Barrel Cleaning

[Lawnboi]

Your gun will tell you when to clean, and every gun is a different collection of chamber size, bullet, powder, barrel condition, etc.

Tight chambers don’t have as much physical room or clearance for carbon to build up - an old factory chamber will shoot many hundreds or thousands of rounds and probably not cause problems. I love buying newish Christensen Arms barrels that guys pull off because they don’t want to clean and the built up carbon screws with their accuracy - the snug chamber contributes to good accuracy, but they have to be cleaned.

Those statistically significant groups you guys claim to shoot all the time will start to go to hell and that’s your clue it’s time.

It’s easier to clean more often and not wait until it only shoots 2 moa right before a hunt and none of the crappy solvents you have will remove the stubborn carbon ring. It’s also easier to use a cheap borescope to see if your cleaning has actually removed the carbon - you don’t even need to buy it, just make friends with someone who has one.

I think the resistance to cleaning comes from elaborate directions and thoughts of lots of unneeded elbow grease. Just soak a patch and run it through.

I have a plastic set of $10 magnetic jaws that go in the vice in the garage that clamp the barrel - insert a simple bore guide, grab the cleaning rod and put on the correct size plastic brush to hold a patch, use a medicine dropper to add a squirt of solvent to the patch, run it down the bore and let it drop out the end. Done. Wait 5 minutes and repeat until very little green comes out. Run two dry patches and bore scope it. If theres a carbon ring that hasn’t come out just keep repeating, maybe run a brass brush each cycle if you have to, or change to a better solvent. When you’re finished, run two well oiled patches then two dry patches, make sure to wipe anything out of the chamber and you’re done.

It literally takes longer to type this than clean a rifle. Having a can doesn’t matter - the patches just go one way.

Even the carbon ring in this photo doesn’t look large enough to actually contact the bullet, but it might.

View attachment 651917

Correct me if I’m wrong, but what im looking at dosnt seem to be what I have understood what a carbon ring is. To me the carbon in the photo looks to be in the neck portion of the chamber, not the freebore where bullet contact may happen.

That carbon can be a pain to get out as well. And can cause issues if you let your brass grow

 

[TaperPin]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but what im looking at dosnt seem to be what I have understood what a carbon ring is. To me the carbon in the photo looks to be in the neck portion of the chamber, not the freebore where bullet contact may happen.

That carbon can be a pain to get out as well. And can cause issues if you let your brass grow

You are right, the detrimental carbon is only that which can touch the bullet or interfere with the release of the bullet from the case neck. Before the barrel was cleaned, the carbon in that picture probably did extent up the throat a bit.

 

[wind gypsy]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but what im looking at dosnt seem to be what I have understood what a carbon ring is. To me the carbon in the photo looks to be in the neck portion of the chamber, not the freebore where bullet contact may happen.

That carbon can be a pain to get out as well. And can cause issues if you let your brass grow

Seems everyone has their own definitions but bulding up at neck/throat transition has to be the most common.

 

[Lawnboi]

I wish I knew the answer. I have gone full circle on this.

Started cleaning like traditionally said, with traditional chemicals and bore snake.

Rokslide told me not to clean so I didn’t. Had issues with a few barrels.

Now I’m somewhere in the middle. I do clean, but cannot put my finger on when or why. I do own a bore scope, and don’t clean to bare metal. I keep a close eye on the first 2” of barrel and that pretty much tells me when I feel the time is, or an acceptable interval.

I will say cleaning without bore scope is pretty much a waste of time.

I also don’t clean like benchrest/f class. I run a wet patch of bore tech eliminator, and jam another wet patch on a brush in the neck and freebore and let it sit for a day. Clean that out and repeat if needed. Patch dry, clean chamber and go shoot.

I clean my suppressors every once in a while too.

I’m trying to clean as minimally as I can. Iv had exactly one barrel go to absolute crap from not cleaning, and I don’t want that to happen again. My rifles I do clean I don’t see changing, so maybe I’m doing something right.

 

[Doc Holliday]

New Rifle (less than 100 rounds):

-After each range session.

All other Rifles:

-After getting home from a hunt where there has been considerable moisture.
-After the next to last range session prior to going on a hunt.

On average for all my rifles, less than once per year.

 

[Southern Lights]

I don't clean any barrel unless the rifle has started shooting poorly and nothing obvious has changed. I'll clean the action periodically, but again don't go overboard.

If the rifle is being stored for a while, I may think of cleaning it or running a wet patch down it.

I have rifles that have shot thousands and thousands of rounds that have never had the barrel cleaned. I won't clean them either unless I'm troubleshooting some kind of accuracy issue.

