with the warmer weather as of late i have been doing a fair bit of shooting/load building, with this come cleaning of the rifles. this leads to the question at hand.... can a barrel be too clean. how clean do most of you clean your rifles? do you have a "short" routine that you follow every so many shots and a "long" routine that you do every once in a while? i have a borescope so i can see exactly what is in there, sometimes i wonder if this is a bad thing!! before i had the borescope i would clean untill the patches came out clean and i figured the gun was clean, however once i got the borescope i found that was not the case. so i am curious to know what others do. sure the gun shot good after i cleaned it prior to the borescope, but i wonder if it would shoot for a greater number of shots if it was totally clean first? i realize that it may take a few more foulers to settle down after being completely clean. i know that a layer of copper is minor, however my biggest concern is the carbon that i see. thoughts/ comments/suggestions??
is a barrel ever too clean??
- Thread starter bingo1010
- Start date
I don't have a borescope so I can't see carbon in my barrels, if I can't see it......it's not there 
My cleaning regimen will be different from the next guy who posts, and the next guys, and the next guys, and so on. There is no "This is how you clean a rifle" as everyone has different methods, times and degrees of cleanliness.
Clean it until YOUR happy with that you see.
If you have carbon buildup, especially in the throat area...get it out as this can lead to pressure problems.
My cleaning regimen will be different from the next guy who posts, and the next guys, and the next guys, and so on. There is no "This is how you clean a rifle" as everyone has different methods, times and degrees of cleanliness.
Clean it until YOUR happy with that you see.
If you have carbon buildup, especially in the throat area...get it out as this can lead to pressure problems.
- Location
- Calgary, AB
I don't have a borescope so I can't see carbon in my barrels, if I can't see it......it's not there
My cleaning regimen will be different from the next guy who posts, and the next guys, and the next guys, and so on. There is no "This is how you clean a rifle" as everyone has different methods, times and degrees of cleanliness.
Clean it until YOUR happy with that you see.
If you have carbon buildup, especially in the throat area...get it out as this can lead to pressure problems.
Just curious, what is your routine
Sometimes I've tended to over clean my rifles. When I do a really thorough scrub with JB Paste or Sweets I've often found that it takes 6 to 8 shots for the rifle to settle down and start shooting right again.
Has anyone else noted this or is it me that has to settle down?
Has anyone else noted this or is it me that has to settle down?
Cleaning is over-rated. The only people that tell you that you must clean are the ones that make and sell cleaning products. I believe that you should shoot the rifle until the groups start to open up before cleaning the bore.
I have put over 800 round down my barrel before cleaning and still won matches with it. The only reason that I cleaned it then was because I had 2 big matches coming up, and didn't want to push it over the 1300 round mark without cleaning.
762shooter,
It does take a few fouling shots to get things back to where there were before you cleaned. Sometimes one or two shot will do it, sometimes more. Ever barrel is different.
I have put over 800 round down my barrel before cleaning and still won matches with it. The only reason that I cleaned it then was because I had 2 big matches coming up, and didn't want to push it over the 1300 round mark without cleaning.
762shooter,
It does take a few fouling shots to get things back to where there were before you cleaned. Sometimes one or two shot will do it, sometimes more. Ever barrel is different.
Quite common. This is why you DON'T need to overclean. I recall reading somewhere that more bore damage was done by impoper cleaning then ever was accomplished by shooting. That is probably somewhat of an exaggeration, but cleaning is something that you only need to do for storage or when the groups start to open up. - dan
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I knew a Sask shooter who was always in a rush to get things done. At the end of the day, he'd put the rifle in a cleaning stand and give 'er. The rod, the jags, the chemicals, the bore guide, but still he had a way of stroking
that would make a #### star proud. And then he'd almost brag that his gunsmith told him there was erosion in the bore from the rod rubbing against the rifling. He was wearing out the barrels from the inside.
Well know barrel maker suggests this method.
Cleaning InstructionsWe recommend using a brass brush with Hopp's #9 or Shooters Choice as often as possible. In sighting in a rifle or shooting benchrest groups, you should thoroughly brush after every 10-20 shots using a good coated cleaning rod and rod guide. Always leave a cleaner in bore after you are through shooting for the day. This will dissolve cooper fouling left in the barrel. The barrel should then be thoroughly dried out just before shooting.
Do not clean with stainless steel brushes or use abrasive cleaners in the barrels.
If Sweets is used, DO NOT leave in barrel for more than 5 minutes. DO NOT mix sweets with any other cleaner.
