POI change after cleaning

ferretmanabu

Well-Known Member
Do you find that the POI changes after the barrel has had a good clean?

I cleaned mine earlier today and found I had to rezero to get the shots back on target. Group size was same, just in different place.
 
In the case of my sauer yes but after a few fouling shots it returns to zero,you shouldn't need to rezero though,doesn't seem a prob with my sako though it just shoots to the same POI clean or not.
 
I have to shoot foulers and re-zero after every clean from .25cal up to .300WM.

My clean is back to metal so a full clean, some people only push a patch through and that suits. Its whatever suits the shooter:)
 
I cleaned with KG 1 2 and 3, fired a few foulers and had to rezero. Usually just put a bore snake after any use and currenlty am cleaning every 150-200 shots.
 
After cleaning run a patch through with a little meths on it................I got that tip from another SD member and it works a treat for me...........no change of POI in my Tikka.
 
I cleaned with KG 1 2 and 3, fired a few foulers and had to rezero. Usually just put a bore snake after any use and currenlty am cleaning every 150-200 shots.

Some time back I cleaned my barrel out with KG12 I think it was, the one that removes copper. Anyhow, the short story is that it took about 50 - 60 rounds before my zero came back to where it started and the strange thing was that I got reasonable groups, would rezero, and then they would move again. It looked like a scope fault or a problem with me but in the end it just all settled down and came good and the only logical explaination was that the "deep clean" had somehow introduced problems with a wandering zero for a while. I'm too frightened to put KG12 down my barrel again in case it takes another 60 rounds to shoot it into shape.

After a "normal" cleaning with some Butch's Bore Shine and a brushing out it takes about 6 shots for my rifle to settle down, but it always comes back to shooting to where it is zeroed. Here are some photos, the first target was shot after a normal cleaning with Butch's and as you can see the 6 shots are a bit wild. The second target shows that shots 7, 8 and 9 have settled down to the zero, ignore 10, 11 and 12 as they were shot at the lower left bull for a different reason:

target1.jpg


target2.jpg
 
Find POI changes after cleaning need to fire a few shots to bring it back, but don't have to re zero, one of the reasons
why I very seldom clean mine.
 
I have mine zeroed for a clean barrel and clean with bronze brush/copper solvent/dry patch/oil patch/dry patch/ after each outing, if I have taken a shot - that way the zero does not change which works for me but each to his own.
 
Dont know,havent ever cleaned any of my rifle barrels.If it aint broke ,dont try and fix it.If they ever loose accuracy i may think about it
 
Depends...if I have thoroughly cleaned it - ie. it's usual 6 monthly scrub down with copper remover, etc. then the POI will shift marginally for 2 shots (maybe o.5" to 0.75" ish), but I put a total of 5 fouling shots through it, and the last 3 usually fall right on the pre-clean POI.

However, within the 6 months I will often give it a quick brush through and oiling to remove basic propellant residue, water (if rain), etc. etc. this is usually after every 25 shots give or take. This will usually not affect POI apart from maybe the first shot, but even that will only shift very marginally (0.25" ish).

I have at times just given it a quick run through with a few dry patches, just to remove residue and stuff coming off tree's, etc. etc., and found the POI to remain exactly the same...

Should you expect POI to shift and REMAIN shifted, NO! what you might find is that after a few more shots, you will need to change your re-zero back to its original format
 
I use KG12 and dont find a problem with zero, but if the barrel is badly fouled and then cleaned back to "new" it would be reasonable to expect a zero shift especially if it was zeroed with a fouled barrel.
 
I use KG12 and dont find a problem with zero, but if the barrel is badly fouled and then cleaned back to "new" it would be reasonable to expect a zero shift especially if it was zeroed with a fouled barrel.

I think that's what's happened with my rifle. It wasn't "cleaned back to metal" when I initially zeroed it, and then I gave it a thorough clean yesterday. Hopefully, next time I clean it, I shouldn't need to zero it.

