Barrel Cleaning Recommendations

[rifleriley]

I have a Savage 12 for F Class Matches and I need some recommendations on cleaning my gun. From techniques to cleaning agents. I cleaned it after my first match and it was super dirty. I think I did 30+swabs of copper biofouling cream. Any tips are appreciated!

 

[_Windrider_]

I know F class shooters are way more disciplined than most tactical shooters here. I know nothing of F class so won’t give any feedback other than put “for F Class” in the title and someone when would normally ignore this might comment.

 

[VP47PPC]

I shot a couple practice matches and talked afterward with some of the shooters. I was surprised at how little they said they cleaned. I think it was clean every 500 rounds or if they felt it was needed. This has modified how I clean. I now clean my rifle after shooting local PRS style matches with about 100 rounds down the bore. I will wet patch with shooters choice and then patch it dry and then run patches with wipeout. I came across a recommendation not to mix solvents because the mixed concoction could be harmful to your bore, I don't know but there is a logic to it.
I will run 3-4 watch patches throughout then set for 5/10 min repeat several times then dry and repeat same with the second solvent after that I'll patch till dry then couple patches of Kroil sit for a bit then dry patch then gun oil patch. Randomly fell into the routine seems to work.

 

[Huskydriver]

I don't clean until the groups start opening up. I wipe the action out and the bolt down after each range trip. When I do punch the bore it's with the stuff in the link. Make sure your brush from chamber to muzzle and be careful with the muzzle crown. Use as chamber bore guide. I let the wipe out sit for a while then a couple scrubs with a brush followed by non stop patches till its clean. Then 1 last patch with some light lube for corrosion. Don't overthink it spend more time on the range shooting congrats on your first match.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/7...ss-foaming-bore-cleaning-solvent-5-oz-aerosol

 

[021411]

Shoot clean shoot clean for the first 1500 rounds.

 

[Holliday]

500 -600 rnds

 

[Mattio]

used to clean every 500 rnds... then a highly respected f-class shooter asked me if I wash my ass after I shit... now I clean the barrel after each match and/or practice round. I do use a 22 cal jag in my 6mm bore so its not super tight. Just push 3-5 soaked patches through and let sit for an hour. Then push wet patches until clean then dry patches. In my Schneider barrel, I scrub with JB every 500 rnds or so. Schneiders like to be clean.

 

[Tony1320]

I use Bore Tech c4 carbon and eliminator after every practice day on my ftr rifle. Some people don't clean until they see vertical though or just before if you keep a log

 

[Codiekfx400]

Butch’s bore shine on a patch with a jag push out muzzle remove patch and repeat until patch comes out fairly clean. Then take a brush dip it in butch’s bore shine and work the first 6 inches of the barrel near the chamber with 20-30 strokes push the brush out the muzzle and remove the brush. Then put the jag back on and push wet patches of Butch’s bore shine out the muzzle until patches come out clean. Then 2 dry patches. Then 1 patch of oil. Then one dry patch. Remove the bore guide and wrap a dry patch around the bore brush to remove any cleaner and debris that might have gotten into the chamber. This is fairly simple and works for me.

 

[223ai]

I just shoot gunslick foaming bore cleaner in the barrel when I start to see accuracy drop off. I let it sit for an hour or two, and then I run a boresnake through the bore 3-4 times and call it good. Way easier, no voo doo, and I just buy a new one when I get a new barrel. I'm too lazy for the other methods.

 

[b6graham]

200-600 rounds. depending how it groups. every session is just a waste. 100% waste. why would i waste 20 rounds fouling it back in just to go shoot maybe 100 rounds?

Boretech Eliminator. all day.

 

[Holliday]

Bore snakes are used by a lot of folks, that are a lot smarter that me. That said, they seem very harsh to me ( oh calm down! I didn’t kick your dog ?).

If you use them, and I occasionally do, my thoughts are:

• Keep them clean, in a clean ziplock, not in the bottom of your range bag collecting dirt. Wash them from time to time.
• When pulling through, be mindfull to center and not pull to one side across the muzzle.

 

[Sig Marine]

There's a forum sub-section for F-Class that would probably be a better place to ask for cleaning ideas related to this specific shooting discipline.

Here's the link: http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/forums/f-class-f-t-r-competition/

 

[MSTN]

K-G Products

 

[Holliday]

200-600 rounds. depending how it groups. every session is just a waste. 100% waste. why would i waste 20 rounds fouling it back in just to go shoot maybe 100 rounds?

Agreed.

Question: You feel it takes 20 rnds after you clean to get your barrel settled back in?

 

[b6graham]

Agreed.

Question: You feel it takes 20 rnds after you clean to get your barrel settled back in?

idk. probably closer to 5. never really checked. after cleaning i'm normally starting close and working out. so by the time im at 500y or whatever its on again

i also dont shoot groups. ever.