Cleaning InstructionsWe recommend using a brass brush with Hopp's #9 or Shooters Choice as often as possible. In sighting in a rifle or shooting benchrest groups, you should thoroughly brush after every 10-20 shots using a good coated cleaning rod and rod guide. Always leave a cleaner in bore after you are through shooting for the day. This will dissolve cooper fouling left in the barrel. The barrel should then be thoroughly dried out just before shooting.
Do not clean with stainless steel brushes or use abrasive cleaners in the barrels.
If Sweets is used, DO NOT leave in barrel for more than 5 minutes. DO NOT mix sweets with any other cleaner.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I too am I believer in cleaning less.
After a hard range day, 200+ rounds, I will give my centre fires a patch with some type of cleaner and then dry patches, finishing with a micro coat of oil before it goes away. The next time it comes out, it usually takes a few rounds before the groups get back to normal. I used to panic are start re-sighting in until I realized what was happening.
For a normal day of shooting, say just sighting in or confirming zero or hunting. It goes back in the case after a wipe down on the outside to get rid of any grime.
Twice a year, possibly three times, it gets a detailed strip down and cleaning with Wipe Out or another copper solvent.
However, there is a couple of exceptions in my collection.
My mossberg .22 semi auto LOVES being dirty. I clean it in the fall before it goes away for the winter and it doesn't see another brush or solvent until the following fall after thousands and thousands of rounds. I've tried cleaning it a couple of times during the summer but it would take a hundred rounds or so to start grouping again like I know it was capable of. So now it's once a year.
My Savage bolt action .22 is the opposite. It MUST be cleaned after every 200 rounds or so... basically every gopher outing... or the POI starts to wander.
Just my experience..
After a hard range day, 200+ rounds, I will give my centre fires a patch with some type of cleaner and then dry patches, finishing with a micro coat of oil before it goes away. The next time it comes out, it usually takes a few rounds before the groups get back to normal. I used to panic are start re-sighting in until I realized what was happening.
For a normal day of shooting, say just sighting in or confirming zero or hunting. It goes back in the case after a wipe down on the outside to get rid of any grime.
Twice a year, possibly three times, it gets a detailed strip down and cleaning with Wipe Out or another copper solvent.
However, there is a couple of exceptions in my collection.
My mossberg .22 semi auto LOVES being dirty. I clean it in the fall before it goes away for the winter and it doesn't see another brush or solvent until the following fall after thousands and thousands of rounds. I've tried cleaning it a couple of times during the summer but it would take a hundred rounds or so to start grouping again like I know it was capable of. So now it's once a year.
My Savage bolt action .22 is the opposite. It MUST be cleaned after every 200 rounds or so... basically every gopher outing... or the POI starts to wander.
Just my experience..
I like to make a pass with a dry boresnake after two or three groups on the range. I like to clean up with bronze brush, Shooter's Choice and patches until they come clean at the end of day.
During hunting season I will wipe 'em out with the boresnake at the end of day to remove any moisture or crud even if I haven't fired. Just a couple of passes.
I have an A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 25-06 that distinctly doesn't like to be cleaned as much as my other stuff. Probably because the stainless barrel is "easier" to clean so I have cut back on cleaning that one at the range.
I find that over cleaning requires a few shots before the barrel is uniform.
A blue barrel foul more and should be cleaned after every day of shooting. I clean lightly and leave solvent in over night, rifle stored muzzle down on pad of paper towel. Pad usully has big blue stain in the morning.
For my stainless competition barrels, I only clean every 200 rounds or so, and can't say that it really makes any diference, except I feel better.
A blue barrel foul more and should be cleaned after every day of shooting. I clean lightly and leave solvent in over night, rifle stored muzzle down on pad of paper towel. Pad usully has big blue stain in the morning.
For my stainless competition barrels, I only clean every 200 rounds or so, and can't say that it really makes any diference, except I feel better.
I am no expert, but have done alot of reading... I have read on one barrel producers web site (and i cant remember which) that "nothing but bullets should go down the barrel." A friend I shoot with (handguns) that also shoots precision rifles and holds fast to that rule and only drenches the inside of his barrel with WD40 after each outing. He does it until the WD40 runs clean. There are no patches, no brushes and no jags. He said he has been doing this for 30 years and shoots well in both rifle and handgun.
I myself am a clean freak and clean my guns after each outing.. but i am wondering if i am reducing the half-life of my barrels..
RDG
I myself am a clean freak and clean my guns after each outing.. but i am wondering if i am reducing the half-life of my barrels..
RDG
I like mine almost clean, or sort of clean..... sort of like the concept of oil spraying the bottom of your car, if you had a spotless car there would be nothing for the oil to stick to. If i have my barrell ALMOST clean i can leave a fine coating of hoppes in the barrell and avoid rust or corrosion between outings.
M.
M.
