groups have opened

sniperman

hi all,i have me hmr 455 thumbhole,16 inch heavy barrel now for over 2 months,have about 300 rounds put through it, i have only dry pulled through after every 50 rounds no solvents used so far,as the title says,groups have opened quite a bit, and have missed a few bunnies,so a few questions,first,is the barrel broke in yet? do i need to clean with solvent?any ideas why my groups have opened up? i was able to put 4 out of 5 shot into an inch circle at 100yrds,now shots are 1/2 inch or more outside the circle,all screws are tight,ive used locktite screw lock glue,the scope setting is the same,hawke 30 4-16x50 set 10 mag,sak mod cleaned regularly,im using v max 17 grain hornady,so any suggestions welcome,thanks all

bravestar

sniperman wrote: »

hi all,i have me hmr 455 thumbhole,16 inch heavy barrel now for over 2 months,have about 300 rounds put through it, i have only dry pulled through after every 50 rounds no solvents used so far,as the title says,groups have opened quite a bit, and have missed a few bunnies,so a few questions,first,is the barrel broke in yet? do i need to clean with solvent?any ideas why my groups have opened up? i was able to put 4 out of 5 shot into an inch circle at 100yrds,now shots are 1/2 inch or more outside the circle,all screws are tight,ive used locktite screw lock glue,the scope setting is the same,hawke 30 4-16x50 set 10 mag,sak mod cleaned regularly,im using v max 17 grain hornady,so any suggestions welcome,thanks all

Clean out the carbon. Clean out the copper. Fire a few fouling shots. Then try your groups again.

Cass

As above a serious good cleaning is needed. The only other caliber that i know that ca fire hundreds of rounds without loosing serious accuracy is a .22 rimfire. I think you have found your magic number. IOW the amount you can fire before she looses accuracy.

BTW get rid of the bore snake. It's an "emergency" tool, and nothing more. Don't mind all the talk of you only need it - you don't. You need more, and more regularly.

If you are not sure on the process get someone with rifle experience to help you. It's fairly simple. As bravestar said clean out the carbon, then use a copper solvent to remove the copper. Use a good rod, patches, and make sure that the patches run wet all the time. This prevents the fouling remaining due to dry patches. If necessary, and only if, use a brush to agitate, and loosen stubborn fouling. I use this process for my .243 & 308. Might be a bit excessive for a .17 but let's face it, you don't want your pride, and joy ruined by skimping on the maintenance.

• KG/M-Pro7 for regular barrel cleaning. (Butch's Bore shine now and then for heavy cleaning.)
• Run a KG/MPro-7 soaked patch through the barrel. This is a carbon remover to get the grime out first.
• Leave to sit for a few minutes.
• Run another wet patch with KG/M-Pro7 through the barrel to moisten the fouling, and remove the first lot of carbon..
• Run a nylon brush up and down the barrel about a half a dozen times. Clean the brush each time with a spray oil to prevent a build up of gunk on it.
• Run another KG/M-Pro7 patch down the barrel to remove fouling while treating the barrel again.
• Leave to sit for a minute or two.
• At this stage have about 15 or so oiled patches at the ready.
• Start running them down the barrel one after the other until they run clean. The patches need to remain wet to prevent dry carbon sticking to the bore.
• If they come clean before the 15 great. If not use more.
• When they run clean and wet, then start using the dry patches.
• Run as many as is needed until there is no more oil on the patches coming out.
• Now repeat steps 2-12 using the copper solvent instead of the carbon remover. You are looking for wet, and clean patches. If there is any hint of blue or green then there is still copper in the barrel.
• When you are all done use the mop and run it up and down the barrel again about a dozen times.
• On the last run leave the mop half protruded from the muzzle. Wipe around the muzzle and clean any fouling on the crown. The mop will prevent anything running back down into the barrel.
• Remove the bore guide and use a tooth brush, patches and bore brush to clean out the chamber, breach, etc.
• Wipe down the rod, brushes, jag, and bore guide.