Can't work out how often to clean it though. I know some people say never and some people say every time it's used. I haven't decided which camp I'm with yet.
 
I think that's what's happened with my rifle. It wasn't "cleaned back to metal" when I initially zeroed it, and then I gave it a thorough clean yesterday. Hopefully, next time I clean it, I shouldn't need to zero it.

Can't work out how often to clean it though. I know some people say never and some people say every time it's used. I haven't decided which camp I'm with yet.

Easy, you decide "which camp" you are in and stick to it, its not rigid though.
I shoot quite a few deer each month so I give mine a really good clean with KG12 once a month regardless of how many shots, I reload as well so when I mix up a new batch I clean the barrel back to "new" to re-zero, some people are anal as regards cleaning and theres nothing wrong with that, but whatever regime you decide on stick to it and that should solve your zero shift. If it doesn't maybe you have a different problem.
 
I think that's what's happened with my rifle. It wasn't "cleaned back to metal" when I initially zeroed it, and then I gave it a thorough clean yesterday. Hopefully, next time I clean it, I shouldn't need to zero it.

Can't work out how often to clean it though. I know some people say never and some people say every time it's used. I haven't decided which camp I'm with yet.

Depends on how much you shoot and how concerned you are about accuracy, as well as avoiding pitting in the barrel. My father cleans his hunting rifle once a year, with the random patch for drying out a soaked barrel, that's it - shoots about 40 rounds per annum. It shoots sub 1" with norma factory ammo all day long (Tikka), and has done for the last 30 years or more. However, I bet that it has some pitting, and that at some point accuracy will start to deteriorate fast,,we'll see.

My approach is to patch out every 25 rounds to avoid build-up, and to give a big clean every 6 months or so, to avoid long term pitting issues. I think leaving it uncleaned can work for x amount of time, but eventually it will give up, whereas a barrel that's looked after can last a lifetime. Why 25 rounds you ask, well, that's just a number I picked out of a marine scout sniper training manual that I was browsing through for fun, and if it's good enough for them.....why every 6 months for the big clean...well, I feel with the amount I shoot that's 'probably' about right, ie. around 100 rounds.

just my process, everyone will have their own,,BUT, there's NO chance you'll find me scrubbing out my barrel after every outing or so, not only is it way over the top, but it would drive me crazy!
 
Depends on how much you shoot and how concerned you are about accuracy, as well as avoiding pitting in the barrel. My father cleans his hunting rifle once a year, with the random patch for drying out a soaked barrel, that's it - shoots about 40 rounds per annum. It shoots sub 1" with norma factory ammo all day long (Tikka), and has done for the last 30 years or more. However, I bet that it has some pitting, and that at some point accuracy will start to deteriorate fast,,we'll see.

My approach is to patch out every 25 rounds to avoid build-up, and to give a big clean every 6 months or so, to avoid long term pitting issues. I think leaving it uncleaned can work for x amount of time, but eventually it will give up, whereas a barrel that's looked after can last a lifetime. Why 25 rounds you ask, well, that's just a number I picked out of a marine scout sniper training manual that I was browsing through for fun, and if it's good enough for them.....why every 6 months for the big clean...well, I feel with the amount I shoot that's 'probably' about right, ie. around 100 rounds.

just my process, everyone will have their own,,BUT, there's NO chance you'll find me scrubbing out my barrel after every outing or so, not only is it way over the top, but it would drive me crazy!

I have a Sako that I will clean when it starts to loose accuracy, or if its got wet other than that I leave it alone will have had it 27 years come this stag season put on average a 1000 rounds a year through it, YES 27000 had the crown tidied up around 10 years ago, still shoots to P.O.A
 
After cleaning run a patch through with a little meths on it................I got that tip from another SD member and it works a treat for me...........no change of POI in my Tikka.

+2 for the meths/or white spirt
 
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