 

[Holliday]

idk. probably closer to 5. never really checked. after cleaning i'm normally starting close and working out. so by the time im at 500y or whatever its on again

i also dont shoot groups. ever.

Interesting. I’ve heard different numbers and always wonder what the consensus is. It seems to vary for me but latley a couple shots which makes me wonder if its just me.

I shoot groups to check my zero, fundamentals etc. Its a confidence thing for me. Then I work up to 1200 yard steel, sometimes in 25 mile cross winds here in Wyoming. Hard to get a calm day.

 

[MSTN]

After a thorough cleaning of both carbon and copper with KG Products, my Bartlein 6.5 CM barrel is 75 fps slower than before cleaning. It takes 15-20 rounds for the velocity to get back to where it was before cleaning.

Cleaning just the carbon out does not create such a velocity change for me.

Guess who now never cleans the copper out of his barrel?!?

 

[...]

used to clean every 500 rnds... then a highly respected f-class shooter asked me if I wash my ass after I shit... now I clean the barrel after each match and/or practice round. I do use a 22 cal jag in my 6mm bore so its not super tight. Just push 3-5 soaked patches through and let sit for an hour. Then push wet patches until clean then dry patches. In my Schneider barrel, I scrub with JB every 500 rnds or so. Schneiders like to be clean.

.....that is the dumbest reason for changing your cleaning regiment ive ever heard....

"do you wash your car every time you drive it?......then why clean your barrel every time you shoot it?"......see! looks like you need to stop cleaning your barrel!

any retard can come up with an analogy to convince themselves what they are doing is correct

if he gave some sort of reasoning, then fine i can understand that......but if all you are going off of is Fortune cookie wisdom.....then i dont know what to tell you

 

[Holliday]

.....that is the dumbest reason for changing your cleaning regiment ive ever heard....

"do you wash your car every time you drive it?......then why clean your barrel every time you shoot it?"......see! looks like you need to stop cleaning your barrel!

any retard can come up with an analogy to convince themselves what they are doing is correct?

if he gave some sort of reasoning, then fine i can understand that......but if all you are going off of is Fortune cookie wisdom.....then i dont know what to tell you

LOL reminds me of a lady asking me if I scoop my cat box every day. She said "how would you like to use a dirty bathroom". I said "I wouldn't- but I don't lick my asshole like my cat does either"......

 

[softcock]

I clean only after several hundred rounds shot after the barrel broke-in, and I am shooting the 'same' load powder/bullet every time I out . And then my cleaning is pretty light with a couple wet patch, with one or two brush strokes, and a couple dry patch .

But my 'superstitious' bore cleaning practice is that I will not lap over top of my chosen powder/bullet Load . I will clean the Bore after everytime I shoot a different load that has different manufactures powder and a different manufactures bullet jacket .
.

 

[Clearlight]

Google 6MMBR site, particularly ‘Jerry Tierney cleaning F Class’. Jerry was an IBM engineer and kept
meticulous records of scores in F matches, related to cleaning frequency. With accuracy and precision
as our goal, it’s best to let the barrel tell you when it wants to be cleaned .

Different powders/ loads in different calibers require different regimes. My 6.5x 47 with H4350 will go
a couple of hundred rounds before cleaning. 300 N M with H1000 or slower powder , prefers to be
cleaned at no more than 50 rounds. If you are shooting 308, you may be surprised at how infrequently
you can clean , and maintain accuracy, using Varget powder.

 

[Pvt.Donut]

Shoot the barrel with Wipe-Out, wait for however long you'd like. Punch the bore with patches until they are clean. Done.

 

[300ATT]

Cleaning the bore is over-rated but necessary once and a while. Unless you are shooting benchrest on your belly (f-class) or off a bench you do not need better than 1/2 MOA precision out of the rifle/ammo. For steel/tactical type matches you will win the match with a 1 MOA gun if you can consistently read the wind and hold 1 MOA or less - none of us can.

Spend your ammo practicing learning to read the wind and building stable positions under time pressure - not fouling the bore. If it gets to the point where your rifle/ammo can't hold 3/4 MOA then give it a cleaning and see if that helps ...

 

[300ATT]

Another thing to consider is that off-the-shelf factory barrels typically foul much harder and quicker than hand-lapped SS match barrels. YMMV

 

[300ATT]

All that being said. I do clean the bolt / action after every match or session shooting in the dirt but not the bore.

 

[Subwrx300]

Yeah F-Open, F-TR and Benchrest are their own beasts. If you shoot your barrel after cleaning and don't see any change in groups for XX rounds, I would worry to much about it other than possibly a patch or two if gun is going to sit for a month or more. But if you experience groups opening up, note the round count and clean prior to that number.

I clean maybe every 300-500 rounds but only if groups open or I don't have a match coming up.

