Cleaning question

[AZ.noob]

Assuming a settled-in rifle, with at least several hundred rounds down the bore, how frequently do y'all clean your precision bolt guns? LOTS of variables, I get that...

However, do you scrub based solely on groups getting bigger, or after each time out? I'm a bit OCD when it comes to care & maintenance of my gear, but I also understand powder fouling and groupings directly related to sterile-clean vs. 'dirty'. It's difficult for me to put a 'dirty' gun back in the safe, but I certainly don't want to shorten my barrel's life with abrasives.

Is there a consensus on this, or am I opening up a can of worms?

 

[1braveman]

Man there is no consensus on this subject. The ol' timmers say never. But in my own experience it depends on the rifle. My 338Lapua needs to be cleaned after only about 40 rounds down the tube or things start to get tight. The 308 well I only need to clean it about every 100 to 150 rounds. Watch for copper build up in the magnum calibers and shooting tight bore barrels, ie: custom barrels in extra long lengths. I use a 30 "tight" caliber in 28" length barrel by Lilja. Sweet but have to watch it a little closer than most for copper build up, which will affect your accuracy. If your not getting copper build up then a quick swab out of the barrel every once in a while wont hurt.

 

[Temp9]

It seems the majority of the people here say to only clean when accuracy degrades (300-500 rounds). This is what I do. Of course, this only goes for the bore. With my AR, I'll give the BCG and other internals a wipe-down every other range trip or so, and a full cleaning every time I clean the bore. My bolt guns may get a wipe-down depending on how nasty it got at the range.

The one thing pretty much everyone agrees on is using good cleaning habits. Always use a bore guide and a stiff, quality rod. Don't just shove a 3-piece steel rod in your barrel. A one piece steel or carbon fiber rod from a good company (I like Tipton rods, myself) will do a much better job. A rod of the proper diameter is nice to have, as well, so long as you don't mind having a bunch of different size rods lying around. I personally don't bother with scrubbing out all the copper, just whatever comes out with the carbon (using KG-1 or M-Pro7 gel with a nylon brush). I don't bother oiling the bore afterwards unless I'm planning to put the gun away for a while. Of course, it's pretty dry where I live, so I don't have to worry about rust or corrosion, either.

 

[AZ.noob]

Thanks for the replies fellas.

1braveman, the tight-tolerance customs loading up makes perfect sense. Although my gear is factory stock, it is still fairly fresh (under 200 rounds) and I believe still 'tight' as I continue to get blue/green patches with relatively low round count in between cleaning.

Temp9, agreed on the semi-auto gas guns. I'll rarely shoot more than 60 rounds with the precision bolt gun, but the ARs usually get several hundred rounds through them so those get thoroughly cleaned every time out of course. And agreed, I ALWAYS use bore guides & one-piece rods (I use Tiptons as well).

Thanks again guys for sharing your knowledge and experience

 

[slate84]

this is tough for me since i was always taught you shoot a gun, you clean it. you handle it, you clean it. you look at it to long, you clean it.

 

[clayne_b]

I shoot a .308 Remington 700 sps varmint, It shoots good. I cleaned it the day I got it. and that was over 800 rounds ago. and its still shooting pretty good.

 

[AZ.noob]

this is tough for me since i was always taught you shoot a gun, you clean it. you handle it, you clean it. you look at it to long, you clean it.

Yep, that's how I was taught as well.

 

[clayne_b]

I was taught if it aint broke dont fix it. lol

 

[onethousandmeters]

I agree with Slate84: shoot it, cleaning. Simple. I've never had an issue following that rule.

 

[Temp9]

I was thought if it aint broke dont fix it. lol

I was taught if it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is. Whatever floats your poncho, I guess.

 

[Atanasius]

I clean all my rifles (except .22) after every shooting. Two stage cleaning;
1. Carbon cleaning
2.Copper cleaning
3. Thin oiling with Montana extreme bore conditioner

 

[Rogue111]

I find my bolt actions get a cleaning every 150-200 rounds.

 

[1braveman]

Like I said AZ.Noob, This is really a personal thing. But if it's dirty then clean it.

 

[Shoots 700's]

I run a patch of Kroil through after I shoot followed by a dry patch. Don't really clean them until they really shoot poorly.

 

[Phezzik]

Obviously a lot of guys feel differently on the subject. I used to shoot with a guy that said you never clean the copper out of the bore until you start seein signs of buildup on the muzzle, but you clean the carbon and crud out every trip. An instructor of mine used to say get that bore spic and span every time (old timer). Me, I do like a lot of other guys have pointed out - let the rifle tell you if it needs to be cleaned or not. I will say, however, that if you plan on storing it for a while never store it dirty. Get the crud out and oil it lightly to avoid possible rusting.

 

[stalski]

Everyone has a different protocol, use what feels good to you unless you notice accuracy degrading inexplicably.

I, however, feel the need to clean a weapon after every use. This is mostly because its how my father taught me, not because of lots of research. It has served me well so far.

 

[JGorski]

Ill clean my 6 Creed today after the initial 25 shot tests just to see how dirty it gets, then shoot some verifying shots, when I get home Ill probably clean it again. Or maybe Ill clean it at the range just to get it over with.