[Don Fischer]

WOW! That was great. I agree with most of it, especially breaking in a rifle. My understanding years ago about barrels and stress relieving was that all barrels today are stress relieved. I had one in 1967 that wasn't and it widened the group with every shot! I hate that up pressure on the forend and always remove it I don't go through many rifle's so maybe that's why it works for me. I tried breaking in one barrel and to this day don't really know why. It was my 6.5x06 with a Shilen match grade barrel! That's the only one I every did that with and never tried it again. Something that got my attention was his reference to nylon brush's. Turned a rifle over to cast bullet's and was advised to get every speck of fouling out. Used Sweet's on it and just couldn't get a clean patch to quit coming out blue! Finely dawned on me that what I was seeing was the reaction of the cleaner on the brass brush! Switched to nylon and it went away right now. Sound's like I'd really be better off with copper brush's though.

So I'm thinking this all came out of one book? What's the name of it and where might I find it? This was really super. One thing I will say about worn out barrels is that worn out to a competitive shooter is much different than to a hunter, maybe even a gopher shooter. While a quarter inch group won't win many match's if any, it's sure kill a lot of gopher's. My 30-06 barrel is trash. Got if from a dear friend when he died. A gift to himself getting out of the Army in 1944. He shot a lot of corrosive primers in it and it's full of pit's. But even though, it still keeps group's at 1 1/4" and sometimes better, fine for a hunting rifle. Please just don't ask to look down my barrel, it's a night mare!

Have to add about fiberglass, plastic stocks. I hate them. I suspect they are more stable than wood but I think a wood stock properly sealed will not give a swelling problem. And I have pretty much never saw one I couldn't improve on with a good bedding job. The problem I have with those plastic stocks is they are so damn ugly! I hate being seen with one. I think the best idea for stock may well be a wood laminate stock but I find them less that attractive also. But I did see a walnut on walnut one years ago that I liked. Down side is weight! Friend had one in a Rem 660 and that was a heavy rifle.