After I clean my rifle, it takes about 3 shots for it to settle in. Does leaving a small amount of oil (Rem oil) from the last

[South Texas 25 06]

After I clean my rifle, it takes about 3 shots for it to settle in. Does leaving a small amount of oil (Rem oil) from the last patch in the barrel cause the gun to string shots? Should I dry patch as the last step?

[AMM0]

For me, personally, I do run a single dry patch as the last step in the process but it's a very fast once over. I don't make it a point to make sure the barrel is bone dry, but at the sametime it's not exactly soaking wet with oil.

My two cents.

[PAShooter]

Many people do not clean their gun until after the season because of this. They maintain that a slightly fouled barrel is most consistant. I personally run a dry patch through the barrel after I take it out of storage. Some guns are more finicky than others. But I generally find that a dry patch through first, and you are good to go. In the case of my guns, the variance of dry patch vs. fouled barrel is slight. So unless your shooting chipmunks at long distance, I don't think there will be much difference,at least not in my 30+ rifles.

[Cgull]

After cleanign and oiling my weapons I run a patch of lard to treat the barrels, then a clen patch to remove any excess. The lard cooks into the barrel with each shot, leaving a non stick coating much like a cast iron skillet has.

[John B. Snow]

I always run a dry patch or two down the bore after oiling it to remove excess residue, which can certainly cause a point of impact shift.

But you're also touching on another topic near and dear to my heart, which is the benefit of keeping a shooting log.

Some rifles require a certain number of foulers before they settle into a sweet spot with their accuracy. The only way to figure that out is to keep a log of your shooting and look for trends.

If your groups start to tighten up with a given load consistently after a set number of shots, chances are you've stumbled upon the magic number of foulers. Likewise this info can help you figure when your accuracy is degrading and the rifle needs cleaning.

One thing to watch for in this data gathering is shooter fatigue. The more you shoot over the course of a session the less accurate your shooting will be. You might not even notice but it is a factor. The way to overcome that is to start some of your shooting sessions with the barrel pre-fouled with a number of shots. That will keep your data more honest.

[South Texas 25 06]

Great responses. I'm either going to dry patch before taking it out to shoot, or just going with a bore snake during the season. Normally, it's two shots and then I settle into at least 1" groups. I have relatives that don't clean their rifles at all, kind of makes me cringe!
Never thought of lard before, surely you jest!

[Johnnie]

I practice at the range as often as I can. Just before hunting season I go to the range, take three sight shots to make sure all is still on. After that I don't clean the barrel and hunt with the barrel fouled. That way that first shot isn't a flier. The only time I will clean the barrel during the hunting season is if I had been hunting in the rain or snowfall.

[graptec]

What if...?

[Flatbed]

I have noticed myself flinching involuntarly after playing with the larger calibers. What I learned to do is take a 22 that is set up similar to what gun I am trying to tweek and run a group through it, then go back to the larger gun. Helps keep your body off guard.