700 CDL SF .260, Finally found a load that shoots!

[ThunderStick]

    I finally have developed a load that shoots well out of this gun. I had it bedded, free floated, and trigger down to about 2.5lb and a very crisp break. The problem is that I have been driving myself nutts trying different loadings with the Nosler 120gr to find one that will shoot sub MOA. Today is payday! I have a load that is shooting 0.6 at 100 yards, 4 shot groups. It seems it will keep anything you feed it inside 2 inches, but getting it to shoot better has been a loading chore.
   Now the only complaint I have is that it seems to be the worst barrell about copper fouling I have ever had! Do some bullets foul worse than others? It does like to be clean to shoot the tight groups as well and doesn't seem to throw the first shot. I'm using Butches Bore Shine for solvent.

    Has anyone else had barrels that seem to copper foul very quickly?

[700 223]

Has anyone else had barrels that seem to copper foul very quickly?

You bet , my Savage 12BVSS would foul severely after very few rounds. Might get two decent groups in a row. I have called a truce with the rifle for now. I am going to try a bedding job on it later. May even have a match barrel installed later.

[diggler1833]

Massive copper fouling is a barrel issue, some do it worse than others.  It is good that yours shoots well though, I wouldn't worry about it if the accuracy doesn't fall off after just a few rounds.  Some barrels are just that way.

[nomosendero]

First, realize that some accurate tubes will foul alot for awhile.

Thunderstick, I have more Remington 700's in my safe than any other & based on performance that will remain to be the case I suspect. But even alot of the Rem. barrels that are accurate are copper factories,
just the way it is. But it is not a permanent problem. Usually if you clean you gun properly with a good
copper remover such as CR10, you will see a dramatic turn around after 200-250 rounds. You can speed the process a good deal with the Tubbs Final Finish, I have used it on a few rifles & it worked very well each time & yes my gunsmith has a borescope. I have had the same problem with the Savage & others, but again I would not worry too much as it is worth working through if your barrel is accurate. Right now, I am working with a VERY, VERY accurate M700VS in 308 that was a copper factory at fist, now at about 150 rds. it is not nearly the case & keep in mind the shooting has not been a waste as I was working up the best loads & shooting a distance anyway.

Thunderstick, I think it will be fine, but you can always sell me the rifle.   

Have you tried the 130 Accubond, I think you will be impressed ?

[ThunderStick]

    Thank's for the advice. At this point I beleive that I am gonna take the route of shooting, cleaning, and shooting to try and iron out the bore just by normal wear. For a hunting rifle I'm sure I can put up with having to clean it once or twice a season. I'm gonna hold off on the Filtz, J&B, etc. untill after a few hundred rounds and see how things progress. Would I be off base to buy the cheepest bullets and use a powder that I have a large stock of, even if it isn't the most accurate, to do this "shooting in" procedure? The Butches Bore shine seems to realy work well at removing the copper if I use a nylon brush for a few rounds of cleaning. If I just push patches through it seems to take all day to clean! This gun is starting to cut into my fishing time, but it is a long time untill hunting season rolls around again.

[nomosendero]

    Thank's for the advice. At this point I beleive that I am gonna take the route of shooting, cleaning, and shooting to try and iron out the bore just by normal wear. For a hunting rifle I'm sure I can put up with having to clean it once or twice a season. I'm gonna hold off on the Filtz, J&B, etc. untill after a few hundred rounds and see how things progress. Would I be off base to buy the cheepest bullets and use a powder that I have a large stock of, even if it isn't the most accurate, to do this "shooting in" procedure? The Butches Bore shine seems to realy work well at removing the copper if I use a nylon brush for a few rounds of cleaning. If I just push patches through it seems to take all day to clean! This gun is starting to cut into my fishing time, but it is a long time untill hunting season rolls around again.

It will work just fine if you prefer that method, it will take longer, but you can learn your rifle more & that's a good thing. Using the cheapest bullets is a logical approach & is a good way to practice off hand shooting & shooting from different positions to boot. After a couple of hundred rounds your "hills of patches" will start getting smaller.