Precision rifle - cleaning frequency

[coloradokevin]

So, for those of you who shoot for precision, what kind of bore cleaning interval do you use on your rifles (and do you vary that between calibers, barrel types, etc)? Also, do you do a "full" cleaning when you clean, or do you mix in "mild" cleanings along the way (like bore-snaking the gun, etc)?

I grew up under the philosophy that the "sun never sets on a dirty gun". As I've grown older I've learned that, as cool as that phrase sounds, it doesn't necessarily have to be true. I certainly clean my duty weapons after each firing, but I've been experimenting with different cleaning intervals on my bolt-action rifles, and have yet to settle on any one philosophy that I'm convinced works better than another.

Lately, I've heard three common philosophies preached among those who shoot at my range:

1) The tried and trusted clean after each shooting.

2) Clean after a set number of rounds have gone down the barrel (usually 100-300 rounds, though some preach 50 rounds or less).

3) Clean and then fire a fouling shot or two after each shooting session.


Just wondering what others have tried on their rifles, and what has worked well for you? I've stretched my latest cleaning into the 100 round range on a .308 Winchester bolt gun, and I think I'm going to clean it tonight to see what happens.

This is the longest stretch I've gone between full bore cleanings, and I was a bit hesitant to stretch it for this long. Today my groups began to open up a bit, and I'm wondering if a lack of cleaning is to blame (I might have been off today too, given that I was rushed and caffeine loaded).

Whereas I normally shoot 5-shot groups at 100 yards that land in the .3-.6 inch range, today I fired 3-shot groups due to a lack of available handloads. These three groups landed at 0.902" (called flyer), 0.692", and 0.591", and didn't look as "pretty" as the groups that normally print from this rifle. As I said, it could be that something else is to blame, but I started thinking about cleaning intervals, and thought I'd see what my friends here at THR think on this subject!

 

[gamestalker]

I clean all of my firearm after each session and some during. My high powered rilfe's get a cleaned after each 20 rounds. my wheel guns will get several hundred through them during each session before cleaning.
If I shot lead through them, which I would never do, it would be a different story though. Lead can be very distructive to forcing cones and barrels after just a few rounds. Despite what some think, lead build up happens quickly and causes much higher pressures as a result. Many firearms have died prematurely because of lead build up.

 

[caribou]

After shooing ASAP.

I hunt, so sometimes its -40 and Im tired, so I boil water and scrub, then oil and wipe, when Im home, I detail strip and go every possible part.

 

[sansone]

bench shooting for load development I clean after 2-3 shots to eliminate that variable.
With already established load, practice shooting, I don't clean until groups open up(15rds)
At home I'll inspect the bore with a light searching for copper, if none, gun goes in safe

 

[taliv]

depends entirely on what type of precision shooting you're doing.

for CMP/NRA HP, i clean my service rifle usually after camp perry and sometimes again in january.

for practical/sniper type matches, after i break the barrel in, i don't clean it again unless something goes really wrong.

if i were shooting benchrest, i might clean every 10 rounds

 

[coloradokevin]

for practical/sniper type matches, after i break the barrel in, i don't clean it again unless something goes really wrong.

Do you use this procedure on all types of barrels (Chrome lined, Chromoly, etc)?

 

[SN13]

Accuracy is a result of consistency.

I personally don't see how changing the barrel's condition maintains consistency.

Are you using the gun for 1 shot at a deer, or are you shooting 100 rounds in the field between trips home?

If it's the first, then keep the barrel in the condition you Zero. If you zero on a spotless, dry, cold bore, then make sure your gun reflects the zero. If you Zero on a dirty, fouled, cold bore, then don't clean it.

If it's the second, and you're going to shoot 100 or 1000 rounds between chances to clean, i say Don't clean it. Foul it to hell and then work a load up while it's dirty and leave it dirty.

Consistency > Clean

 

[Zerodefect]

I clean gently with only a cloth patch after each range trip. I don't like having dirty guns in the house.

