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How and how often do you clean your precision gas gun?
- Thread starter Winny94
- Start date
quickly with as little effort as necessary
when groups or reliability suffers --- or if it falls into a body of water
when groups or reliability suffers --- or if it falls into a body of water
I'll usually wipe down the carrier really quickly and throw a little lube on it before putting it away. I don't bother cleaning the barrel until accuracy falls off. I only bother with cleaning the carrier as the suppressor can really blow some crap back into the action so it makes staying on top of things easier.
I don't get the logic of waiting until accuracy falls off.
That's great if you're punching paper, but if you are in any type of a tactical or even a competition role, "when accuracy falls off" could cost you your shit.
There was a couple of good videos on Youtube about minimal disturbance cleaning; a cleaning regimen that will result in minimal impact shift when compared to before the clean.
I don't oil the crap out of my bore at the end of the clean, unless its going to be stored for awhile. Even then, a wet patch of shooters choice followed by a dry patch to remove any oil prior to firing a shot.
That's great if you're punching paper, but if you are in any type of a tactical or even a competition role, "when accuracy falls off" could cost you your shit.
There was a couple of good videos on Youtube about minimal disturbance cleaning; a cleaning regimen that will result in minimal impact shift when compared to before the clean.
I don't oil the crap out of my bore at the end of the clean, unless its going to be stored for awhile. Even then, a wet patch of shooters choice followed by a dry patch to remove any oil prior to firing a shot.
Considering I spent as much on my rifle as I did on my first two cars combined I meticulously clean that beautiful bitch every time someone lays their dirty eyes on her. I also actually enjoy cleaning guns. I am a freak I know.
It's simple really. Stop thinking about it so hard.
Go shoot a barrel out. Then go shoot another one out. Then buy enough tubes a year to get quantity discounts.
Pay attention. Take notes. Go back through them. You will see patterns. But to see them you need experience.
Propper lubrication is easy to maintain. Just add more lubrication as the old stuff wears off.
Guys clean their guns like they are plates and they are going to eat off them. But they aren't plates. And even a plate can be used over and over again without cleaning. It may not be elegant or pretty but the plate doesn't know any difference. This can go on for a long while before you need to even consider having to scrape the crud off.
The motor in your car is expected to last hundreds of thousands of miles with just simple lubrication swaps. Would you feel better taking it apart and wiping the pistons down every trip to the store?
You're car piston analogy doesn't apply. Internal combustion engines have oil systems; pumps oil channels, reservoirs etc. Things may be different in your kitchen, but my plates don't shoot any sub-moa groups.
This thread isn't about wiping more oil on a bolt carrier. We all get that. This thread is about bore cleaning as it relates to precision gas guns.
The ideal way is to clean BEFORE accuracy falls off, to maintain peak performance.
This thread isn't about wiping more oil on a bolt carrier. We all get that. This thread is about bore cleaning as it relates to precision gas guns.
The ideal way is to clean BEFORE accuracy falls off, to maintain peak performance.
Are you running a suppressor? I dont clean shit unless Im running a can(where Ill clean it more often but I rarely take the suppressor off). Just keep it wet with a good hybrid lube and run it hard. I run a patch down the barrel every once in a while. Ill only really clean the barrel really well if I see signs of copper building up in the barrel. I do this because Ive taken military rifles downrange for days and hundreds of rounds and sometime thousands and had no issue with accuracy. Its hard because we "want" to clean it... its in many peoples DNA. Come home, clean, put away. It took a lot for me to drop this habit... but with precision guns, give it a break.
Agreed. I've found that accuracy starts falling off after 50-60 rounds through my semi-auto gas gun. Around round 40 or so, I'll yank a borenake through it, and that seems to settle it back down.
For comparison, my precision bolt gun (308) doesn't start opening up until at least triple that round count.
All that said... I clean everything each time out. Now, to maintain a bore fouling equilibrium, I may not scrub the livin' sh*t out of them every time, and only do a copper stripping as necessary. Actions/bolts etc. get thoroughly cleaned before they go back into the safe, each and every time.
I see it this way: every machine will fail eventually. Does it fail on its first cycle, or its last? I'd just assume prepare it for the next time's use the best way I can, by cleaning and lubricating.
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I keep track of rounds fired. When accuracy falls off clean the tube. Do that twice then I clean the tube before that number. The BCG gets wiped down every few trips. Then make it swim in oil for shooting. Then every so often I will keep shooting to see if it is the same point.
My first ar was 30rds then slowly went to 50rds. Now I clean it at the end of summer maybe.
My first ar was 30rds then slowly went to 50rds. Now I clean it at the end of summer maybe.
I have a dirty LMT MWS in .308 and I am kinda scared to clean it. I bought it used and dirty, and I read some where that that they are phenomenally accurate as long as you don't clean them.
