h4350 and 127/RL16.

 

[Tmac]

Every rifle is different... But what I have learned when trying out different bullets is to start with a clean barrel and shoot the mono’s first, then cup and core with no cleaning in between. I’ve rarely had accuracy issues with a cup and core and a moderately dirty barrel, I have had accuracy issues with mono’s and dirty barrels.

 

[tim tarras]

Every rifle is different... But what I have learned when trying out different bullets is to start with a clean barrel and shoot the mono’s first, then cup and core with no cleaning in between. I’ve rarely had accuracy issues with a cup and core and a moderately dirty barrel, I have had accuracy issues with mono’s and dirty barrels.

Are you fouling the barrel before you shoot the mono's?

 

[Tmac]

Are you fouling the barrel before you shoot the mono's?

Generally no, I start on mono’s with the clean barrel, then shoot them until accuracy drops. With some rifles that‘s 15 ish shots, a couple go over 200 and I clean them just cause, not due to accuracy degrading. I do have several rifles that do not care and shoot mono’s fine clean/dirty/after a bunch of cup and core bullets. But all my rifles that shoot mono’s well, will do so from a clean bore, even those that shoot well dirty after shooting cup and cores. But, that is just a sample of the 5 rifles I shoot mono’s in often.

There are no absolutes Imo, barrels are funny. Before I decided a rifle did not like mono’s, I be trying them from a clean barrel, and from a dirty one too. That’s even though I‘ve yet to find a rifle that shot them well dirty that would not shoot them well when clean. Hope I’m making sense.

 

[tim tarras]

@Tmac, yes that makes sense. Thank you

 

[HighUintas]

I have no experience with monos. But, I have a few hundred rounds of speers through my Tikka without any cleaning and then just did some load development with Sierra's today without cleaning. I had some good groups, so I don't think it always matters, at least for cup and core. I've switched between other bullets at time without cleaning and it didn't seem to matter.