I only clean my guns with bore solvents and brushes as needed. When the accuracy degrades or the bore is getting fouled with lead and needs cleaned to prevent overpressure.

No need for intense cleaning often. Just a wet patch usually after squirting some CLP down the barrel. I avoid brushes as much as reasonably possible.

Zeroing?
1.)I'll shoot as many rounds when zeroing so that my bore is not oily when I arrive at my final zero.

2.)I usually shoot a similar amount of rounds before any kind of competition anyways.

3.) I go back to the range and shoot with an oily clean barrel and compare to the previous weeks zero. Usually it isn't much different.

It's good to know how much exactly your zero changes oily vs clean dry vs dirty. Hot vs cold. Etc. Etc.

 

[sansone]

I have seen loose/sloppy bores tighten-up groups when dirty, but this is not the norm.
Generally you will see groups open-up when the lands foul with copper. Specific cleaning liquids which are designed for copper removal are required if you see copper. Look close with a light, some bores are copper mines

 

[Powderman]

Coloradokevin, are you talking about a duty rifle?

I am in the same situation as you. Here's how I address it.

For my "fun guns", I clean right after shooting, at the bench.

For the duty rifle/precision rifle:

1. At the range, I obtain my cold bore shot, take down that target with data, enter notations in the data book, and file it away.

2. Next, a 3 round group; same results.

3. Then comes whatever amount I'm shooting for the day.

When I finish, I then clean the bore like this: First, a patch soaked in Hoppe's from chamber to muzzle, then remove. Patch out once. Then, a phosphor bronze brush soaked in Hoppe's for about 10 strokes, from the chamber with bore guide. Patch dry. One patch with Kroil, to remove the Hoppe's; another dry patch.

Next comes treatment with Sweet's 7.62 on a bore mop. I usually go through two complete cycles with Sweet's, following the instructions on the bottle. I patch dry, and then do another Kroil patch to neutralize the Sweet's. One more patch with Hoppe's, and then I patch until NO color comes out on the patches.

I let a total time of 1 hour elapse for cleaning after I fire my last practice shot.

Then, I take a cold, clean bore shot, and record the result.

Last thing is to put 5 rounds through the rifle; it then gets cased up and put away.

Hope all that helps!

 

[Zerodefect]

Is a SS bore supposed to be perfectly silver ever?

Even after a good bore scrub with solvent I still see copper colored streaks in the barrel. How clean deos a barrel have to be? (Not that I'm really going to scrub my SPR with that much detail)

 

[SN13]

are required? So if I don't clean out the copper from my .270 (haven't cleaned it once since I bought it in 2009) then it won't fire?

Funny, she still shoots real dime sized groups at 100....

 

[wingman]

Basically light cleaning after range use, patch with Fp10, don't use a brush or solvents until 100 rounds. It works for me.

 

[sansone]

powderman post #10 mentions "Sweet's 7.62" which is a dedicated copper remover, a good one.
Hoppe's #9 is lousy for removing copper but a good solvent.
SN13: some guns don't foul all that much. Old bores tend to be smoother and less likely to foul. New guns tend to foul fast because they haven't had enough rounds fired to "burnish" the bore.
I tell people to do what the rifle manufacturer suggests. Most tell you to keep the bore clean until fouling eases off. A patch tells the story if you look at it.

 

[valnar]

I only clean my guns after a range session if they had 100+ or so rounds. Takes me 15-20 minutes, or more depending on if I need to let solvents soak the barrel.

I've never done a "quick" cleaning before, and honestly, I'm not even sure how to do it! For those of you who clean after only 10 rounds when doing a bench test, surely its not the same 20 minute procedure I'm doing. What are you cleaning? Just the barrel?

Edit: Apologies. I am referring to my handgun. But I'm still interested in the answer.