 

[ToddKS]

My experience with factory Savage barrels is that you don't want to clean them any more often than they force you to. My Savage 12 in 308 shot much better dirty and absolutely took a full 20 rounds to settle in after a full cleaning. I cleaned that barrel maybe every 300-400 rounds tops.

 

[Bender]

Cleaning tips for rifle shooting?

Answer: it depends.

Have a great day.

 

[Holliday]

Google 6MMBR site, particularly ‘Jerry Tierney cleaning F Class’. Jerry was an IBM engineer and kept
meticulous records of scores in F matches, related to cleaning frequency. With accuracy and precision
as our goal, it’s best to let the barrel tell you when it wants to be cleaned .

Different powders/ loads in different calibers require different regimes. My 6.5x 47 with H4350 will go
a couple of hundred rounds before cleaning. 300 N M with H1000 or slower powder , prefers to be
cleaned at no more than 50 rounds. If you are shooting 308, you may be surprised at how infrequently
you can clean , and maintain accuracy, using Varget powder.

I wonder if anyone has noticed a difference shooting suppressed verses unsuppressed. I’m thinking suppressed runs dirtier.........?

 

[DellaDog]

Not F-Class, but a brush never passed through my 6.5 CM barrel for the first 1800 rounds - till a carbon ring blew my first primer and busted a Jewell trigger. Always Wiped out patched out after every session.

Since then, I’ve rethunk my cleaning discipline and use a brass brush judiciously as well.

 

[Holliday]

Not F-Class, but a brush never passed through my 6.5 CM barrel for the first 1800 rounds - till a carbon ring blew my first primer and busted a Jewell trigger. Always Wiped out patched out after every session.

Since then, I’ve rethunk my cleaning discipline and use a brass brush judiciously as well.

Ive not run onto this carbon ring yet on my centerfires. I have on my suppressed 22 (pictured). What caliber are you seeing this with?

 

[JimLee]

OP, as you can clearly see, opinions on cleaning vary greatly. You have to find one of the many methods and see how it works for you, then possibly adjust. I grew up being taught to clean every time a gun was fired, then I just stopped one day and surprisingly as I went out and fired my bolt guns they got more and more accurate the more I shot them. When they start shooting wonky I clean them as a first attempt to remedy that. You will have to find out what works for you and your rifle with a little trial and error.

 

[Holliday]

Not F-Class, but a brush never passed through my 6.5 CM barrel for the first 1800 rounds - till a carbon ring blew my first primer and busted a Jewell trigger. Always Wiped out patched out after every session.

Since then, I’ve rethunk my cleaning discipline and use a brass brush judiciously as well.

Oops , got my glasses on. 6.5 CM. Thats what I was wondering about because I just switched from .308

 

[JimLee]

Oops , got my glasses on. 6.5 CM. Thats what I was wondering about because I just switched from .308

I clean my chamber after every range session, but not my full bore, I've never gotten a carbon ring in my 6.5 and I think that may be why.

 

[Holliday]

I clean my chamber after every range session, but not my full bore, I've never gotten a carbon ring in my 6.5 and I think that may be why.

Yea well it seems like the 6.5 cm is prone to carbon rings so I’ll have to be on the lookout. I am wondering if there are other factors like powder choise etc. in play.

My .22 ruger mark II will stop going into battery around 150 rounds suppressed w/ Armscor because of the ring. It might just be the Armscor too.

 

[JimLee]

Yea well it seems like the 6.5 cm is prone to carbon rings so I’ll have to be on the lookout. I am wondering if there are other factors like powder choise etc. in play.

My .22 ruger mark II will stop going into battery around 150 rounds suppressed w/ Armscor because of the ring. It might just be the Armscor too.

I have read posts from others that talk about certain powders causing carbon ring faster in their rifles. I only shoot H4350 in my 6.5 because it's the first I tried and I got an excellent load dev with it. I'm not sure if it's that or my cleaning regimen that has spared me. But since you know what to look for and will be on the lookout for it I dont think you'll have much problem dealing with it if you see it. Knowing it is happening in half the battle IMO.

 

[chavezz556]

What are you guys doing for chamber cleaning?

I use the nylon rod and brush that came with my glock 19... With a patch over it obv

 

[JimLee]

What are you guys doing for chamber cleaning?

I use the nylon rod and brush that came with my glock 19... With a patch over it obv

I just use a slightly oversized brass brush (cant remember what cal, either .270 or .30) with some Hoppes #9 then dry patch it out. I do both on the end of a one piece brass chamber cleaning rod. The rod has a loop end which allows me to spin it in there. Then I inspect and repeat if necessary.

 

[TheGerman]

A barrel cleaning topic and we didn't manage to get to 4 pages.

 

[Mattio]

just getting my 100 posts lol