abrasive reloads ???

[PJgunner]

I have a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 7x57 Mauser that had a bore that looked like a cross section of the Rocky Mountains. The rifle was accurate enough, but it would foul so badly in just ten rounds that accuracy would go down the tube. (No pun intended.) Contacting Winchester about the problem along with some other details got a snotty, "Take it to a gunsmith."
This rifle fouled so badly the it would take three cleaning sessions with Sweets 7.62 and JB Bore past, two sessions of 8 hours and the last one 4 hours to get that bore clean.
When I got the kit, it had three grits, coarse, medium and fine. You were supposed to do ten shots with each grit, with thorough cleaning between each grit. Rather than using a jacketed bullet, I used cast lead bullets and only did 5 shots with each grit. My thought was I could shoot the cast bullets much more slowly that a jacketed one. I also figured that when a gunsmith lapped a bore, he used a lead slug on the cleaning rod impregnated with the grit to do the job. The results were good enough that now it takes only a short while to clean the gun and the copper fouling, while still present is no different than what I get from my other rifles. Accuracy seems to have improved only slightly.
I think that firelapping does have a place in the scheme of things just as long as one realizes the potential pitfalls when using the process. In the case of my 7x57, it was a win win situation as I was ready to sell off a rifle I really liked and wanted to keep.
My suggestion would be this. If you have a really rough bore that fouls as badly as mine did, trying the grit coated bullet should clean things up. But, if the instructions call for ten shots of each grit, only use five. You can always go back with the other five each if it is necessary. Hopefully, it won't be.
Paul B.