is it safe to leave guns uncleaned

[twoodard]

so clean it, even if it shoots better fouled? im thinking hunting guns here not comp or bench guns

 

[bozo699]

so clean it, even if it shoots better fouled? im thinking hunting guns here not comp or bench guns

By all means if your going hunting foul your rifle but if your going to put 100 rounds down the tube then leave it sit for four months, well,...............
Wayne.

 

[expiper]

I agree ....guns shoot better with a fouled bbl.....but keeping the bbl fouled for months or years is asking for corrosion and bbl damage....I leave my hunting bbl fouled for the two weeks of hunting season ,,but if I get in the rain or snow I will clean it to get the moisture out and then re-floul it before shootin....but in reality most shots are under 200 yds and a clean bbl vs. a dirty bbl. is usually not more than an inch of impact ......we aint shootin in the Super Shoot......Roger

 

[LR_Shooter]

when I switched to KG-2 I had eliminated need for fouled shot, my rifles shoot dead on center clean and after firing, so I like them clean.

 

[Johnboy]

question,,,,,,isn't or wasn't there a BR shooter how never cleaned his rifel.or did I just read something wrong.I really think I read it on this site some time back.


but like most have said,clean the rifel its something you do not want to harm.like me I have three rifels that I have put alot of money into and do not want to replace it any time soon.yes it can be a pain but your money is needed in many other places like buying bullets or powder.

or think of it this way.keeping a Lady happy keeps you happy doesn't.well keeping that rifel or all your rifels clean will do the same for ya.my rifel likes it when I clean her up.she then lets me shoot many loads up her.

 

[bozo699]

I agree ....guns shoot better with a fouled bbl.....but keeping the bbl fouled for months or years is asking for corrosion and bbl damage....I leave my hunting bbl fouled for the two weeks of hunting season ,,but if I get in the rain or snow I will clean it to get the moisture out and then re-floul it before shootin....but in reality most shots are under 200 yds and a clean bbl vs. a dirty bbl. is usually not more than an inch of impact ......we aint shootin in the Super Shoot......Roger

Spot on Roger
Wayne.

 

[jonbearman]

Roger you hit the nail on the head. And so did alot of responders.We need to put this to rest before I get on a plane and clean his guns for him,LOL

 

[Tozguy]

Lawrence,
The original poster did not say he had a chrome plated bore. It would be a surprise to me if anyone treated 'quality' guns that way so my bet is that we are talking about a low end CM factory barrel. These will start rusting very quickly if left unclean in all but the dryest of conditions. You have probably seen by now what a factory bore looks like when new. There are lots of pits and gouges that are perfect rust starters. Therefor it is far from 'safe' from a rust prevention viewpoint to leave fouling of unknown chemical composition in such a barrel. However it may be safe to shoot even if the bore is full of rust pits if that is any consolation to him.

 

[Tozguy]

Lawrence,
What you said about your Interarms not rusting sounds like you won the 'rust lottery'. You must be storing your guns in a lucky place. Just curious about why you would wait months to clean a rifle when you plan to do it eventually anyway. Do you still put it away for storage unclean and unprotected?

 

[spclark]

Well... tools last longer and perform more reliably when properly cared for.

Many competition shooters I know clean their rifles before the start and again after the season ends (gas guns get the bolts & carriers cleaned, probably the chambers too but the bores are left alone), others after every match or a weekend.

If I know it will be inconvenient for me to clean mine once I return from a range session, I at minimum try to put a wet, oiled patch down the bore to prevent issues from humidity and powder residue. I've seen rust occur - even in stainless bores - left for a time in an uncleaned state.

I paid good money for barrels that I expect to shoot better than I can on my rifles. No reason in my mind not to give them the care and attention they deserve while I'm enjoying them.

 

[PREMOD70]

This thread reminds me of a tale about a Marine recruit at Parris Island, SC that chose to disregard his rifle cleaning during the week of KP recruits pulled before graduation. When the week was over the recruit was told by the DI to present his weapon for inspection and what he presented was a fuzzy red example of a M-1. Now picture a scene in the movie Full Metal Jacket and ask the DI if you should clean your rifle; "Come here maggot......"

