Cleaning Pellets & Accuracy

[AS13]

I thought I'd see if cleaning the barrel actually changed accuracy. I had shot around 120 rounds of .22 CPHP's before cleaning my 2400KT. . The gun was shooting excellent groups at 30 feet. I shot 3 Beeman cleaning pellets through the gun. I then set up a quickie target at 30 feet. I shot seated offhand. The first 6 shots fired at center of mass measured 1" X 1". I fired six more shots at the head and these measured 3/8" X 3/8".
As mentioned in a few posts a seasoned barrel definitely groups better. Evidently even using cleaning pellets will change the point of impact. Not to say I doubted the wisdom of seasoned shooters...I was looking for something to do this morning

[quickster47 †]

A good barrel is only starting to get broke-in after two or three hundred rounds.  It usually starts to get seasoned at around five hundred to a thousand rounds.

There is really no need to clean your barrel unless you are seeing a dramatic change in the POI.  Lots of times you will not see a POI change until well after two, or three or four or five thousand rounds.

Now then, this is all presuming that you are using one pellet type and sticking with that pellet type.  If you are changing pellet types all the time then your barrel POI will most likely change each time you change pellet types.

When I was shooting competitive I would also wash my pellets and then sort them by weight.  Anymore I use one type of pellet per gun and just shoot the heck out of them.

Be patient young grasshopper.  Be patient.

Carl

[AS13]

  With that experiment down the road, I'll build up the pellet count. I will be trying new pellets hopefully next month. This freaken cold weather is driving me nuts I'm thinking of some more challenging inside shooting practice.

[breakfastchef]

As I have learned, do a light cleaning of the barrel when you want to test a new pellet. Shoot at least a dozen of the new pellets before starting to shoot serious groups. Repeat process when changing pellets again.

[DaveB50]

Washing pellets, just what I needed, something else to wash.