You say you have checked all the screws, etc. and they are all tight. It's no harm to check these once a month, and if you have not already done so stay away from locktite, and other bonding agents. They can be a pain in the ass to get off, and in the worse occasions need drilling to remove the part you glued.

sniperman

Cass wrote: »

As above a serious good cleaning is needed. The only other caliber that i know that ca fire hundreds of rounds without loosing serious accuracy is a .22 rimfire. I think you have found your magic number. IOW the amount you can fire before she looses accuracy.

BTW get rid of the bore snake. It's an "emergency" tool, and nothing more. Don't mind all the talk of you only need it - you don't. You need more, and more regularly.

If you are not sure on the process get someone with rifle experience to help you. It's fairly simple. As bravestar said clean out the carbon, then use a copper solvent to remove the copper. Use a good rod, patches, and make sure that the patches run wet all the time. This prevents the fouling remaining due to dry patches. If necessary, and only if, use a brush to agitate, and loosen stubborn fouling. I use this process for my .243 & 308. Might be a bit excessive for a .17 but let's face it, you don't want your pride, and joy ruined by skimping on the maintenance.

• KG/M-Pro7 for regular barrel cleaning. (Butch's Bore shine now and then for heavy cleaning.)
• Run a KG/MPro-7 soaked patch through the barrel. This is a carbon remover to get the grime out first.
• Leave to sit for a few minutes.
• Run another wet patch with KG/M-Pro7 through the barrel to moisten the fouling, and remove the first lot of carbon..
• Run a nylon brush up and down the barrel about a half a dozen times. Clean the brush each time with a spray oil to prevent a build up of gunk on it.
• Run another KG/M-Pro7 patch down the barrel to remove fouling while treating the barrel again.
• Leave to sit for a minute or two.
• At this stage have about 15 or so oiled patches at the ready.
• Start running them down the barrel one after the other until they run clean. The patches need to remain wet to prevent dry carbon sticking to the bore.
• If they come clean before the 15 great. If not use more.
• When they run clean and wet, then start using the dry patches.
• Run as many as is needed until there is no more oil on the patches coming out.
• Now repeat steps 2-12 using the copper solvent instead of the carbon remover. You are looking for wet, and clean patches. If there is any hint of blue or green then there is still copper in the barrel.
• When you are all done use the mop and run it up and down the barrel again about a dozen times.
• On the last run leave the mop half protruded from the muzzle. Wipe around the muzzle and clean any fouling on the crown. The mop will prevent anything running back down into the barrel.
• Remove the bore guide and use a tooth brush, patches and bore brush to clean out the chamber, breach, etc.
• Wipe down the rod, brushes, jag, and bore guide.

You say you have checked all the screws, etc. and they are all tight. It's no harm to check these once a month, and if you have not already done so stay away from locktite, and other bonding agents. They can be a pain in the ass to get off, and in the worse occasions need drilling to remove the part you glued.

thanks alot,some great info there,will do this and see what happens,will post results soon:D

Cass

Just one thing to note in all that. Make sure the patches run wet and clean. Only use a dry patch to wipe out the bore when the wet patches are clean and have done their job. This way you are sure there is no residual fouling in the bore.

meathstevie

With Cass on the loctite, if you feel you need to use any sort of glue use a drop of nailpolish. It sticks screws and threads together nicely but the seal breaks that little bit easier when they need to come out.

sniperman

Cass wrote: »

Just one thing to note in all that. Make sure the patches run wet and clean. Only use a dry patch to wipe out the bore when the wet patches are clean and have done their job. This way you are sure there is no residual fouling in the bore.

will do.i have sent to uk for solvent called KG 12,have read its good,hope that will work,thanks alot.:)

sniperman

meathstevie wrote: »

With Cass on the loctite, if you feel you need to use any sort of glue use a drop of nailpolish. It sticks screws and threads together nicely but the seal breaks that little bit easier when they need to come out.

thanks for advice,but i have already used the locktite,but i wont be takeing the scope of anytime soon,cant afford too.:(