 

[sansone]

these bore cleaning threads and barrel break-in threads can be lots of fun, where's the popcorn..
valnar: I don't spend much time cleaning my pistol bores, I just make sure the lands don't fill with lead. My pistols don't copper foul, I don't think the bullet is moving fast enough

 

[rskent]

When I get home I run a little Kroil down the bore. A quick brush and a few patches and we’re done.

When I start seeing bad shots that I don’t think are me, I give the bore a good pasting with JB.

 

[taliv]

Do you use this procedure on all types of barrels (Chrome lined, Chromoly, etc)?

my match guns only have stainless barrels.

 

[blue_ridge]

Butch's Bore Shine using patches and brush method as described right on the back of the bottle. Always use a bore guide. I clean every 100 rounds or so. If I shoot 25-50 shots and I think it may be a few weeks before I get a chance to shoot again, I clean it. No point in having bore fouling compounds sitting in the barrel unattended for weeks. then one patch of Butch's bore conditioner before I put it away.

 

[dubbleA]

I dont have any precision rifles but if I did I would let the rifle's accuracy dictate the cleaning regimen.

Some examples might be.......

after 650ish rds a rifles known accuracy noticeably deteriorates or possibly after 50 or so rounds the same thing happens in another precision rifle. There is nothing set in stone, each barrel has it's own personality, your milage will vary....................

 

[Strykervet]

are required? So if I don't clean out the copper from my .270 (haven't cleaned it once since I bought it in 2009) then it won't fire?

Funny, she still shoots real dime sized groups at 100....

NICE GROUP!

I only clean after the range. I'd only clean during if the action got dirty... Like shooting an army spendex, cleaned several times a day then. Or if there was a problem.

Bench shooter may clean more often, I don't know, never been in that crowd. For NM courses, you don't shoot enough to gum the action of an AR. Long range shooting is in general slower, so it is hard to shoot enough to warrant cleaning.

 

[Strykervet]

Oh yeah, I do use Sweet's after several hundred or a thousand rounds or so. If you see blue/green gunk coming out, then it's working. I know a lot of people that don't worry about this though.

It seems to me, if you worry about leading, then you should worry about copper. True, the copper won't build up that fast to dangerous levels, but if lead buildup will affect accuracy at distance, then the copper would too, it'd just take longer.

You really can't see the copper either. The bore will just look shiny like it does after you clean it normally. It isn't until you run the Sweets down the bore and let that sit for a bit that you see just how much stuff really is in there.

Careful using it, a little goes a long way, and make sure to clean it all off when through. Can't use it on certain materials either, it is super strong ammonia. I have the original bottle I bought back in '03. But if you use that on ocassion, you can get away with using just CLP and/or the plain Hoppes the rest of the time. Then I lube with TW25B oil or grease, depending.

A bolt action needs less attention though. An AR gets infintely more nasty with much less shooting, especially the chamber and breech. Can't clean that without getting stuff in the barrel, so they kind of go together.

I knew a guy that had a 10/22 when I was young (well, I knew a few, me included) but this guy NEVER cleaned it. EVER. I did it for him one day, and I was shocked at how much gunk came out. It had to be a pound lighter. Was probably dangerous to shoot until then too, the bore actually looked obstructed and you couldn't see the rifling, but it worked.

I probably clean more than I need to, but not the stupid army white glove trash. It needs to be clean, but it needn't be ridiculous. Plus, if you stay on top of cleaning your barrel, your groups should stay more consistent over time and it makes it easier the next time too.

 

[okiewita40]

I guess I am just set in what I learned in the corps. No matter how much I shoot. I clean the weapon completely once a day for the next 3 days. I have just basic supplies. A cleaning kit, Hoppes #9, Breakfree CLP and remoil.

 

[FlyinBryan]

i ONLY clean with hoppes.

every few hundred rounds.

 

[451 Detonics]

Most of my guns get cleaned when I get around to it...maybe once a year. My 22 CHeetah get the bore cleaned every 5 rounds then cleaned and a fouling shot last thing. Once a year or about every 50 rounds it gets put on the Outers Foul Out to pull copper fouling.