match-barrel wear from copper-plated vs. lead round-nose bullets?

[spclark]

The only stupid question is one not asked.

Unless it's because the questioner already knows the answer?

To my thinking, those are the truly stupid ones... a waste of everyones' time.

 

[patriot]

If so, kindly tell the class why the overwhelming majority of testing in the factory tunnels at both ELEY and Lapua is done at 50 yards/meters.

The answer may be obvious, competitions in Europe are primarily held at 50 meters. Besides, a little math proves the point. 200 yards would be even better if the environmental conditions could be factored out.

 

[SBS]

If so, kindly tell the class why the overwhelming majority of testing in the factory tunnels at both ELEY and Lapua is done at 50 yards/meters.

Because most international shooting (where the big market is) is shot at 50yds/meters. However, Patriot is right in that a lot of ammo that shoots well at 50 does not fare well at 100, which it must for the prone targets -- which are now 1/2 of the rounds shot at regionals and nationals, since 50 yd. targets have been dropped as being too easy. I have tested numerous lots of Eley that would hold the X ring at 50, but not at 100. Usually prone shooters do their selection of ammo at 100 and it nearly always suffices at 50. P.S. Didn't realize Patriot was answering at the same time.

 

[patriot]

Copper does not kill barrels.

If a centerfire rifle bore is not cleaned before being put away, it will corrode over time as some friends have found out the hard way. My friends that don't clean their smallbore rifles, shooting match ammo, don't report any pitting. Could the copper be the difference?

Mark

"Since copper has one of the highest galvanic numbers or nobility of the active metals, it will not be harmed by contact with any of them. It will, however, cause corrosion of the other metals if in direct contact."

http://www.copper.org/applications/...cussion/fundamentals/arch_considerations.html


FWIW I always clean my rifle after shooting and regularly clean the bores of those that have not been shot in a while.

 

[SBS]

You might want to talk to somebody that was at the ELEY seminar this past year at a major BR match. They still use silicate, for sure. It changed. This is why nobody is experiencing the degree of pitting in match barrels any longer.
Also for what it's worth using pretend gunsmith terms like " barrel shadows" .
What you're looking at is likely cleaning damage.

Since you've not been reluctant to be openly critical of other's opinions and ideas, I simply believe that you haven't looked at very many well used .22 match barrel with a borescope and have no idea what you are spouting about. Too many of these barrels have a heavy shadow in the throat at 6 oclock just in front of the chamber to have been caused by cleaning damage, which would be random in nature and not all of them in the same place. This is where the carbon/lead ring tends to build (see Calfee's article in Precision Shooting -- can look up issue if you like), and if not cleaned out regularly, the barrel wears here faster than elsewhere. In fact, if you have a land at 6 oclock it will eventually be visibly shorter than the others at its start. My Rem. 37 is this way. I have seen many barrels with rod damage and it is random and looks much more like mechanical damage than the gradual wear in front of the chamber caused by erosion.