For those who NEVER clean their bore, or almost never

[J E Custom]

23,000 rounds? What cartridge?

308 Win

J E CUSTOM

 

[Tac-O]

My 7RM at a fouling session and to determine POI prior to my deer hunt. 3 shots only. Squeeky clean bore. Krieger stainless barrel. 200 yards. First shot out of group, next two touching.
This rifle at 20 rounds will begin to open up groups slightly.
I clean regularly down to bare metal. Picture is rotated 90° CW. Sorry...
When I hear discussion of 20 to 50 rounds needed to get accuracy back, my engineering mind thinks the bore of that rifle needs to be coked and smoothed with round after round to get the barrel smoothed and symmetry back just to get some normalcy on a target.
Why did my barrel do it in one fouler then? Are these high fouler barrels exhibiting a poor condition of manufacturing or worn excessively.....
I was monitoring with a borescope on the 280AI in the chamber and barrel for carbon ring, etc. At about round 30 I noticed the carbon ring was beginning to get the peaks of carbon flattened by the bullet, and the surrounding carbon voids were starting to fill in. That was enough for me to say the experiment was over and cleaning was past due.
Lastly, my lazy son in law, with no more than 100 rounds since last cleaned, his 243 had a terrible carbon ring. When he switched to factory ammo from our reloads he told me before he blew the two primers, the bolt was heavy on closing. So, a slightly longer case trim from the factory pinched that case mouse and he went WAAAY over pressure and completely destroyed both cases and a miracle we got the bolt opened twice.
I clean everything I own repeatedly after hunting season or after testing. For a lot of reasons....
All my rifles only need one fouler to get in the group.
I'm in JE Customs and Alex Wheelers camp, and I just hunt. I don't compete.

Thanks for sharing. The story on the 243 is just the kind of experiences I want recorded here!

Although, I hope you don't call your son in law lazy just because he doesn't clean his rifle. I'm far from lazy, but haven't done it for 175 rounds

 

[ButterBean]

This statement is the truth, "Clean patches are not an indicator that hard carbon deposits are not present."

First thing you learn when you get a bore scope is just how true the above statement is....humbling to say the least. At this moment, your education in bore cleaning begins. Lots of ways to skin a cat.

As carbon becomes super cooked from heat, a patch and solvent will not touch it, patch will show clean when pushed out the muzzle, even with tight fitting punch type jags.

"A good jig and a tight patch will tell you a bunch if you pay attention"
I didn't say anything about a clean patch

 

[Buzzsaw]

to each his own

 

[Bob Wright]

Thanks for sharing. The story on the 243 is just the kind of experiences I want recorded here!

Although, I hope you don't call your son in law lazy just because he doesn't clean his rifle. I'm far from lazy, but haven't done it for 175 rounds

He told me he was lazy because he was terrible at cleaning. He just wet patched the bore and called it good.
Without brushing and using any of the plethora of cleaning materials we have today, his carbon ring became a monster. Every rifle barrel is different. But his went from good to dangerous in about 100 rounds.
For all those that don't clean or clean within some round count, I simply don't know how it works for them, consistently. Apparently it does. They're still contributing their experiences here. I have no argument with any claims.
It's just not my approach.

 

[Tac-O]

He told me he was lazy because he was terrible at cleaning. He just wet patched the bore and called it good.
Without brushing and using any of the plethora of cleaning materials we have today, his carbon ring became a monster. Every rifle barrel is different. But his went from good to dangerous in about 100 rounds.
For all those that don't clean or clean within some round count, I simply don't know how it works for them, consistently. Apparently it does. They're still contributing their experiences here. I have no argument with any claims.
It's just not my approach.

I don't know how it works out for them consistently either. It's got to be a something to do with the powder/powder burn.

I need to find the best carbon dissolver to prevent what happened with your son in laws' 243. I always clean out the chamber and start of the throat with crc sp350 or hoppes on an oversized tight patch, but I doubt it's doing much. I may pick up a bottle of bore tech c4 today, but $13 for 4oz is steep. Then there's carburetor cleaner, but that stuff is pretty toxic

 

[Weatherby Fan]

A new build I clean first before going to the range then between the first 3 shots then every 3 shot group for 5 groups, then I let the rifle tell me what it likes, if its a hunting rifle I just clean at the end of hunting season and into the safe it goes,

My gunsmith is adamant that you must get the carbon out of a new barrel so the carbon doesn't harden and score the barrel until its broken in.

With that being said after owning about 300 rifles and building about 50 custom rifles every barrel is different, some barrels foul/copper quickly and some hardly copper foul at all, I have a Weatherby Mark V ULW (factory barrel) that after I clean it the groups open up to about 2" and after a cpl 3 shot groups it tightens up to a consistent 1/2" group.

I have a 280AI built on a #2 fluted Benchmark and nothing changes whether its clean or dirty it shoots the same .4" groups.

So again you really need to let the barrel tell you what it likes, if it shoots well dirty leave it alone until accuracy falls off.

 

[Tikkamike]

I clean initially but have found I only clean when accuracy falls off or when it's been so long I feel bad so I clean it just because it seems like I should

 

[blueprairiedog]

I don't know how it works out for them consistently either. It's got to be a something to do with the powder/powder burn.

I need to find the best carbon dissolver to prevent what happened with your son in laws' 243. I always clean out the chamber and start of the throat with crc sp350 or hoppes on an oversized tight patch, but I doubt it's doing much. I may pick up a bottle of bore tech c4 today, but $13 for 4oz is steep. Then there's carburetor cleaner, but that stuff is pretty toxic

Gm top engine cleaner check out accurate shooter

 

[blueprairiedog]

Gm top engine cleaner check out accurate shooter

Don't leave it in to long according to gm it will crystallized we leave it in engines about 3 hours but I get it out of my barrel with in 15 minutes

 

[Buzzsaw]

I have had great luck with the "Thorough Flush" system Bullet Central sells. I thought my rifle was clean till I used these two chemicals as directed.

 

[CTK]

I need reccomendation on new cleaning solvents. I have been using Bore Tech products. Any residual left anywhere of this stuff gets really gummy. I want to try something different.

 

[Bob Wright]

I need reccomendation on new cleaning solvents. I have been using Bore Tech products. Any residual left anywhere of this stuff gets really gummy. I want to try something different.

I use Accelerator and Wipeout foam. It gets to work pretty fast. I'll remove both of those products with patch then scrub with hoppes to clean up the remaining carbon from the neck to the muzzle. I use a 30 cal plastic brush in a .284 dia. bore. Stainless barrels clean up fast.

 

[7stw]

Who's JOC?

That would be the one, the only, Jack O'Connor. Probably one of the most influential. 270 shooters out there. Opinionated, but on spot in his day.