To clean or not to clean 28nos

[Wyo37]

I don't clean my barrels. If I were you I wouldn't touch it.

 

[338 dude]

Was shooting my 28 nosler the other day before I leave for Montana this coming Saturday. I put 20 rounds through it and found a load that it liked pretty well. This is the first 20 rounds through it since last year. Here is the last 3 at 500 with a pretty bad mirage. How often are you guys cleaning during season ?

Unless I get into some wet conditions, or I'm going to store my rifle for an extended period of time I do not clean unless the accuracy is not there, so if you clean, be prepared to fire a few rounds to foul the barrel and be ready to hunt.

 

[VinceMule]

Shoot it until accuracy falls off, then strip the bore and start over.

This method does not always work as well as you hope. Carbon may be so hard it will never come out without 600 grit silicone carbide paste that does cut steel. I have had a bore scope since 1987.

OP, go hunt, clean very well when you get home. On a long-distance travel in the truck or air, I verify zero with one shot at 100 yards to give confidence.

 

[LaHunter]

^^^
This. Sometimes it can take a week or two or three of leaving Boretech Eliminator in the bore and scrubbing daily with nylon brushes / patches to remove 95% of the carbon in a barrel. Waiting for accuracy to degrade may be asking for trouble, you may never get all of the carbon out without an abrasive. Frank Green (Bartlein Barrels) has posted some very informative posts about barrel cleaning / maintenance on other shooting forums.

 

[sika64]

I generally leave it dirty the entire season. My worst is a Savage and it will go about 60 rounds before velocity becomes erratic ( ES will go from 10ish to over 20 fps rapidly at that point). That's when I clean it.

We don't know your round count, rifle history, and/or where a cold bore shot goes, a clean cold bore shot, etc... Only you can answer those questions.

As others have stated, if it makes you feel better, and your going to validate at your destination, go ahead and clean it.

Total round count for this year is the 20 at the range the other day, it had 25 in it last year before a very good cleaning to put away for this year. The only other rounds through it was barrel break in from builder. Not sure on cold bore shot as the last 5 rounds through it is the ammo I am now using. The last 3 shots were .65 moa with a very bad mirage at 500 yards

 

[hesse]

I would not do anything. Maybe a dry patch or two nock out the powder residue for travel

 

[marc357]

I would just swab the chamber to make sure it is clean and leave the barrel dirty. I clean the barrel every 100 to 200 rounds, or if I don't expect to shoot it for a while.
I love Wipe-Out as a barrel cleaner.

 

[Dirtrax]

Clean the chamber, dry patch, confirm zero when you get there. This works very well for me. I frequently use a jag one caliber down on the hot cartridges. 28N falls in that category. It's an absolute ****er when you push thru a patch.

 

[VinceMule]

You think that wipe out is THE cleaner, till you get a bore scope, and I do have every product they make, plastic brushes, bronze bristle brushes, Iosso, Jb, Jb bore bright, Every product that Montana Extreme makes, and on and on. I have my own rifle range and shoot rain or shine out of a heated and AC house, reloading on the spot.

Your circus, your clowns, not mine.

 

[Dirtrax]

BTW the word I used wasn't as bad as you may think. Still…

 

[marc357]

You think that wipe out is THE cleaner, till you get a bore scope, and I do have every product they make, plastic brushes, bronze bristle brushes, Iosso, Jb, Jb bore bright, Every product that Montana Extreme makes, and on and on. I have my own rifle range and shoot rain or shine out of a heated and AC house, reloading on the spot.

Your circus, your clowns, not mine.

My last .300 WinMag barrel was still shooting 3" groups at 1000 yards with 4000 rounds down the tube. All I ever cleaned it with was Wipe_Out, and a little JB Bore Paste to scrub the carbon out of the throat from time to time, then Hoppes #9 to remove the JB

Guess I was doing it wrong!

 

[Gunter337]

Was shooting my 28 nosler the other day before I leave for Montana this coming Saturday. I put 20 rounds through it and found a load that it liked pretty well. This is the first 20 rounds through it since last year. Here is the last 3 at 500 with a pretty bad mirage. How often are you guys cleaning during season ?

Like others have said - I shoot mine until you see accuracy issues. Definitely don't clean it and leave for your hunt.

 

[jjmp]

Just dry patch clean it ,then go hunt ,tape end of Muzzle to keep rain snow dirt ,out,proper clean after season.