How often and how clean for rifle after range?

ehunter · 01-25-2009, 12:16 PM

I am curious about how often you clean your rifle? Now I am not talking about during hunting season but after shooting sessions at the range. I have been shooting most weekends since hunting season and I usally shoot 20 plus rounds come home and wet patch and dry patch till clean is that needed? I know the routine with a new barrel but that is not the case? Just wondering what every one else does.

adobe wall · 01-25-2009, 12:42 PM

The only time I won't clean my centerfire rifles after a range trip is if they are hunting rifles during hunting season. Everything else gets cleaned after each trip. As long as you are cleaning from the breech end of the rifle and using a one piece cleaning rod you won't do any harm. Cleaning from the muzzle, jointed cleaning rods, and steel brushes should be avoided. Sometimes you can't help it- my Garands and my M1A have to be cleaned from the muzzle- but if you do that use a muzzle guide.

jmho, aw

nevermiss · 01-25-2009, 01:00 PM

I also clean mine after each target session--but not while hunting. We always check our zero with a few shots on our way to our location, but do not clean then. I'm not paranoid about it, other than you can't usually be sure when you'll fire it next.

gottafish · 01-25-2009, 01:03 PM

I run a bore snake thru every time I get done shooting

Benny · 01-25-2009, 01:07 PM

20 rounds isn't bad IMO, but if you've got the time I don't see why it would hurt to get the crud out. All my rifles seem to have different tolerances for cleanliness, probably because I shoot various loads/brands. After I seasoned my .17hmr I hardly ever clean it, though. Somebody told me they shoot better that way

sidewinder · 01-25-2009, 01:09 PM

Depending on the gun. I clean at a dozen with some guns. More with others. But 15 to 20 rds is a good average figure with your big game rifle. If its hunting season and I feel picky I'll clean and shoot a fouling shot or 2 before I go. Some guns actually like a bit of fouling. You just have to experiment. I'd say you have a good program going with your gun. If your groups are opening up a bit at the end of your session. Fouling could be the culprit.

SImudBogger · 01-25-2009, 01:25 PM

For sight in i'll get it how i want it, then clean the bore, then fire one more 3 shot group and leave it alone. After the season it gets a good scrubbing.

Trick · 01-25-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gottafish

I run a bore snake thru every time I get done shooting

Quick and easy!

Big Billy · 01-25-2009, 03:16 PM

When shooting at the range I find my accuracy starts to diminish after about 5 shots more in my 220 swift than my 30 caliber, I have also found that cleaning a hot barrel is more efficient than cleaning a cold barrel. so depending on what my objectives are at the range I may clean after 5 rounds or as long as after 10 rounds, I run a wt patch and then dry ones until they are clean and repeat the process until there is no sign of residue. I also use a product called gun juice made by microlon. You run a wet patch of gun juice through your barrel then fire a shot. The gun juice coats and fills in the little pits on the inside of your barrel making it slicker which gives less resistence to the bullet and increases velocity, run wet patches of gun juice through your barrell until the bullet quites rising on the target. Make sure you wire brush your barrell and get it as clean as possible before trying the gun juice.

DogZilla15 · 01-25-2009, 03:46 PM

Some barrels collect copper quicker than others and aftet 20 rounds, even a good barrel will have collected some. Regular copper removal is necessary at this rate of shooting. If your cleaning routine doesn't include copper removal, it should.

ehunter · 01-25-2009, 06:33 PM

Its funny you mention the copper I use the bore cleaning foam but I have noticed that Hornady seems to add more copper in one of my rifles don't know why but it does. I can shoot the same gun with the same amount of Federal and have very little copper build up.

BigBilly don't you worry about pressure build up with gun juice? I was always told to shoot a dry a barrel? I like the idea of cleaning a hot barrel maybe I will try that at the range it makes sense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogZilla15

Some barrels collect copper quicker than others and aftet 20 rounds, even a good barrel will have collected some. Regular copper removal is necessary at this rate of shooting. If your cleaning routine doesn't include copper removal, it should.

DakotaTheKiller · 01-25-2009, 06:44 PM

Everytime I shoot a rifle out of season, whether it is 1 shot, or 200 - I clean it. Wet patch..... let it sit....... dry patch, dry patch, dry patch, dry patch, until somewhat clean, then wet patch.... let it sit.. wait.... dry patch it until it's clean. then whipe and spray down the gun very nicely. Seems to do the job for me.

Oh yeah, unless it's a shotgun.. Then I clean it whenever I am bored enough..

XXX archer · 01-25-2009, 06:49 PM

I always take my cleaning stuff to the range with me. Hands down a hot gun comes clean easy compared to a cold one. I use barnes CR10 copper foul remover. If anyone doesnt use a copper foul remover of some sort and does any volume of cleaning I can almost bet that they have copper fouling in there barel. I have also found that some bullets do leave more copper behind than others.

kigercreek · 01-25-2009, 06:50 PM

In case anyone is wondering about .22's, here is what Dan Picket of Cooper Arms sent me. I believe it is written by Dan Lilja.

CLEANING RIMFIRE BARRELS Rimfire rifle barrels are different from centerfire barrels in that they require very little cleaning and essentially no break-in procedure. We have asked several of the top rimfire shooters and gunsmiths that use our barrels about their procedures and based on our own experience, have come up with our recommendation for cleaning.
In a match-grade stainless steel hand-lapped barrel, leading is an almost nonexistent problem. Powder fouling is minimal too. It is possible however to have an accumulation of fouling in the leade area in front of the chamber. A build up here is detrimental to top accuracy.
We suggest cleaning in the following manner. After approximately 100 rounds push a dry loose patch through the barrel from the breach end. This pushes out loose fouling. Then take a tighter dry patch and work it back and forth about 10 times in the leade area, pushing it out of the barrel at the muzzle end when finished.
Every 200-300 rounds a loose (worn out) 22 caliber bronze brush, wet with solvent, should be worked back and forth in the leade area with short strokes and withdrawn from the chamber end. If there is any evidence of lead in the barrel then brushing the full length of the barrel with solvent is suggested.
Match quality bullets have a wax coating on them that aids accuracy. It may take 10-50 shots to "lay" a good coating of it down in the barrel and using solvents will only remove this desirable wax coating.
Users of the 10/22-type semi-auto barrels may have to remove the accumulated powder fouling buildup that forms on the breach end of the barrel. Extraction problems may result eventually unless solvent is used on this type of fouling.

Dan has an excellent website that I would encourage you to peruse. You may find it at www.riflebarrels.com.

I found this rather interesting. I had been wondering about cleaning, especially since I was shooting a good number of the wax-coated match ammo at the time.

7mil Bill · 01-26-2009, 05:49 AM

look at www.bellmtcs.com and see what he thinks before you clean it.

Chesapeake · 01-26-2009, 09:05 AM

I clean my barrels too much. My shotgun gets cleaned after every outting. My muzzleloader gets cleaned after every day of shooting. My rifle gets cleaned after every day of shooting and after every group if I'm sighting in or testing groups.

I dont put my guns away dirty.

Big Billy · 01-26-2009, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehunter

Its funny you mention the copper I use the bore cleaning foam but I have noticed that Hornady seems to add more copper in one of my rifles don't know why but it does. I can shoot the same gun with the same amount of Federal and have very little copper build up.

BigBilly don't you worry about pressure build up with gun juice? I was always told to shoot a dry a barrel? I like the idea of cleaning a hot barrel maybe I will try that at the range it makes sense.

Never had any problems or signs of excessive pressure when applying gun juice? Good luck.