10,000+ round testing ... in new 10/22 and T/CR22 while capturing every 5/10 shot groups at 50/100 yards
What was your cleaning interval and number of foulers on that test?
Both 10/22 and T/CR22 factory barrels (Along with KSA bull barrel) WERE NOT bore brushed/cleaned with Hoppes #9 after each range session. Instead, they were DRY PATCHED using only Kleenex Viva "Cloth" paper towel always pushing from chamber to muzzle (T/CR22 has hole in the back of receiver for cleaning rod and I also used cable pull cleaning system).
Barrels were cleaned every 2000 rounds with 3 passes of copper bore brush dipped in Hoppes #9 solvent and none of the barrels showed signs of leading.
Each range session was started by shooting Aguila 40 gr CPRN groups to warm the barrel, verify scope zero and capture reference group size which ran around 3/4"-1" at 50 yards. Often, targets captured Aguila 40 gr CPRN at start and end of shooting that target as if different brand/weight/lot of ammunition produced particularly larger groups, producing same size Aguila 40 gr CPRN group at the end proved it was ammunition and not rifle/scope/mount/shooter. Typically, 8 to 12 groups were captured on each copy paper target.
If particular ammunition really shot poorly, I would shoot Aguila 40 gr CPRN groups intermingled throughout the target to rule out non-ammunition related factors such as scope mount coming loose, etc. (As Aguila produced typical 3/4"-1" groups regardless of cold/hot barrel)
Here's a sample target showing Aguila 40 gr CPRN group at start (Top left of target) and at the end (Bottom right) ... Aguila 40 gr group at bottom left is "loose bulk" instead of "boxed" rounds I used for reference.
Below is T/CR22 target for comparison using factory barrel with 2000 round count, new Volquartsen trigger but with factory 4 lb return spring, free floated barrel (Removal of Magpul stock forearm insert free floats stock barrel, even KSA bull barrel) and rear of receiver taped (This target should confirm how much 10/22 factory barrel is ammunition selective as same ammunition that produced larger groups shrank when shot in T/CR22 compared to
10/22 targets on post #21).
After getting decent groups on top row with CCI SV, Federal Auto Match, Federal Champion, Federal Game Shok (All 40 gr), when old box of Federal 36 gr (Blue 525 round Value pack) produced significantly larger groups compared to new box of Federal 36 gr (Red 550 round Value pack from Walmart), I shot another Blue Value pack group and size was consistent with previous. So I shot a group of Aguila 40 gr to verify that it was ammunition and as anticipated, around 1" group confirmed it was indeed ammunition that increased group size to 2".
This is just one example of 40 gr bullet producing smaller groups than 36 gr bullets likely from longer bullet base/bearing surface to engage the rifling. (I also found 40 gr Lead RN to produce slightly smaller groups than 40 gr Copper Plated RN)
Since there was some discussion on dirty vs clean barrel group size comparison, I did myth busting on dirty vs clean barrel and it appeared dirty barrels produced smaller groups and after barrel cleaning, took several hundred rounds to restore accuracy back to pre-cleaning state -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...k-dirty-vs-clean-22lr-barrel-accuracy.897763/
BTW, this was 10/22 bore after second cleaning at 4200 round count and rifling looked pristine
