How often do you clean?

[Nature Boy]

Like you said, your opinion. You should chrono before and after a cleaning. The first shot after a clean is way lower in speed.

That’s what I usually see

 

[Milo 2.0]

My cold bore shots also hit higher, and that does overlay the cleaning process. But I actually get sticky bolt lift and sometimes brass flow after a cleaning for a few shots.

Are you shooting coated bullets? This is a characteristic of coated bullets, not naked bullets.

 

[davidjoe]

Only naked bullets, in recent times. Very heavy ones, typically in 7, the EOL 195 or although not heavy, the long bearing surface/wide Lapua 180.

But as I think this through, the several Reloader powders 25-26-17 I use are all said to run relatively dirty (black, soft film) and it could be that they have almost the same effect in my barrels as coated bullets would.

 

[BartsBullets]

In your statement "It's just a theory, but the shots hit higher from more pressure". I have never found this to be true. After cleaning, I put a light coating of oil in the barrel. For whatever reason it ALWAYS shoots low. At 1000 yards, the first shot is generally a full minute low. The next shot gets closer to where it is supposed to hit, but it may take 2 more shots to get it there. I have never experienced it otherwise..

Put a labradar up and I think you’ll see that your first shot is significantly slower after cleaning which is Why it’s always low.

Bart