Question about cleaning rifles

[40X Guy]

Say if you go to shoot 6-8 rounds to check zero and foul the barrel then go to a match and shoot anywhere from 18-30 rounds are you guys cleaning after that interim of shots? Or are some of you cleaning after 60-80 shots? I guess what i am trying to ask is I think I have been guilty of over cleaning in the past and can it hurt just putting the rifle back in safe after say 20-40 rounds without cleaning? I am just looking for a general consensus on how members are treating their rifles after each time taken out and fired. I do have a borescope and that has helped me from going the over cleaning route, but just curious how guys are treating their good shooters. 2 years ago I would clean my rifles after only a few shots and felt real guilty if i put in safe overnight without cleaning. Sure i understand that some may clean only when accuracy falls off but i am basically trying to find a perfect balance?! Thanks in advance.

Frank

 

[WyleWD]

Hi Frank. Based on my experience I dunno if there is a right or wrong way. I have 2 rifles that are just starting to shoot well after 8-10 rounds of fouling, and can still be competitive after 60 rounds with no cleaning. I have another that I habitually clean before each match and foul the barrel till it comes back in... which is usually 4-6 shots and it is good to go for easily 50 shots after that. And I have another that I clean before a match, foul the barrel with 3-4 shots and it is good out to about 40 shots and it is still competitive.

On a stainless barrel or a steel barrel, I never clean and let it set. As soon as it is cleaned.... I foul the barrel..... usually just before a match. Reason is simple, if you happen to miss getting some cleaner out of the chamber or locking area then it goes back into the action.... I don't perceive that to be a good thing... and a worse situation than leaving a dab of copper in the barrel for a month or so.

So in short, I think it depends on your rifle.... how long will it continue to shoot the groups you're looking for and what YOU are comfortable with. WD

 

[357Mag]

40X -

Howdy !

IMHO.. some of this depends on your shooting discipline. If you're shooting benchrest, and can shoot all the foulers you have time to; then you'll probably also clean just as-often-as you care to; relay time permitting.

Many shooters have a know/proven point or number of shots taken; where they know accuracy will fall off. Especially, in some hyper-accuracy applications. For those shooters, it becomes important to not exceed that threshold by too many additional shots; especially when
doing so affects their scores/groups negatively. So.. rules and relays permittting; they'll probably clean the gun; to avoid the potential negative effects of shooting a more & more cruddy barrel.

In the local-type matches I have gone to recently, you were allowed one fouler; then alternately put 3ea 5-shot groups downrange at 3 seperate distances. This worked out great for me, as my wildcat 6mm-chambered custom barrel starts to show degraded accuracy at around the 17 shot point. And, I only needed 15 + one fouler. In this scenario, I don't clean @ the range.

" High Power" and high-volumne shooters need a whole 'nother way of going about it.... to the point where sootiness of the powder choices under consideration; might become a reason for rejection from use. There are of course, a myriad of other considerations.

For me the bottom line is: clean when/if you want to, but..... you best know how many foulers you'll be allowed; and where any shots taken without adequate prior fouling will be likely to strike

With regards,
357Mag

 

[LHSmith]

Read Kevin Thomas' post in "Why does barrel fouling destroy accuracy" in the 6 PPC section of this site.
Yet most every Benchrest Shooter will not put a gun away without cleaning. How often they clean depends on the individual rifle and how much fouling it can tolerate before accuracy degrades. Some bullet coatings allow longer shot strings before cleaning.........with Ws2 I can go an entire match (~ 60 rounds) with both a 6mm and 30 cal.
If one uses the proper cleaning equipment, solvents, and techniques.....is over-cleaning really doing any harm? Clean to the level that gives the degree of accuracy that is acceptable to you.
I clean bench guns at the end of the match aggregate (i.e. the end of the day). For hunting guns (big game) , I take them in the field with the barrel fouled and clean at the end of the season

 

[40X Guy]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am thinking I am on the right track here lately. I have been putting my rifles back in safe after shooting 5-15 rounds and not cleaning it, but am trying to do it within 5-7 days of a match. Then I clean them upon return from match. As far as hunting rifles go I sight them in and run with them the entire season and clean after season is over as LHSmith does.