I've flip flopped back and forth between thinking clean was better and vice versa.
I was shooting with a friend of mine at 500 one afternoon, and there was a huge difference between clean barrels and fouled barrels. You could actually watch the groups open up as the barrels fouled more and shrink after cleaning(Believe it or not but after 15-20 rounds accuracy was dropping off drastically). These were factory remington barrels.
I now clean every 20 shots as Manitou210 has posted but use Butchs Bore Shine. On my factory barrels it takes some scrubbing to clean them. On my custom barrels you can pretty much just patch the barrel clean.
If I don't pla on shooting the rifle again right away then I pass a couple of patchs soaked with Butchs gun oil down the bore and leave the bore oiled, then dry patch before shooting.
I was shooting with a friend of mine at 500 one afternoon, and there was a huge difference between clean barrels and fouled barrels. You could actually watch the groups open up as the barrels fouled more and shrink after cleaning(Believe it or not but after 15-20 rounds accuracy was dropping off drastically). These were factory remington barrels.
I now clean every 20 shots as Manitou210 has posted but use Butchs Bore Shine. On my factory barrels it takes some scrubbing to clean them. On my custom barrels you can pretty much just patch the barrel clean.
If I don't pla on shooting the rifle again right away then I pass a couple of patchs soaked with Butchs gun oil down the bore and leave the bore oiled, then dry patch before shooting.
has anyone ever used boretech eliminator?? What do you think of it??
I'v used jp paste with kroil after. I brushed the barrel many times with the jp paste than cleaned it out than cleaned with kroil. After i though it was clean i used a few patches with boretech eliminator and got so much fouling out it was like i had never even cleaned the gun to start with.
This makes me think that JB&kroil is overrated and does not work great at all. I have stoped using it and i use the boretech all the time now. I do however wipe it out with the kroil after because i dont like the sticky residue that the boretech leaves behind.
it takes about 6 rounds to get the gun back on target after a good cleaning.
I'v used jp paste with kroil after. I brushed the barrel many times with the jp paste than cleaned it out than cleaned with kroil. After i though it was clean i used a few patches with boretech eliminator and got so much fouling out it was like i had never even cleaned the gun to start with.
This makes me think that JB&kroil is overrated and does not work great at all. I have stoped using it and i use the boretech all the time now. I do however wipe it out with the kroil after because i dont like the sticky residue that the boretech leaves behind.
it takes about 6 rounds to get the gun back on target after a good cleaning.
I don't have much for precision right now, but I run a bore snake through all my firearms at the end of the shooting day 3 or 4 times to both clean out the gross contaminants and apply a little oil for storage. I only give them a "Brush and Patch" cleaning with some foaming solvent once a year before winter storage.
It is mostly due to my military upbringing and anal tendencies, but I do not feel excessive cleaning is necessary. Way back when I shot competitively, there was no perceptible performance difference on bolt actions whether it was sparkly or grimy. Autos are a different story of course.
It is mostly due to my military upbringing and anal tendencies, but I do not feel excessive cleaning is necessary. Way back when I shot competitively, there was no perceptible performance difference on bolt actions whether it was sparkly or grimy. Autos are a different story of course.
Just curious, what is your routine
I will clean every 200-300 rounds or clean the week before a match and put 10 rounds down on a practice night sometime before the match.
My cleaning regimen consists of several patches of Hoppes #9 but only because it smells good.
Sweets goes in after the Hoppes to remove the copper. 2-3 wet patches letting sit for a few minutes each time usually does a nice job.
A few more wet patches of Hoppes cuz it smells so damn good.
4-5 strokes of the bronze wire brush with Hoppes on it....mmmmmmmmmm this stuff should be a cologne.
More wet patches with hoppes to clean out whatever crud the brush loosened.
Once or twice a year I will polish the throat area and the rest of the barrel with JB Bore Paste rinsing with, you guessed it, great smelling Hoppes.
I had a Smith barrel that would take up to 20 rounds to come around after a good copper removing session. I learned to leave some in there as this barrel did not like to be squeaky clean.
Here is a borescoped pic of the throat area on one of my match barrels:
Notice the heat stress cracks? That is NORMAL, they develop after only a few hundred rounds.
There comes a point where you've removed all the fouling from the lands and groves and all that you're doing is mining stuff out of these cracks. It does nothing to improve accuracy, and many people are just doing damage to their bores in the pursuit of a spotless patch.
Notice the heat stress cracks? That is NORMAL, they develop after only a few hundred rounds.
There comes a point where you've removed all the fouling from the lands and groves and all that you're doing is mining stuff out of these cracks. It does nothing to improve accuracy, and many people are just doing damage to their bores in the pursuit of a spotless patch.
