Bore cleaning

You’re going to get about 375 different answers and somehow everyone’s going to be right… so take a little from whatever you like and roll with it. I usually get a real good clean in, shoot it 2 or 3 times, THEN proceed to zero your rifle, then shoot it. Now it totally depends on how often to clean, for instance, when I shoot my 22 creed with a can, she likes to get a cleaning ever 20-30 rounds or it’ll start to build a carbon ring. But then I’ve had rifles I haven’t cleaned in 70 rounds or so and they’re still hammers, totally gun dependent and personal opinion.


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Run a patch through it to get out any factory gunk and just shoot it. You're more likely to cause accuracy problems damaging your rifling during cleaning than glean extra accuracy from "breaking in" the barrel. Shoot it until groups start opening up then clean it.
 
I usually clean mine after every range session but left it dirty last week. I went out today and shot 800
IMG_0227.jpeg

Then went to 1000; first one hit right, gave it a cpl clicks and shot 5 more.
I think I’ll try shooting dirty and see if it repeats.

IMG_0229.jpeg
 
That is not what I expected to hear but i noticed in the past ,excluding smoke
poles,that groups got tighter the more i shot. I thought that running a dry patch after a few rounds was the norm. Thxs for the insight
 
I usually clean mine after every range session but left it dirty last week. I went out today and shot 800
View attachment 614767

Then went to 1000; first one hit right, gave it a cpl clicks and shot 5 more.
I think I’ll try shooting dirty and see if it repeats.

View attachment 614775
Hey wapati (great name btw) i saw your pics and would have sworn that was az but i see you are in Oregon .
 
When sighting in, or in a single range session, no cleaning is generally done. If you clean or not when you get home, that is a whole other thread that's been beaten to death.

Muzzleloaders or black powder cartridge arms are different animals, and do need swabbing while shooting.

Jeremy
 
Hey wapati (great name btw) i saw your pics and would have sworn that was az but i see you are in Oregon . Juniper are a blightin a lot of states i guess
I usually clean mine after every range session but left it dirty last week. I went out today and shot 800
View attachment 614767

Then went to 1000; first one hit right, gave it a cpl clicks and shot 5 more.
I think I’ll try shooting dirty and see if it repeats.

View attachment 614775
I usually clean mine after every range session but left it dirty last week. I went out today and shot 800
View attachment 614767

Then went to 1000; first one hit right, gave it a cpl clicks and shot 5 more.
I think I’ll try shooting dirty and see if it repeats.

View attachment 614775
Hey i dig your profile name i was gonna use running w beers but did not want to offend anyone. I thought from landscape that you were in az but i guess juniper infestation is prominent all over western US but thxs for your input
 
In the spring and summer. I shoot about 2000 rounds through my rifle. Go through a barrel about a year and a half.

Don’t clean my barrel but I clean my action. I shoot out to 1200- 1400 regularly.
 
on my steel barrels, about once a year ill throw a patch of G96 down the bore, let it sit for 5 mins and then a couple dry patches to follow.

Just to keep rust at bay.

A full cleaning isnt needed unless accuracy is starting to be affected
 
I don't remember the last time I've cleaned the bore of my rifle because it was dirty. I've put a patch through with a little bit of oil when I remember one has been sitting in the safe for a few years. Not sure if it's needed but feels harmless.
 
Wyoming is not a super humid state and rain is sporadic, but fall is full of scattered light rain and snow skiffs.

I bought a 20 yr old rifle that was never cleaned and lived a pampered life in a gun case behind the pickup seat. I bet it had a box or two shot through it every year max. The bore was badly pitted. Based on that I’d predict unless you live in Arizona, Texas, or Nevada not keeping the bore lightly oiled will eventually leave pits.

edit: Im not suggesting oiling the bore after sighting in, just clean it and oil the bore after the hunting season.
 
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Wyoming is not a super humid state and rain is sporadic, but fall is full of scattered light rain and snow skiffs.

I bought a 20 yr old rifle that was never cleaned and lived a pampered life in a gun case behind the pickup seat. I bet it had a box or two shot through it every year max. The bore was badly pitted. Based on that I’d predict unless you live in Arizona, Texas, or Nevada not keeping the bore lightly oiled will eventually leave pits.

edit: Im not suggesting oiling the bore after sighting in, just clean it and oil the bore after the hunting season.

1). If you keep a barrel long enough to develop rust and or pits your doing it wrong.
2). just shoot it and the pits will copper in.
 
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