Frank

 

[Nodak7mm]

I clean bench guns at the end of the match aggregate (i.e. the end of the day). For hunting guns (big game) , I take them in the field with the barrel fouled and clean at the end of the season

Yup, +10

Rod

 

[effendude]

Listen to what the rifle tells you on the target.

I try to get 200 rounds or so out of my F-class and XC rifles before cleaning. This covers me for some foulers and a two day 176 shot match before worrying about cleaning. Most rifles will, some won't. I also try to get loads that shoot well for 22 shots in fast order, such as in a match. Not 3, not 5, not 10 but 22 shots.

Hunting rifles get cleaned at the end of the season, but honestly, I often just pull a boresnake through after the season to clean dust and dirt. You never know when the next trip will be and I want the rifle seasoned and ready!
Scott

 

[TheSnake]

Frank, let me ask a followup question if you don't mind.

Is there any proof that leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel long term will cause damage?

 

[LHSmith]

Frank, let me ask a followup question if you don't mind.

Is there any proof that leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel long term will cause damage?

Good question. I do know it is common to find rust spots in CM barrels. The instances that rust was found was having them bore scoped in an attempt to find out why they were performing poorly. Some were hunting guns, and it is possible rain / snow/dew got inside.....however some were varmint (GH) rifles which I know never saw precipitation.
Yet, I have seen bores from "backwoods-crawl through the swamp" hunters who never cleaned (I'm talking 30 or more years) that didn't have any rust in the bore once they were brought into the smith for work (usually trigger problems from dirt) and cleaned and bore scoped........which BTW, almost to a man complained afterward claimed that cleaning ruined the gun.

 

[40X Guy]

Frank, let me ask a followup question if you don't mind.

Is there any proof that leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel long term will cause damage?

Hi Snake, that is a very good question and is basically the core question of my thread, and to my limited knowledge there probably is no proof leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel will hurt things. I guess I am thinking out loud again and have too much time and funds invested in more than a few rifles that are really shooting well for me. But I am slowly learning to shoot more than 30 rounds without cleaning and also putting the rifle away with barrel fouled. I'm watching closely also as to an accuracy fall off but have yet to see it. I am going to shoot my 6BR today after a scope swap to site in after already shooting it 9 times the other day and then shoot it in a match this saturday, then I will put it away dirty and shoot it the following weekend. By then it will have about 65 shots thru it without cleaning.

I also have my .220 Swift that I broke out in April with its Broughton barrel and have 22 rounds thru it since then. I will not clean it until end of chuck season. But so far so good, rifle is still tacking them in there. Thats kind of my semi long term test bed.

Frank

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Frank, let me ask a followup question if you don't mind.

Is there any proof that leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel long term will cause damage?

Hi Snake, that is a very good question and is basically the core question of my thread, and to my limited knowledge there probably is no proof leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel will hurt things.
Frank

Isn't a rusty bore, in an otherwise spotless gun, proof enough? If the fouling isn't detrimental, the outside should be at least as bad as the bore, IMO.

 

[TheSnake]

Is there any proof that leaving powder and copper fouling in the barrel long term will cause damage?

Let me qualify this question. I am not talking about exposing the rifle to the elements (rain, snow) that would cause rust. The rifle would be placed in the safe after the shooting session where there are dehumidifiers that remove moisture. So the only thing in the barrel is powder fouling and copper and this is where my question starts.

Other comments and question:
I live in the deep south where it is hotter than heck most of the time but it's nice and cool in my home. When I step outside, my glasses fog up instantly hitting the heat. The same thing happens to the rifle barrel so I know moisture is in there at that moment but it is gone after a few minutes when the barrel heats up to 100 degrees. There are times when I grab a rifle and go outside to shoot a coyote but I don't get to take a shot because he has moved out of sight. Does that mean I should run a oiled patch down the barrel because I exposed it to the condensation?

I clean my rifles at the end of the session be it target shooting or hunting. If target shooting, that would be at the end of the day and when hunting, it's when I return home. I have friends, family and neighbors that may clean their rifles only one time per year if even that. They don't target shoot like I do, but their rifles do shoot well enough to keep them happy.

Still seeking knowledge.