P-32
Member
Out west where it's dry not so much. Back east where it is wet, after every trip to the range. Burned powder draws in water which willl get to your bore.
Precision rifle - cleaning frequency
- Thread starter coloradokevin
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BikerRN
member
For me it depends on the firearm, and it's intended usage.
My .308 for example gets cleaned every time it's shot. My .22LR hardly ever, as it's a plinker. My Training AR, every 1,200 - 1,500 rounds or so. Depending upon the rifle, and it's use, I may or may not use a brush on it. My .308 has only seen patches down it and it gets cleaned frequently. I shot it last week and only fired four rounds before it was cleaned.
BikerRN
My .308 for example gets cleaned every time it's shot. My .22LR hardly ever, as it's a plinker. My Training AR, every 1,200 - 1,500 rounds or so. Depending upon the rifle, and it's use, I may or may not use a brush on it. My .308 has only seen patches down it and it gets cleaned frequently. I shot it last week and only fired four rounds before it was cleaned.
BikerRN
My AR I use for competition has roughly 500 rounds through it without a cleaning. I will clean it once the season is over which will put it up near 700 rounds.
PowerG
Member
For really serious paper punching maybe 15 rounds.
colorado kevin
Heres the best article I have read on the subject
http://www.americanrifleman.org/ArticlePage.aspx?id=1945&cid=6
my only caveat is that you should clean russian or berdan primed ammo pretty often. I have noticed rust even on non corrosive stuff
Heres the best article I have read on the subject
http://www.americanrifleman.org/ArticlePage.aspx?id=1945&cid=6
my only caveat is that you should clean russian or berdan primed ammo pretty often. I have noticed rust even on non corrosive stuff
Vern Humphrey
Member
Ask the gun -- if accuracy drops off a bit, clean. If not, keep shooting.
wanderinwalker
Member
Wait a minute, I'm supposed to clean my Service Rifle? Awww.... 
Seriously, I let the accuracy tell me if I need to clean a rifle barrel and how hard I have to clean it. My AR-15 Service Rifle will go a few hundred rounds accurately with nothing stronger than a patch of Butch's Bore Shine. I did give it a thorough cleaning after Camp Perry with JB Bore Paste, mostly because it's my habit to JB a bore mid-season.
As for my other rifles, I shoot them and generally clean them when they get put up, except for the .22LRs. I am borrowing a Win 52 match rifle and it takes about half a box of Wolf to settle in from a clean bore, so I know not to clean it too frequently or heavily. A patch with Hoppes is sufficient. Many of the other smallbore shooters I know don't clean very "well" or often either, though I've heard that at the top levels of the game there is a different approach.
Seriously, I let the accuracy tell me if I need to clean a rifle barrel and how hard I have to clean it. My AR-15 Service Rifle will go a few hundred rounds accurately with nothing stronger than a patch of Butch's Bore Shine. I did give it a thorough cleaning after Camp Perry with JB Bore Paste, mostly because it's my habit to JB a bore mid-season.
As for my other rifles, I shoot them and generally clean them when they get put up, except for the .22LRs. I am borrowing a Win 52 match rifle and it takes about half a box of Wolf to settle in from a clean bore, so I know not to clean it too frequently or heavily. A patch with Hoppes is sufficient. Many of the other smallbore shooters I know don't clean very "well" or often either, though I've heard that at the top levels of the game there is a different approach.
PowerG
Member
I think Vern has it right, the gun will tell you when it needs it. I'm generally not going after copper in the barrel while at the bench, but powder residue tends to open up groups, IMHO. It's also a good way to kill time and let a barrel cool. Besides, I need a good excuse to blame that .750 on, I know it couldn't be me LOL.
Inebriated
Member
I clean my guns after each use. Nothing I've got is really for precision, but I'm planning on getting into the precision shooting game soon, so that may or may not change.
sansone
Member
years ago I only cleaned the bores if I saw crud in them. I was shooting with a buddy who cleaned every 15-20 shots. Nothing fancy, just pushed a dry bronze brush through.
I asked him why he's cleaning so much and he said his groups were opening. I thought my groups were opening because I got tired (or just suck)..
Today I can tell when the bore needs a quick pass with a brush or boresnake by the groups. Some go 50 shots, some go 20 and need a quick pass. The rifle will tell you
I asked him why he's cleaning so much and he said his groups were opening. I thought my groups were opening because I got tired (or just suck)..
Today I can tell when the bore needs a quick pass with a brush or boresnake by the groups. Some go 50 shots, some go 20 and need a quick pass. The rifle will tell you
jerkface11
Member
Wow I'm surprised there's anything left of my revolvers at all.