I spoke with a barrel maker once that said he's seen more barrels ruined by over cleaning than by not cleaning.

 

[Lawnboi]

I also see a big difference in what’s ding said between cleaning and corrosion protection.

I do occasionally run an oil patch down the bore and swab the chamber, depending on conditions and if I’m storing the rifle for a while. I don’t consider that cleaning.

 

[Roadrunner1]

I clean my rifle barrels after every range session or hunt regardless if I shot few rounds or many. Just my preference

 

[K9kodi]

Reviving an old thread bc I had curiosities.
What is everyone’s definition of cleaning.

-a brush and solvent
-a patch and oil
-removing any and all debris/contamination/lead/copper/carbon
-remove barrel
And dump in a tank
-and so on

 

[Darkone1221]

New Rifle (less than 100 rounds):

-After each range session.

All other Rifles:

-After getting home from a hunt where there has been considerable moisture.
-After the next to last range session prior to going on a hunt.

On average for all my rifles, less than once per year.

I think for a generalized statement, I agree with this most. Of course some guns I have like to be clean, some prefer to shoot dirty. Entirely situational. Mostly just pick a schedule based on when accuracy decreases, but I have a ritual for new barrels and try to keep them clean until about 100 rounds, and it seems to work out good.


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[K9kodi]

Right, but then we go to what’s your standard of “clean”.
Is it getting back to as close to naked metal as possible, or just a few patches?

 

[Darkone1221]

Right, but then we go to what’s your standard of “clean”.
Is it getting back to as close to naked metal as possible, or just a few patches?

-Removal of carbon ring, carbon in barrel,
-Removal of as much copper as reasonable possible
-Clean brass off bolt face, clean receiver lug recess (usually left over lug grease and carbon), clean chamber/neck/throat (remove loose debris and carbon)
- disassemble bolt, wipe away dirty grease, apply fresh grease to cocking mechanism
-wipe down disarm in general, get rid of any dirt, dust, moisture
- and if I’m storing the firearm I will put some lubricant on a patch and then send a dry patch through after

That’s what I do for my thorough clean. Usually only do this on new rifles for the first 3 outings or after a notable decrease in accuracy on broken in firearms


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[K9kodi]

Why on new riffles, 3 sessions, why not just one after purchase. No judging, just curious

 

[Nick4050]

Hunting rifle barrels get cleaned at the end of the season, to get rid of any moisture, debris, etc. from being in the field. Then I make sure to shoot it plenty during the offseason for practice, which also ensures the barrel is fouled back up for the next hunt.

Range toy barrels get cleaned when I start to notice a decrease in accuracy, or if I start to feel a buildup in the chamber when chambering/extracting rounds. I have noticed that this tends to happen quicker on suppressed setups.

 

[Nick4050]

Reviving an old thread bc I had curiosities.
What is everyone’s definition of cleaning.

-a brush and solvent
-a patch and oil
-removing any and all debris/contamination/lead/copper/carbon
-remove barrel
And dump in a tank
-and so on

For me, its 2 wet patches w/ Hoppes, nylon brush for 10 strokes, wet patch, brush 10 strokes, then dry patches until they come out reasonably clean. If I'm not going to be shooting the rifle for awhile ill do a patch with light oil. I haven't played with carbon rings yet, the more I hear about them the more I think I need to start.

 

[Darkone1221]

Why on new riffles, 3 sessions, why not just one after purchase. No judging, just curious

Because on my new rifles I use jb bore paste and bore polish. It’s a process my gunsmith put me on. About 3 sessions gets it to where they shoot well for a long time ( PRC cartridges tend to be picky due to the tight neck tolerances), clean up super easy, and resist fouling for longer. I do not go to town on a brand new barrel. I usually do some shooting followed with light sessions. Some people avoid bore paste like the plague, and personally, I check my bore with my borescope any time I use it and have had great luck with it. Gets rid of tight spots in the bore and cleans things up. Hand lapped barrels typically don’t need it, but it does make them less prone to fouling, just like a proper break in does. I am not of the belief that the polished bores foul faster.


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[Pony Soldier]

I think a consideration is the relative humidity at where you live. At my location, I never see any rust on any metal. My daughter lives in Minnesota and talks about mold in closets. I go through all my guns once a year and clean the outside and inside and wipe them down lightly with oil on a clean rag.

I don't shoot excessively and usually clean the barrels on new years day and put them away. My major concern is for them to smoothly function. I remember one year a friend had a good shot at a bull but his rifle wouldn't fire. There was too much oil in the bolt and at -22, it was too thick for things to move.