When younger I was always told one should clean their rifle. When I was in the Marines there was no question about it what-so-ever. Not so long ago I read an article by a prominent rifle shooting competitor that explained why it's important to keep one's rifle barrel cleaned on a reguler basis. But most recently I'm hearing just the opposite. Some serious shooters say they don't clean their barrel for 600 rounds or more unless of course they get water or dirt ect in the barrel. How often do you clean your barrels? Thanks in advance.
I think it's important to keep them clean and well lubed. If you shoot competitively you need to clean after each match if you want optimum lifespan and results. I believe the initial cleaning/lapping/break-in whatever you want to call it is critical. After that it's not as critical unless you are copper fouling. With AR's you need to keep the BCG well lubed but the chrome lined barrels do not require as much maintenance. Bolt actions are easy once broken in, but competition/precision guns need to be prepped for your fouling shot.