Zak Smith
Member
I basically never clean the barrels on my AI rifles used for long-range competition.
stchman
Member
I generally clean my firearms after shooting, but I have waited up to a week to clean them.
As long as you aren't using corrosive ammo ASAP cleaning are not paramount.
As long as you aren't using corrosive ammo ASAP cleaning are not paramount.
A good barrel wont copper foul much if at all and therefore I only clean when groups open up a little. I think more gun barrels are ruined thru too much cleaning than thru too little. Smokeless powder actually protects the barrel and unless your shooting serious benchrest where a thousandth of an inch matters don't clean it unless you have to. I have a 270 that went 30 years without cleaning, that was after several thousand rounds thru it!!!!! When I cleaned it it still shot the same 1" groups. Frank
OP
OP
coloradokevin
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Interesting range of answers I'm seeing here. It does seem that the trend (outside of benchresters) is that most competitive shooters go with a fairly long interval between bore cleanings.
I put another 40 rounds through my barrel this weekend at a match, and I'm probably going to try to shoot some groups in the next week or so just to see how the rifle is currently printing, as compared to what it was doing after its last cleaning.
Zak,
Have you found that this has had any impact (positive or negative) on your barrel's longevity? I imagine that you have burned out a barrel or two in your shooting career, and thought you might have some insight on that... Also, are you shooting the .260 Rem these days, like all of the other local AI owners I know?
I put another 40 rounds through my barrel this weekend at a match, and I'm probably going to try to shoot some groups in the next week or so just to see how the rifle is currently printing, as compared to what it was doing after its last cleaning.
Zak Smith said:
Zak,
Have you found that this has had any impact (positive or negative) on your barrel's longevity? I imagine that you have burned out a barrel or two in your shooting career, and thought you might have some insight on that... Also, are you shooting the .260 Rem these days, like all of the other local AI owners I know?
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Zak Smith
Member
No impact as far as I can tell.
As far as I know, I was the first guy to screw a .260 barrel on an AW in Colorado.
As far as I know, I was the first guy to screw a .260 barrel on an AW in Colorado.
Asking how often you have to clean a precision rifle is kind of a vague and broad question. What do you call a precision rifle? Something with a heavy barrel and big scope that shoots accurately when conditions are right?
I believe that you should only clean a barrel as often as it needs to be cleaned and only your barrel can tell you when. You can't just say it's time to clean the barrel just because a certain interval has been reached.
I had a Remington SPS Tactical that was a tack driver. I was amazed at how well it shot. I documented many, many .2 and .3" groups at 100 yards with it. The downside was that the barrel got fouled with copper very quickly and I had to clean it every 40 rounds or so.
The rifle that I shoot now is also a tack driver, but it has a Krieger barrel on it and it doesn't copper foul at all. I don't clean it until I start to see accuracy drop off, which is about every 300 rounds or so. I do the same with my benchrest .22, although I do brush the chamber regularly and after each card during a match.
I believe that you should only clean a barrel as often as it needs to be cleaned and only your barrel can tell you when. You can't just say it's time to clean the barrel just because a certain interval has been reached.
I had a Remington SPS Tactical that was a tack driver. I was amazed at how well it shot. I documented many, many .2 and .3" groups at 100 yards with it. The downside was that the barrel got fouled with copper very quickly and I had to clean it every 40 rounds or so.
The rifle that I shoot now is also a tack driver, but it has a Krieger barrel on it and it doesn't copper foul at all. I don't clean it until I start to see accuracy drop off, which is about every 300 rounds or so. I do the same with my benchrest .22, although I do brush the chamber regularly and after each card during a match.
sansone
Member
good post tony
chaser_2332
Member
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- Mar 22, 2009
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- 516
I try not to stick anything in my match guns that isn't a bullet, they hardly ever get cleaned. They love it dirty
My Rem 700 5-R cleaning process:
1. Shoot 60-80-rounds
2. Clean with Shooter's Choice solvent
3. Shoot 3-rounds, let cool down
4. Pack-up and head home
5. Pull rifle out next range trip and shoot .3-.5 MOA all day
I like to pre-shoot the 3 fouling rounds before heading home because my rifle loves that small amount of fouling to be baked-in/solid.
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1. Shoot 60-80-rounds
2. Clean with Shooter's Choice solvent
3. Shoot 3-rounds, let cool down
4. Pack-up and head home
5. Pull rifle out next range trip and shoot .3-.5 MOA all day
I like to pre-shoot the 3 fouling rounds before heading home because my rifle loves that small amount of fouling to be baked-in/solid.
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