To clean your gun or not to clean your gun-thats my question

[Matt Bastian]

What GlennL noted....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Great topic. I grew up in the 50's - and it was clean after ever use. With today's powders - not so much. for Hunting - I would be concerned with first shot accuracy - as sometimes - that's all ye get. !! L(

The propellant don't concern me as much as the gilding metal transfer to the rifling. Every tube is different, some build copper faster than others and the only way to really know is with a borescope. I just happen to use a Gradient Lens scope because I use it in the shop for other tasks but irregardless, a bore scope is a necessary tool if you want to shoot consitently well and want your tubes to last. Kind of like case annealing. not everyone has the equipment but once you have it, you'll use it and use it a lot.

 

[Core781]

When I did my professional hunters training with the late Ian Goss (then President of the PHASA, the Professional Hunters Association of Southern Africa), this same question was raised.

Ian was quite unequivocal in his advice: Out of season, clean your rifle/s as often as you like. However, at the start of hunting season, clean your rifle once sighted in. Then, after reaching your hunting destination, check your zero and then hunt. DO NOT clean your rifle once sighted in, especially not until the end of hunting season! If your rifle is shooting where it should, leave it alone until you've dropped your last animal.

Does this mean you'll be fouling your barrel over the season? Probably not.

In a favourable season, I may take between 15 to 20+ animals over three to five separate hunts. I'll generally expend one round per animal, sometimes two if the animal is obstinate or doesn't understand terminal ballistics (read less than perfect shot placement on my part!) and about three rounds to check my scope zero at the commencement of each hunt. I'm therefore looking at between 25 to 30 or so rounds fired per season, and even less per rifle if I'm shooting the diminutive springbok in the Karoo flats with one of my plains rifles; impala, warthog, kudu or gemsbok with my bush rifle or bushpig with my 45-70.

Before he passed away, Ian Goss had accumulated well over half a century of experience as a game rancher and professional hunter all over Africa and in many other parts of the world. He had hunted almost all African game species including Cape Buffalo, African Elephant, leopard, hippo and rhino. I therefore defer to his vastly greater experience and gladly follow his advice!

I shoot bulls from the bench at 50 yards, I don't clean my barrel during the season. I have to shoot a shot to warm the barrel up into the berm to start the target. I shoot lead so copper may produce different results. From what I have seen, carbon and lead are easily dealt with most modern solvents but copper is likely problematic for those shooting stainless steel barrels. The chrome lined barrels don't seem to be bothered with copper as much. I use FrogLube as a general CLP and Butch's Bore Shine for my barrels. I use Kroil and JB for lapping of new barrels only until the barrel is lapped properly. And it's FrogLube and Solvent from there on out. FrogLube solvent is also good, I use it on my pistols and carbines. I have not tested FrogLube Solvent on copper fouling in non chrome lined barrels yet, so I'll have to wait until I test it on my SPR which is copper fouled in the lapping phase at this point.

 

[RustyRick]

Well you sucked me into my story. I'm 71. I was told by old gun gurus as a kid, "don't put anything down the barrel except the bullet". I started hand loading in high school and shot lots.

So being a red neck and Canadian, when our govt. decided we needed to register our long guns, I rebelled and put them in hiding. Then things changed and registration was eliminated. So for probably 12 to 15 years i never too my guns out of storage or read gun magazines or forums.

Then with things opening I decided to get back at it I began to read forums, books etc. Now I learn there is solvents that remove both copper and lead as well as carbon.

I thought "OH NO WHAT HAVE I DONE". I imagined my beloved hunting rifle to be rusting out.

So I bought solvent to remove copper, lead, carbon and the brass brush's to go with it.

I was shocked to find no copper on the patches, no led, and very little carbon, and no rust.

So, What is the right things to do? I have no idea.

 

[Alex cooray]

I clean after every range session that exceeds30 rnds. Hopefully, I will not see the hard to remove carbon build up that many have experienced.

Yes I clean my 300 winmag after every session at the range. Now I consistently shoot a .25 moa on 3 shot group, 3 leaf clover. The best thing is to take your gun smith and have look through a borescope that will tell you the real story Good Shooting mate

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I pull a bore snake through the barrel when I'm putting the rifle back in the case to go home after shooting, grease the bolt lugs after each box of 50 rounds, and clean carbon and copper with solvents after 200 rounds. Usually. I'll never start a hunt with a "clean" barrel. Works for me.

 

[Pete Jones]

Look up and read about "copper equalibrium"

 

[J E Custom]

Hello J E ,
This answer sounds to me like you might be a politician , or you show great promise as a future politician . I AM JOKING ! I would not wish that fate on anyone .
I really enjoy your commentary on all subjects here on LRH , so please continue to PRESS ON .

DMP25-06

I knew if I stated what method I used, someone would say I was wrong and want to argue. After looking down hundreds of barrels with all degrees of care taken, and re barreled as many, I feel the way I do, and cant be swayed from how i take care of my barrels.

I have posted many times on the reason I use different methods based on use and the results on many test of each method used.

Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Roughwater]

I use bullet coatings so my regimen is different.
My 338 lapua has 500 rounds on it without cleaning with hex boron coated bullets. Shot a 1/2" minute group at 1000 yesterday.

Gohring,
I'd like to know more about using the Hex boron Nitride. Years ago I applied some to one rifle using the powder and BB's. I didn't keep up with doing it though. I'm real curious how to make it into a slurry, where to purchase, how to apply etc. I don't compete just hunt and am attemping soon to do some longer range practice sessions soon.
Thanks.

 

[Don A Parsons]

Yuppers,,, I deffinatly try not to over clean,,, Ha... To many boolitz to luanch down range when the sun is shine-ing...

Today was not that day with rolling in squalls of snow on and off throughout the day. LOL

 

[Roughwater]

I knew if I stated what method I used, someone would say I was wrong and want to argue.

I definitely don't want to argue and greatly appreciate your opinion.
I do believe that the individual's use for a rifle could certainly require different ways of cleaning and care. For my use it's mainly for hunting elk and I want that first shot to be accurate. If changing my way of cleaning will fix that then I'm a very happy camper/hunter. Maybe for me it's something as simple as Cheek weld as someone else mentioned. I don't know for sure but I'm going to try to eliminate the possibilites one at a time.

 

[dmoon]

I knew if I stated what method I used, someone would say I was wrong and want to argue. After looking down hundreds of barrels with all degrees of care taken, and re barreled as many, I feel the way I do, and cant be swayed from how i take care of my barrels.

I have posted many times on the reason I use different methods based on use and the results on many test of each method used.

Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see.

J E CUSTOM

We'll put J E!!!

 

[Dry Heat?]

I take all of my cleaning gear to the Range with me. When I finish a session with a gun, I generally clean the bore but if I'm going hunting after this Range session, I leave the bore alone and just wipe down the outside. It's dusty here in Arizona. We wipe down a lot here.

 

[tony d willIiams]

When I was young I would clean my rifle every time I used it.
I had been reading that the long range shooters/snipers would rarely clean their rifles.
With the less corrosive powders and coated bullets the bores rarely get dirty. Rifles wise, I find that pistols actions get dirty within 50 ~ 70 rounds.
I clean my 338LM in January, or if the accuracy begins to fall. It takes ten to twenty rounds before it all settles down. I do pull my bolt, clean it, oil it more often.
My other rifles I treat the same, excepting the 22LR and WMR, black powder has its issues.