Barrel Cleaning

[spradley19]

I would guess we all enjoy shooting much more than cleaning. I would like to know how many rounds some of you guys shoot through your rifles before you clean the barrel ? I try to clean every 10 to 15 rounds. Is that good/bad?...........

 

[sniperVLS]

After barrel break-in, I shoot until groups start to open which is maybe 40 rounds, and that's dependant on which rifle as well. My police barrel can take about 60 before it needs a cleaning. I don't baby it, I practice a lot and cleaning every few rounds gets in the way. If groups don't open up, I say keep shooting unless you have a really nice barrel and want to have more peace of mind by taking better care of it. The more important thing is to watch barrel heat, that's one area I don't overly abuse.

 

[Coyboy]

If you use a lapped barrel or a well broken in factory tube 10-15 rounds between cleaning is way to often. I have gone as high as 80 rounds in many factory and custom guns that were broke in, I cleaned them out of quilt not because they were losing accuracy. In my AR I have gone over 300 without cleaning. With new tubes I clean more frequent for the first 50 rounds.

 

[Budman]

Cowboy ? on storeage

Cowboy if you are going that many shoots between cleaning what are you doing between shooting sessions? Leaving the bore fouled, or running a patch with kroil or oil down till you shoot again. Given are humid weather if you are leaving the bore fouled have you noticed any problems. I just picked up a bore scope to start to watch this. I had been cleaning after every session but some guns take to many rounds to settle back in. Thanks Dave

 

[Boss Hoss]

Cleaning is a guessing game unless you have a bore scope period. may people think a tube is clean until the scope shows then the carbon and copper fouling that exists esp in rough factory tubes. Had a guy next to me at a match in Missouri last weekend that was cleaning and cleaning and finally got a patch out that was almost white. I asked if he wanted to scope it to be sure and he said it was clean so the long story short we scoped it and his jar hit the ground. Had a good carbon ring and still a lot of carbon build up at the base of the lands. He had some JB paste and went to work with it on a jag----told him that that would not get it out. Once again out with the scope and his jaw hit the ground --- let his use one of my Iosso brushes and he did it right and 5 minutes later a clean barrel!!! It was all worth it at the end of the matches and I got my certificate and was walking back to my truck to drive back to Texas he stuck his hand out and said" I really thank you for taking the time to show me what you did"!


The advantage to having a BS is that you know how much and what type of cleaning to do. Best equipment investment that I have made in this sport.

 

[Ernie]

BH,
Comments like yours have been working on me hard-I know I need to get one...

 

[Kevin Cram]

In 1000 yard benchrest at Williamsport PA most competitors would fire approxmately 5-10 rounds for sighters and 10 record rounds for a total of approximately 20 rounds at most. Almost everyone cleaned their rifles before they shot again, especially if they made the shoot off. Then came the 6.5-.284 which seems to like to shoot dirty. I go 100 rounds before pushing anything down the barrel, and only clean then because I feel guilty it's dirty. Once I clean though it takes about 10 fouler rounds to get it to settle in, then it's good to go, even from a cold bore. All my other calibers I try not to go more than 20-25 rounds between cleaning, and like Sniper said watch the heat build up.

 

[Coyboy]

budman, I usually clean any gun that is going into storage for more than a month. If I'm activly shooting, like during fall hunting season, I may or may not clean until season is over which may be a span of 2 months. During the season I usually shoot a dozen rounds a week at targets and game. If the gun gets wet or really dusty, I wipe it down run some dry patches through the bore then one kroil patch. I then shoot 2 to refoul before I will shoot at fur.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

When you guys say you "clean" after every session, do you clean completely, or just run a couple patches with your solvent of choice down it until patches come out clean? I don't like wasting shots on getting my bore fouled, just wondered if maybe "half-cleaning" would keep my barrel relatively clean, but cut down on the fouling time.

 

[Boss Hoss]

I always clean all of my tubes down to the bare metal (then oiled) even on my hunting rifles. That being said all of my rifles do not really change poi when they are clean so I do not really give it much thought. The rifles in my safe only contain a handful of factory ones and two of those need to be fouled prior to going in the field but are not shot very much.

 

[J E Custom]

During hunting season I will clean real good before the start and
check zero.s by shooting a fowling shot then a follow up 3 shot group

If everything is ok then I clean and fire another fowling shot and then
pull a bore snake through just to remove the powder fowling and I,m
ready to go hunting.

Then for the rest of the season after each shot I use the bore snake
to keep the bore free of powder fowling. "Note" these are stainless
barrels , on chrome moly barrels I keep them oiled and dry patch just
before I go hunting.

As Boss hoss said some barrels don't need a fowling shot but you have
to no which ones. So go to the range and test the rifle to see what
process/Procedure you should use.

As for how many shots before a bare metal cleaning ,each barrel is different.
Some like a certain amount of copper fowling (Seasoning) and shoot better
with a light cleaning but most of the custom barrels shoot there best clean.

J E CUSTOM

 

[squirrelduster]

Bore Brushing--How Much is Too Much?
Here is a link to an article on 6mmbr. The concensus is - there is none.
Very good article from some really good shooters interviewed. Seems that the majority of the shooters agree that we clean too aggressively and too often.
I have noticed that my 300 mag fouls REALLY bad. If I shoot 3 rounds it takes 2 days to get the coper out. It is a Shilen cm barrels and shoots really good (.380) for 12 to 15 rounds then falls apart. My Hart 6mmbr can shoot a 100 rounds and cleans out with 3 shooters choice patches.
The 100 to 200 yard match guys clean more and the barrels last for fewer shots.
It seems to be barrel specific as to what works best. I clean until the patch is clean. I don't know if that is the way to go but it works for me.

 

[huntinco]

BH, Tell me more about Iosso brushes

 

[sniperVLS]

BH, Tell me more about Iosso brushes

I have the Iosso paste but never heard of the brushes until Boss Hoss mentioned them. Did a search and all the websites I frequent carry them so I ordered a couple. Always willing to try something new Thanks Hoss

this will lead you to Iossos brush page..
iosso.com: ELIMINATOR BORE BRUSHES