How many shots do you shoot between barrel cleaning?

How many shots in between do you Clean you barrel?

  • Every other Shot!!

    Votes: 4 6.6%

  • Between 2-4 shots

    Votes: 5 8.2%

  • Between 5-8

    Votes: 4 6.6%

  • Never, I clean when i get home

    Votes: 48 78.7%
  • Total voters
    61
  • Poll closed .
CRAZYLOCH

CRAZYLOCH

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So noobie question, I JUST learned to ALWAYS clean more often at the range after a few shots. The patch started getting harder to ram in by my 8th shot, and i snaped my wooden ram rod in the barrel today at the range. Was i Pissed at myself:mad:

So now i shoot 5 rounds and do a quick clean.

I am wondring, what are your cleaning intervals like? I us Goex BP ffg does soothing other powders matter?
 
I "spit patch" after every shot.

Takes a little longer, but it really helps.

Glad you didn't get impaled on your broken ramrod...hope you are going to get a new aluminum or syn. one now. ;)
 
Depends on the pistol/rifle/shotgun barrel & ammunition mostly.

If I am shooting the 308 target rifle, I may expend up to 100 rounds before using bore solvent.
It may see a dry patch or two after every range session, & an outside wipe down with gun oil.

Using centrefire revolvers & mostly cast reloads, this may go up from 200-350 rounds before any attention.

Now, if I use the 20 gauge shotgun with the rifled barrel & plastic sabots, I would not go past 8-10 rounds, and then a full cleaning of the bore & action.
 
I clean it each shot... the way I think of it when I am hunting it’s going to be a clean gun. So why set your gun with a dirty barrel?.

One wet patch then one dry patch. Each shot.

I don’t clean the breach plug till I get home.
 
Brutus said:
Depends on the pistol/rifle/shotgun barrel & ammunition mostly.

If I am shooting the 308 target rifle, I may expend up to 100 rounds before using bore solvent.
It may see a dry patch or two after every range session, & an outside wipe down with gun oil.

Using centrefire revolvers & mostly cast reloads, this may go up from 200-350 rounds before any attention.

Now, if I use the 20 gauge shotgun with the rifled barrel & plastic sabots, I would not go past 8-10 rounds, and then a full cleaning of the bore & action.
Click to expand...


He is talking Black powder. not pistol/rifle/shotgun
 
usually on a trail walk i go about 15 shots before i have to do a really wet, saliva laden patch. if i'm using crisco it really doesn't taste bad either. what cal are you shooting? if less than .50 you might consider fffg. rgds
 
In my TC Renegade .54 with green Mt barrel 1-70 twist it places the ball an inch low right of the bullseye.After the fouling shot I get 3 ripping the same hole at 100 yards. I'm shooting 100gr FFG mag #11 ,.018 patch and a .530 ball If I move up to 110gr it still is under 2" but who needs the recoil.Shot clean through a WT buck at a lasered 95 yards right in the heart.A mulie buck the year before at 75 yards lodging in the off shoulder retaining 218gr from it's original 230gr............I just allow for Kentucky windage for the first one ,never needed a second so far.........Harold
 
beefman said:
I "spit patch" after every shot.

Takes a little longer, but it really helps.

Glad you didn't get impaled on your broken ramrod...hope you are going to get a new aluminum or syn. one now. ;)
Click to expand...

I went RIGHT after to get a Stainless One piece Rod, with all the accesories, my goodness, SO much easier, I SHOULD HAVE done this from Day One!!!!
 
Shot 70 shots out of my Hawken, no cleaning.
PRB with the yellow patch from TC. After the third shot they all start to feel the same. It is self-cleaning.
 
If you have the right patch/lube combo you should be able to shoot all day with most guns. Some might not be able to if the bore is a bit rough or its a particularly picky gun.

I find that stopping for lunch or whatever and giving the fouling time to dry out can be a problem. A quick swab or a really wet patch on the next shot might be required.

Be aware that the first shot or sometimes even first 2 after swabbing or cleaning often won't shoot to the same point of impact as the rest. The difference between a clean bore and a fouled bore can be several inches so shooting a fouling shot can be important.
 
I use a 3/8 dowel for a ramrod in my .50 plains rifle, it saves beating up the gun's ramrod. I use lots of Bore Butter on my patches, and I clean with a metal cleaning rod and wet patch once I feel the ball/patch getting sticky or hitting hard spots in the barrel. That usually is after about 8 shots.
I use a patch with just enough water to make it damp, comes out with lots of crud on it, then swab again with kitchen roll to dry the barrel.
 
Cleaning

I have a beautiful Robinson Hawken in 54 that fouls at the breach. No matter what I put on the patch after 10 shots it gets hard to seat the ball on the powder charge. I would clean the barrel after 5 shots but this was a pain on a trail walk. I cannot see any pitting there and I have tried 2F and 3F but no difference. I then resorted to adding a 15 grain "buffer load" of cream of wheat and voila! Not only did the fouling stop but my groups shrunk considerably.

Cheers. Steve.
 
Wooden ramrods are only for show - they hurt too much when they impale your hand and more when being removed. For at the range or hunting use steel, fibreglass, nylon or whatever unbreakable option you like. I prefer fibreglass with a 10-32 female threaded brass end to attach a jag, ball screw, etc.

When I used grease on my patches I had to clean with a wet patch after no more than 10 shots and often after every 5 on a hot dry day. Since a switch to home-made "Moose Milk" (there are lots of receipes for patch lube on the web) I can shoot 50 or more without cleaning. If a ball seems to be resisting more than the previous one, then on the subsequent shot I use a bit more moose milk. Overall, I try to always use the patch saturated but not dripping wet, especially on hot dry days. On damp days it is not as critical.
Consistent accuracy seems to require a consistent amount of crud in the bore, whether that means "spotless" or a bit cruddy is up to us. Spotless is a requirement for benchrest accuracy but not for hunting or offhand target shooting, in my experience. Be aware that some of the petroleum-based patch greases are known to smolder and can start a grass fire on a dry day - I have seen this happen several times - so I recommend only non-petroleum based lubes and preferably a water-based lube (add methanol for cold weather). PM me if you want a moose milk receipe.
 
I swab between every shot and shoot as if it were my 1st in a hunting situation.
I use a homemade blackpowder/pyrodex solvent saturated patch followed by a dry patch and finish off with a TC Bore Butter swab and then I fire off a cap to clear the nipple (this is the method I use on my sidelocks).
With my TC Encore however,(I still fire a cap though) I do not do the last step w/B. Butter and leave the barrel dry. I've read that olive oil makes a good patch lube too.
 
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i have used birchwood casey 77 blackpowder patch lube for years ,, its no trick to shoot 35 rounds with out any cleaning, i am not a fan of borebutter or moosemilk, its o.k. for a few shots but not for the 30 plus round trail walks, i shoot this with patch and round ball in rifles, trade guns , pistols, its second to none in my opinion ,, wade
 
starpuss said:
I clean it each shot... the way I think of it when I am hunting it’s going to be a clean gun. So why set your gun with a dirty barrel?.

One wet patch then one dry patch. Each shot.

I don’t clean the breach plug till I get home.
Click to expand...

The only way to get the most consistent results in accuracy and velocity. IN the field if time permits a quick swab and dry will maintain the integrity of your powder.
 
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