To clean or not to clean?

[Elkeater]

Well since I live in Colorado where it's dry and I don't shoot really anything but handloads anymore I might try letting things go and not cleaning after every range session.

 

[J E Custom]

There will be many different opinions and mine is a mix of some of the previous post. Having looked down the barrel of many rifles of different materials and service with a bore scope, I have come to one conclusion.
(I don't always abide by it but I try to).

Barrels that have been properly cleaned and wiped with a non reactive oil or preservative Remain in good condition. No matter what type of material the barrel is made of it can react to any foreign/dissimilar material over time. Anything left in a barrel can react with the barrel and damage it over time.

Time and circumstance is the enemy. The longer the barrel is left un clean the greater the chance of damage. So if you clean often and properly preserve the bore, It should be fine under most/normal conditions. There are some reasons for not cleaning every time but as long as you know and except the consequences you will be ok. But neglect is the main reason for early barrel replacement.

PS: there is more to cleaning a firearm that scrubbing the bore, The entire weapon needs to be cleaned and maintained if you don't want to visit your gunsmith often.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Cuz]

After 40 years of shooting I have seen a lot of change in the products and ways we clean barrels. I have moved toward less cleaning, especially on custom barrels. I have barrels that have never had a brush through them, I use a coated rod,bore guide with a brass jag and boretech elliminator. Some barrels can go further between cleanings than others, just as some barrels will need more fouling shots to settle down.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Cuz, I might suggest that you use a Bore Tech jag instead of a brass one. The Bore Tech Eliminator will cause you a "false positive" reacting to the brass jag, meaning you will still get blue on your patches leaving you to believe the bore still has copper in it. The metal used in the bore tech jag will not react with the solvent, so your patches will come out white when all of the copper is removed from the bore.

 

[Cuz]

Your right about the jags. I have some of the bore tech jags and they are good. I use a brass slotted tip alot and there is always some blue around the brass. I need to get more of the boretech jags.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I also went from the slotted jag to the one with the point on the tip. I realized that with the slotted jag, once I pushed the patch through the barrel, I was dragging all of the crap back through the barrel again when I pulled the slotted jag out, plus crap accumulates in the chamber area. I now just push the patch through, and let it fall off into a bucket once it exits the barrel.

 

[alien308]

Most hunting style rifles don't require a significant amount of cleaning, they do get dirty and need an occasional cleaning from time to time I normally clean my rifle barrel after each shooting session and yes a slightly fouled barrel is more accurate

 

[MagnumManiac]

Looking for input on barrel cleaning. I typically been a traditional clean it after shooting pretty much everytime. Is there any advantage to leaving it dirty or is cleaning after each range session the way to go?

I shoot comp guns, previous to this as a hunter only shooter, I would clean the bore after ANY shot(s) fired and store my rifles unril the next time it was used.
After doing the same when I started comp shooting, I discovered it was not necessary and was actually detrimental to the barrel bore.
Frequent unnecesarry cleaning is actually harming your barrel, believe it or not, more barrels are damaged by cleaning rather than shooting them.
I have 3 comp barrels that can go 200-400 rounds without severe cleaning, just a couple of patches with Hoppe's Benchrest run through after a match and that's it, no brushes, no copper removing chemicals or anything and these barrels will produce less than 1/4MoA for those amount of rounds.
I only clean for copper if accuracy goes south, and only after a few comps when I check the throats for wear and elongation, which averages .020" every 400 rounds or so in 416 stainless barrels.

So, my advice is clean only as needed, if you fire a few shots hunting you can leave it as is, only clean when accuracy drops off, if you hunt in the rain WITHOUT electrical tape over the muzzle or you have a mishap and get dirt or other foreign matter in the bore and don't worry about copper streaks in your bore, carbon fouling is what causes the most damage as it is erosive as it travels down the bore.

Cheers.

 

[Reload10]

My philosophy is to clean as little as possible while maintaining maximum performance. I'll generally establish a specific cleaning routine for each firearm based on its particular characteristics. Intervals are usually based on a determined shot count, or if subjected to poor conditions(moisture, dirt, etc) I will be pre-emptive when figuring out shot count and not wait until accuracy or operation deteriorates.

I follow this procedure as well. Bench guns I don't clean until I feel accuracy is off. Hunting rifles get cleaned after every trip since I'm in dirt, dust, and moisture.

 

[Broken arrow]

I clean my rifle several times during the barrel breakin process. Once the barrel has 20-40 shots through it I clean it only after the season goes out.

 

[WildWestNM]

Ohhh cleaning. In the past I was all about cleaning guns after every use because that is what my dad taught me to do. Now, it's different. I clean some guns after each use and some guns I haven't cleaned for a year. I think semi-autos need more attention, however, I've seen guys who just put more oil on their AR and it still runs. My self defense pistols and AR's get, bare minimum, wiped down well and oiled after every use but usually a good cleaning. My bolt guns get cleaned about once a year. Which is sufficient because they get maybe 150ish rounds per year, if they're lucky. So I think it's a lot of perspective, if I were a serious competition shooter then that may change my cleaning habits but for just shooting paper and steel and a cow elk each winter, my cleaning process is sufficient.

 

[Joefrazell]

Cleaning more has the potential to do more damage then good and isn't necessary. I clean my bolt guns around every 100 rnds through them which is about every 3 months as of late. Also will clean after a hard hunt

 

[desertcj]

I have an honest question for the guys that dont clean "Until accuracy goes South". How do you know that your not going to find out your accuracy is degrading on that 700 yard shot at a trophy animal? That would be unlucky. I usually like to have a little more control over things that I can directly affect than "Guess I'll wait and see what happens".

 

[J E Custom]

As stated early in this post, I have replaced many barrels after looking at them with a bore scope for many reasons. Use and abuse has always been the reason. Cleaning and maintaining has not been the cause of a single barrel being replaced.

The only thing that I have seen that damaged the barrel to any noticeable amount was cleaning from the muzzle end. Even though this showed wear signs, it still did not appear to hurt accuracy, just the looks of the crown. The other cause of damage from cleaning is improper use of bore solvents.

I am no different than anyone else and occasionally leave a weapon un clean. Knowing that it does/can reduce barrel life It soon begins to worry me and I have to clean it SOON.

Everyone has there own Ideas about cleaning, and I don't try to change
that. But it is funny that I never see or work on a clean well maintained rifle until it is worn out and needs a barrel or parts replacement.

To clean or not to clean is your choice, It's your weapon.

Just my opinion and experience working on firearms.

J E CUSTOM