Tikka T3X shooting better when dirty and hot

[JFrank]

My cleaning routine usually is that i put 2-3 oiled up pellets back and forth the barrel, i push the Rod from chamber very carefully and i wont let the pellet come out from the muzzle and then back again and a new wet pellet.

After that 5-10 dry pellets depending on how dirty they come out, sometimes even 3 is enough.

Before i only used boresnake wich was fine but always had to keep it washed cause it got so dirty even after a few passes.

What are these magic pellets you speak of ?

 

[wiscoaster]

I think your rifle is still breaking in. You probably won't notice the difference so much between clean and dirty after a few more hundred rounds. I'm not familiar with your cleaning product and you don't mention the ammo type you're shooting. You want to clean out the carbon, but you don't want to scrape out the copper. Copper left by bullet passage smooths out the bore.

 

[Howland937]

What are these magic pellets you speak of ?

These maybe?

 

[Jim Watson]

If dirty guns shoot better, why do the best shooters in the world clean religiously ?

Because the match program allows for "sighters" which are really fouling shots.

There are THREE main conditions a shooter should know his point of impact for.
Clean and cold, warm and fouled as the OP is talking about, AND cold and fouled.
A lot of hunters will schedule shooting and cleaning so they are going out cold and fouled. Others will make a lot of trips to the range to have a good zero for clean and cold.

I think it would be instructive for the OP to put his rifle up uncleaned and see where it hits the next time when cold and fouled. It might shoot the same as it has been doing warm and fouled. But it might not.

A SWATter of my acquaintance has a notebook for his sniper rifle with point of impact noted for every shot from clean and cold to warm and fouled. He is not very likely to fire multiple shots, but if he must, he knows where they will hit.

 

[JFrank]

Not all of them

Personally I have gone all weekend which is about a hundred rounds or so.

View attachment 1015088
These maybe?

Good grief..
Bore snakes and felt pellets, what's the world coming to.
Cleaning requires mechanical action once in awhile ( bronze brush ).
There is a difference between a few foulers and carbon build up detrimental to accuracy.

 

[Howland937]

Personally I have gone all weekend which is about a hundred rounds or so.

Good grief..
Bore snakes and felt pellets, what's the world coming to.
Cleaning requires mechanical action once in awhile ( bronze brush ).
There is a difference between a few foulers and carbon build up detrimental to accuracy.

I was just offering a guess since I'd never heard of them prior to this post. Bronze brushes, plastic brushes, and old stained up t-shirts cut into size have worked for me. But I'm not a precisonist.

 

[Jamppam]

What are these magic pellets you speak of ?

Those vfg ones

I think your rifle is still breaking in. You probably won't notice the difference so much between clean and dirty after a few more hundred rounds. I'm not familiar with your cleaning product and you don't mention the ammo type you're shooting. You want to clean out the carbon, but you don't want to scrape out the copper. Copper left by bullet passage smooths out the bore.

Sako range fmj 8g is my go to ammo

 

[Dale Alan]

Personally I have gone all weekend which is about a hundred rounds or so.

Good grief..
Bore snakes and felt pellets, what's the world coming to.
Cleaning requires mechanical action once in awhile ( bronze brush ).
There is a difference between a few foulers and carbon build up detrimental to accuracy.

Amen ... bronze brush and some medicated goo if you want a clean repeatable barrel .

 

[Jamppam]

Well since i was a kid and from a family with a military backround i was told to always clean my rifle clean as a whistle, but for hunting and some range sessions i know that i shouldnt make it shine like a Chrome.

But im more than happy to take some advices how you take care of your rifles

 

[someguy2800]

The only thing I ever use a brush on anymore is when shooting cast and lubed lead billets. All of my rifles that I shoot jacketed bullets in I only clean with foaming chemical bore cleaner and cotton patches on a jag. The stuff is quite amazing. I used to use the foam and then follow up with scrubbing but I found that with the right product and giving it time to do it’s thing there was nothing left to scrub so I just stopped doing it.

I have a couple rifles that need the copper fouling removed regularly, like every 50 rounds, and others that will have almost no fouling after a couple hundred rounds. I have one barrel right now which is at a little over 500 rounds and has never been cleaned and is still shooting just as well as when it was put on. That one is an ongoing experiment.

I am a member of the foul the barrel before your going to go hunting and leave it fouled till after the hunt is over group. I never take a clean barrel hunting because in my experience a clean barrel usually does not shoot to the same poa as a fouled one. Sometimes very little, sometimes a good bit. Why would I take a rifle hunting that I know the POI is going to change after the first couple shots? That just makes no sense to me.

 

[someguy2800]

No bore snake (which as a side note is the best way IMO to wreck accuracy if you are not dry swapping after).

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on bore snakes. I use them on a few rifles to avoid having to disassemble to clean from the chamber end with a rod.

 

[JFrank]

I think most people run a couple foulers through a hunting rifle, personally I would also sight in at the deer camp especially if the elevation was considerably different. If MY cold bore poi has more than a conservative difference that just means MY tune is off.
I'll brush the barrel out when the huntings done without issues.

 

[Dale Alan]

I agree Jim , if cold bore POI is off enough to make a difference big enough to worry about then the tune is off ...or the rifle needs attention.

 

[Steve S.]

I am just not sure that the benefits of fouling shots is as perceived or defined; maybe too much emphasis on the mechanics of fouling and not enough emphasis on the settling effects for the shooter - fouling shots may settle the rifle AND the shooter to varying degrees at the same time - my shooting experience tells me that it is more me than the cold, clean barrel - I am just not sure about fouling shot effects making that big of a difference in the hunting fields - when moving into precision competition, consistency (clean, cold, fouled, warm, etc) is what wins matches.

 

[Boomholzer]

I’m curious to hear your thoughts on bore snakes. I use them on a few rifles to avoid having to disassemble to clean from the chamber end with a rod.

Bore snakes have the ability to hold an excess amount of solvent which can end up squeezed out in the bore without a dry patch to follow up with. If it works for you, don't let me dissuade you. The definitely have some benefits, i've learned to keep light on the solvent or lube. Back to the topic of shooting the bore back into proper condition, starting with a dry bore is best.

 

[someguy2800]

Bore snakes have the ability to hold an excess amount of solvent which can end up squeezed out in the bore without a dry patch to follow up with. If it works for you, don't let me dissuade you. The definitely have some benefits, i've learned to keep light on the solvent or lube. Back to the topic of shooting the bore back into proper condition, starting with a dry bore is best.

Ah I see. I use the bore snake dry. Just using them to remove the foaming bore cleaner.

 

[Jamppam]

So update from the rifle, today i went on the range again with barrel uncleaned, it hit spot on.

Zeroed in 100yards, POI was just inch above my crosshair wich is fine as my shooting distance varies up to 250yards or so while hunting.

Didnt see any erratic behavior this time, besides a few flys here and there, shot about 20 rounds.