GC51
Member
I clean both handguns and rifles after each use when I get back home. It's probably over-kill, but as a lad I shot a lot of black-powder and old habits die hard.
How often do you clean your rifles?
- Thread starter z7
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Apex Predator
Member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2014
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- 55
I used to clean after each trip to the range, but recently I bought a rifle that WILL NOT shoot on a clean bore. So I wipe down my rifles each time I take them out but only scrub the bore every other tip or so. All of my rifles shoot very well on a mildly dirty barrel.
toiville2feathers
Member
+1 on don't let the sun set on a dirty gun, and all safe queens get cleaned every 6 mos if they haven't been shot.
I don't break down completely because many are bedded, unless they were out in the rain, snow or mud. The barrels get cleaned and inspected with a bore scope, action get wiped down and blew out with compressed air. Bench rest guns get cleaned after each relay. When I'm hunting they get wiped down each evening.
All cleaning rods are coated or are jewel finish rods, no aluminum rods. All brushes are 100 % bronze with round ends, no cut off ends on the brushes. If you use the wrong equipment to clean you are perhaps doing more damage to the firearm than you are trying to prevent.
Case in point; the sharp shoulders on a rifling will shave of bits of aluminum and it sticks to the rifling very easy. Then when you fire a bullet down the barrel it really smears it in real good. When you use brushes and they are wound with steel wire even if its round on the end it can nick the rifling and damage it. If it steel and has been cut it can scratch the chamber and cause extraction problems and also damage the riflings pretty severally.
Am I anal, probably so, but from experience with the borescope I saw some of the problems I caused by using the wrong stuff and not cleaning soon enough. Guess I could say "been there, done that." :banghead:
I don't break down completely because many are bedded, unless they were out in the rain, snow or mud. The barrels get cleaned and inspected with a bore scope, action get wiped down and blew out with compressed air. Bench rest guns get cleaned after each relay. When I'm hunting they get wiped down each evening.
All cleaning rods are coated or are jewel finish rods, no aluminum rods. All brushes are 100 % bronze with round ends, no cut off ends on the brushes. If you use the wrong equipment to clean you are perhaps doing more damage to the firearm than you are trying to prevent.
Case in point; the sharp shoulders on a rifling will shave of bits of aluminum and it sticks to the rifling very easy. Then when you fire a bullet down the barrel it really smears it in real good. When you use brushes and they are wound with steel wire even if its round on the end it can nick the rifling and damage it. If it steel and has been cut it can scratch the chamber and cause extraction problems and also damage the riflings pretty severally.
Am I anal, probably so, but from experience with the borescope I saw some of the problems I caused by using the wrong stuff and not cleaning soon enough. Guess I could say "been there, done that." :banghead:
M1GarandDeerHunter
Member
Shoot then clean. Part of the fun really. 
I know guys who do the inverse but seem to have more problems when they need their stuff to work. I have a very large batch of worn and rusty bolt parts from AR's that were not cleaned properly, or regularly. I kept them to remind myself that cleaning pays off. The rifles were issued to state rifle team members. FWIW
I know guys who do the inverse but seem to have more problems when they need their stuff to work. I have a very large batch of worn and rusty bolt parts from AR's that were not cleaned properly, or regularly. I kept them to remind myself that cleaning pays off. The rifles were issued to state rifle team members. FWIW- Status