 

[Tozguy]

Well, today I spent about an hour cleaning the bore with BoreTech Eliminator with frequent brushing with a bronze brush. Using a borescope I could see that most of the carbon had been removed with some copper remaining in the grooves. There were no signs of corrosion, no rust, no pitting, nothing but some stubborn copper fouling in the corners of the grooves. The clean portions of the bore were in excellent condition.

LE Hanson

If that stubborn 'copper' in the corners of the grooves doesn't come out with copper solvent, maybe its not copper...just sayin'

 

[boogershooter]

Hanson's got a point though,Shoot at a coyote at 3 or 400 yards with a clean bore? ??? You may as well shoot at the ground in front of you!

 

[BigBamBoo]

I guess Zak Smith needs to be schooled in rifle maintenance....he was asked:

"Seriously zak, you don't ever clean those AIs?
Pretty much. I live in a dry climate; of course if they do get wet, I make sure they are properly dried and lubed.

The following group was shot after approx 1500 rounds and one year without cleaning the bore:

http://demigodllc.com/~zak/DigiCam/CSGW-ST10/smaller/D101_2990_img.jpg (http://demigodllc.com/~zak/DigiCam/CSGW-ST10/?small=D101_2990_img.jpg)
............... Larger version of above photo. (http://demigodllc.com/~zak/DigiCam/CSGW-ST10/?small=D101_2990_img.jpg)

A conversation of shooters at the Steel Safari down in NM last weekend revealed that regular and obsessive bore cleaning is not done by the top shooters at that match.
we're satisfied by as poorly as 1/4 MOA.

-z

 

[bozo699]

Well there you have it boys from the top shooters,.......................Throw all your cleaning stuff away it's not needed,....EVER unless it gets wet Davery25, I guess you have your answer, when you get back from the range put your rifles away until your next 4 month outing your good to go
Wayne.

 

[BigBamBoo]

Sorry Wayne..... ;D I just could not resist.

All this talk about clean rifles I had to pull out a few of mine that i do not shoot often from the safe and run some oily patches through them.
I am of the "if you shoot it, you should clean it crowd". Storing a dirty rifle is just not right for me.

Take care,Stan

 

[bozo699]

Stan,
I couldn't resist myself,.....sorry!
Wayne.

 

[bozo699]

Lawrence,
I don't disagree with you or will argue with you, I have a Savage 22-250 $379 Bi-Mart rifle that rides in my p/u year around, typical Savage rough bore and copper fouls quick and shoots in the 5/8" range at 100 yards most of the time, I clean it when I get around to it, I bought it specifically to pack and a Chance of possible theft so that's why it's a factory rifle and a cheap one to boot. I probably have 300 rounds through it and other then working up a load I have probably cleaned it three or four times in the last 4 years, but as you said this isn't a BR rifle or even my prize hunting rifle and it doesn't apply to the op's question, it's S.S so I don't worry to much about rust even though I know it can rust, I simply don't care, when I miss a coyote and I don't know why I clean and check for zero that's about it. My BR and good hunting rifles are a different story,....period!!
Wayne.

 

[Trapper243]

I hunt coyotes year round, daily, in almost all weather, and don't clean my coyote rifle until I hit 75 or 80 rounds. I keep a round count, kind of like I keep track of the milage on a car between oil changes. If it's wet I will dry the rifle out, and may run a patch or two of hoppes down the barrel, but I only clean hard at every 75 or 80 rounds. Then before working that gun again it goes to the range to check its zero ,normally one shot per yardage from 200 to 600 at 100 yard increments to make sure everything is OK. If the weather is cold the gun stays outside to prevent condensation issues , or gets set close enough to the wood stove so it gets warm enough to thoroughly dry out. It may not be the ideal cleaning regimen , but I don't know of a better way to handle cleaning a gun that needs to be shot 1 or more times a day. My other guns normally get cleaned after every shooting session. I just never trust the first shot on a clean barrel.

 

[canuck]

Kelly Bachand cleaned up at the Canadian fullbore championship in 2009.He fired a total of approx 300 shots over 3 days.He won a boat load of trophies and never cleaned once during the match.