For me it's the 'go to' powder in 8x57 and 7.65 Belgian Mauser...accuracy, speed. Fouling? I kinda got bored with the whole bare metal cleaning hysteria a few years back, and all I do now is 'maintain' the bore annually, don't pay much attention to copper wash.
That may be one of the reasons you are having issues getting those Barnes bullets to shoot well in your rifle.
True, it could be a contributing factor, but when I take the very same rifle, same day, fouled bore, and fire the old known cup and core accuracy loads to verify the rifle and scope (nothing destroys my confidence like a 2 1/2 or 3 inch group)...and it performs perfectly, it makes me think fouling is not a big factor. In real world, offhand game shooting, there is nothing wrong with a 2.5 moa rifle...but I just get so damn frustrated with that piss poor performance with a rifle capable of sub moa with just about any load including factory Gold Medal Match, Black Hills Gold, my own handloads with Speer, Sierra, Hornady. Obviously I am doing SOMETHING wrong with the Barnes...I'll either figure it out or go nuts trying.
