Ignore the copper fouling until you get home unless you need to work up a load with local powders, or have massive problems with a scope (if you use one) and need many rounds to zero.

Now, on the grime question: Strongly recommend that anyone hunting in Namibia put a bit of electrical tape over the muzzle. It will keep small branches from the many, many thorn bushes, leaves and the like from falling into your barrel (or barrels if using a double).
Regards, Tim

In general, how many rounds can one shoot before he/she sees accuracy affected by copper fouling? I know there are ballistic factors involved but again, "in general". (I am asking this in an effort to determine if I need to take gun solvent with me to Namibia.)

Generally you can begin to see groups starting to open within 15 to 20 rounds. You can probably squeeze 30 + rounds before you start to see 2 and 3 MOA response. Much depends on your rifle and bullet construction (ie Barnes bullets foul like the dickens) so it is best to experiment at the range.



All that being said, I would strongly recommend that you take your cleaning supplies. Your bore will have dust in it every day, no matter if you are shooting or not. Cleaning supplies are very hard too come by in Africa and I can assure you that your PH will not be happy with you using his limited supply. I always leave my extra solvents, patches, jags, brushes, & factory ammo with my PH.

Thanks Zero Drift. I am using Barnes XLC's in my '06 and am finding that to maintain a good group I have to clean the barrel more often than usual.

I would recommend that you use Sweets, CR-10, or my new favorite copper solvent Montana X-Treme. Montana X-Treme is a safer alternative to either Sweets or CR-10 and works just a fast. Considering the heat and humidity of Africa, high ammonia based solvents can pose a problem.

OOps. Forgot to ask you where you got Montana Xtreme? Have heard good things about Coppermelt but is ammonia based like CR-10.

I am currently using CR-10 which seems to work real well.

For precision accuracy, I agree with what has been said about cleaning every 20-30 rounds. Your groups will not open up to 2 or 3 MOA, however, unless you started at nearly 2 MOA. The decrease is really not noticeable in hunting situations. I do believe in taking basic gun cleaning supplies whether to remove blood or moisture from the exterior, or to swab the barrel occassionally. You should not have to worry about removing copper fouling on any reasonable length safari. (I suppose it might be an issue if you are in the habit of firing 10 or more rounds per animal harvested, but then I would begin to think you are focusing on the wrong thing by worrying about gun cleaning.) Run a patch down the bore every few days to remove the accumulated dust and grime if you haven't been shooting much. Keep a cleaning rod for the occasions when you are clumsy and ram the barrel into the dirt. But spending time cleaning copper fouling form the barrel while on safari is almost unthinkable. I only take 70 rounds for each of my rifles, and I've never come close to running out of ammo.
Enjoy the hunt. Have the time of your life! Clean your rifle of copper fouling when you get home. (Of course by then it is "Africa fouling", and you might want to leave it there until next year.)

Bill

Every time a round is fired and jacket fouling is left behind in the barrel, the bore diameter is reduced by just that amount, and the rate of jacket build-up varies with each barrel. This effects velocity and pressure, and eventually, accuracy. Every rifle is a law unto itself as to when jacket fouling becomes an accuracy problem. It's one of those luck-of-the-draw things.

I have a pair of custom .300 Win. Mag. rifles with Kreiger cut-rifled barrels, and I shoot the same 180 gr. Nosler Partition handload out of both guns . One of them shows a significant amount of fouling after twenty rounds of shooting, and with this rifle I always clean with Birchwood-Casey's Bore Scrubber after twenty rounds, followed by Sweets.

The other rifle shows very little jacket fouling, and I clean after twenty rounds with Bore Scrubber alone. No Sweets is required, and there doesn't seem to be trace of jacket fouling anywhere in the barrel after normal cleaning.

Except for varmint rifles, I clean after twenty rounds as a normal rule, then go after remaining jacket fouling as necessary. I don't try to get every bit of it -- just most of it!

In Africa, I don't worry about jacket fouling at all. I take care of that problem when I get home........

AD

Good advice Tim, but it doesn't apply to Namibia alone! I wrap 5 or 6 wraps of electric tape around the muzzle of some of my hunting guns, about 2 -3" from the end so I always have a small "roll" of electric tape to use.

I have never noticed a change in the POI by shooting with the tape on. I never remove it. Ironically, on a few occasions I have had the tracker remove it just as I am aiming at the animal.

I agree with Tim, I normally don't clean guns while hunting other than pulling a bore snake through them on ocassion..cleaning can make the first couple of shots fly high (as a rule) even if the groups open up from fouling, it won't be enough to miss a big game animal....My advise is don't get tangled up in twaddle, keep it simple and go hunt...

I hate twaddle so am taking Ray's advice. I'm getting too excited about the trip and am worrying over nothing things!