How many rounds before accuracy drop off?

[ShootnMathews]

How many rounds do you get before fouling starts accuracy drop off? My barrel is still fairly new, about 175 rounds through it. It's a stock savage 6.5-284 Norma. I'd like to know how many shots one should be able to shoot before the barrel fouls to the point that accuracy falls off. Mine seems to open up around 35-45. Is that normal??

 

[RT2506]

Each rifle is different. There are too many variables involved to come up with any point that accuracy will drop off. If accuracy drops off between 35 and 45 rounds in your rifle then that is your answer for your rifle. If you change powder or bullet then things could be different.

 

[screech]

Every barrel is different but 35 is probably about right. I've had barrels on my short range be guns that only had a window of about 25 rounds that they would shoot well. And you had to have at least 3 fouler rounds down it

 

[Shawn Carverelli]

the better the barrel....the less copper fouling occurs. Thats why we have a breakin phase. To ckean all copper that gets stripped from the rifling as it smooths out any imperfections from the tooling. Generally, more expensive barrels have less tooling marks to smooth out

 

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

That's pretty normal, I have a 220 swift in a sporter, it will print 5 shots into a 6/10th's cluster 3 times, the 4th time the group will double, 5th time it will double again. This is less than ideal, but it shoots a 60 gr slug over 3700fps I dont care to mess with that just yet, This is one of 3 go to coyote rifles, a good day of coyote calling will produce 5 to 8 coyotes so I make it work.

 

[Beluebow]

I'd like to know how many shots one should be able to shoot before the barrel fouls to the point that accuracy falls off. Mine seems to open up around 35-45. Is that normal??

For your barrel maybe 35-45 is normal.

No one will be able to give you a number....to many factors at play....bore condition, powder used, bullets and velocities.

For my comp rifles I keep it less than 200.....for hunting rigs way less than that.

 

[HSmithTX]

Stock Savages for me will go generally 40-80ish before they stop shooting well, every one I have or had copper fouls really bad except one in 223 that never really picks up any copper at all. Another one in 6.5 manbun will put the first 5 from dead clean into about 5-6 inches at 100 yards, then start shooting well under and inch for the next 60-70-ish, by then it is back up to about .75 moa and flattening the primers that were factory round before it got fouled badly. Once it fouls "in" and starts shooting it will stay below MOA out past 1000 yards which is crazy considering the first 4 fouler shots probably couldn't hit a bus at that distance. The barrel on this one has been 'broken in' fully 2 times and it hasn't helped one tiny bit. One day I will sell it or put a good barrel on it and make it a boring rifle like the good ones are, no fuss just shoot.