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With my LMT
Entire rifle every trip to the range
Once with snake and clp down barrel every trip to range
Foam bore cleaner and clip with snake when i feel accuracy is going to hell
Take entire barrel off with reinstall of 140inch lbs and full rifle cleaning about every 750rounds
Entire rifle every trip to the range
Once with snake and clp down barrel every trip to range
Foam bore cleaner and clip with snake when i feel accuracy is going to hell
Take entire barrel off with reinstall of 140inch lbs and full rifle cleaning about every 750rounds
Brush and a couple passes with patches every second range trip or so (so ~100 rounds) for the barrel. Just two passes with the brush since im not cleaning the living crap out of it just getting the big crap out. Followed by two-three patches then an oiled patch. Basically just going till they arent coming out totally black.
bcg gets wiped off with a paper towel usually when switching from 300blk to 223 uppers (shared bcg right now). Deep clean ha sbeen when im changing lubes or just feeling like it
bcg gets wiped off with a paper towel usually when switching from 300blk to 223 uppers (shared bcg right now). Deep clean ha sbeen when im changing lubes or just feeling like it
I clean my Gap 10 .308 about every 300 rounds. Never more than a couple nylon brush strokes down the barrel, followed by six or seven patches including oil and a dry patch. I'm a minimalist when it comes to cleaning, especially the bore. Runs perfect and always accurate.
Thinking about stuff is what wins matches. I agree with him 100% on not going into a match with the possibility of accuracy falling off from fouling. I've found most good broken in barrels will go at least 500 rounds before needing cleaning. There's no exact number even for the same barrel. If I'm casually punching paper or steel I won't worry about it as much but in a match setting I do. If my barrel is going to go over 450 rounds since the last cleaning in a match then I clean it before hand and shoot some fouling shots. The last thing I want is to have my accuracy fall off in the middle of a match and have to clean and waste time and points on the clock with foulers.
Right, so the people I see making mistakes because they didn't think things through are just something I made up in my head. You obviously have to know how to shoot but it's a big mental game. If experience won matches then top shooters wouldn't have off days.
My brainwashing still forces me to completely tear down & scrub everything spotless. I'm glad to report I'm getting stronger, the Benelli is sitting beside the safe, unloved after the weekends rounds of trap....i just can't put it away dirty!?
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You start a match with a clean barrel? I clean mine every couple hundred rounds. My FNA3G bolt gun has around 300 shots through it and I've never touched the inside of the bore and it keeps shooting better and better.
I clean as little as possible, including my extremely expensive barrels. I prefer to leave the barrel fouled.
The exception to this is moly coated bullets, which I don't shoot anymore.
I use a bore guide, a Dewey rod, a brass jag, and square patches with Slip 2000 carbon cleaner, then dry patches until they come out clean. I do it rather quickly, as I loathe cleaning weapons after 10 years in Infantry Units.
My Bolt Carrier Groups are absolutely filthy. I add more Slip 2000, and keep shooting.
At certain round count intervals, the bolts get stripped, mainly to remove brass shavings, crud, and replace the ejector and extractor springs. I also measure the length of the recoil springs, and replace if they have shrunken below the standard for them.
The exception to this is moly coated bullets, which I don't shoot anymore.
I use a bore guide, a Dewey rod, a brass jag, and square patches with Slip 2000 carbon cleaner, then dry patches until they come out clean. I do it rather quickly, as I loathe cleaning weapons after 10 years in Infantry Units.
My Bolt Carrier Groups are absolutely filthy. I add more Slip 2000, and keep shooting.
At certain round count intervals, the bolts get stripped, mainly to remove brass shavings, crud, and replace the ejector and extractor springs. I also measure the length of the recoil springs, and replace if they have shrunken below the standard for them.
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I clean the receiver & bcg when it starts getting pretty dirty and spray a quick light coating of aresol clp breakfree. I wipe the rifle down after any session that includes rain. I run a swab or two through my ar-15 that has a chrome lined bore, and I stopped cleaning my 308 sass barrel. It's much more accurate now. I'll probably clean that barrel when my accuracy starts to drop off or I take the gas tube off to clean, whichever comes first. I don't hunt with either of these two rifles other than Jacks or maybe someday yote's. I am also neither in the military or a Leo, so my life doesn't depend on them, although my sanity does, nothing more frustrating than a rifle that doesn't function. I've only ran 1 gasser that started malfunctioning because it was filthy & that was after a few thousand rounds through a Bushmaster ar-15 shooting targets & Jacks in the windy, sandy, dusty eastern OR deserts. I think that was mostly the extractor spring was heavily gummed up. Hope this helped.
I would like to tack on to the polling on this thread; for those of you who wait to clean until you see "accuracy fall off" could you add what the average round count this occurs at and what the change in accuracy is (group size before and after, velocity loss or gain, velocity spread change) if you have this information? Some rifle/load information might be useful to include as well to see what runs cleaner/dirtier than others on average, as well as what different cleaning procedures. Probably not enough data points to draw any real conclusions, but might see something interesting in it.
I clean my .308 bore after 500 rounds and it is not because accuracy is going down hill. I just start feeling bad lol. I have gone as far as 750 rounds with out a cleaning and have not seen a degradation in accuracy. After a cleaning it shoots like shit for the first 20 rounds or so.
I've found that it depends on the barrel. I used to be a "clean the copper out after every range trip" guy. Then I watched Magpul's "Art of the Precision Rifle." According to the instructor, quality barrels, that are properly broken in don't generally benefit from total copper removal. I watched that video a few years and a few thousand rounds ago. I'll run a boresnake with a little cleaner or clp through my guns to get the carbon fouling out every so often or prior to storage, but I don't clean copper anymore.
I've found my rifles shoot more accurately and hold their zeroes more consistently now. For internals, like the bolt, carrier, extractor, and trigger group, I've found it is more important to keep them lubed than it is to keep them clean. I think breaking the gun down and detail cleaning is probably a good idea every 500 rounds or twice a year or so. That being said, cleaning and lubing the internals surely can't and won't do any harm.
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