Thread: In-between barrel cleaning

Hey all,

I'm curious what others do in between cleaning their barrel? If anything. I'm talking people who only give the barrel a scrub with solvent after 200 -300 rounds or if accuracy drops off.
If you go out and shot 20 rounds or so do you just chuck the rifle back in the safe? or do you put a thin layer of oil down the barrel?

Always interesting to see what others do.

clean it properly - every time.

^^^ Same as above ^^^ unless it's my 10/22. I leave a chamber flag in the muzzle end with a note written on it "Oil in Barrel" while in the safe, just in case I have a dementia moment

Yip cleaned properly after each use. Always store your firearms with an oiled bore and check them frequently as they can rust easily even stainless

20 rounds or less I would put 1 to 2 oiled patches thru the barrel and store it. But if more then 20 or so I would do a light clean and after around 400-500 rounds would give gun a deep clean.

What @chainsaw said...

Copper solvent only when accuracy drops, otherwise just the carbon and then light drop of oil.

Originally Posted by chainsaw

clean it properly - every time.

Ditto. Very rarely i have left it a few days before getting around to doing it, and it's never improved things.
If no shots are fired it's a quick oil. Even one shot means cleaning with solvent. Copper solvent is only occasionally.
I run a dry patch or boresnake through the barrel before heading out the next time.

The only centrefire rifle barrel I have that has pitting is my youngest rifle, and my only stainless one - I was probably too complacent about cleaning it as well and as promptly as the chrome moly rifles, but has also fired longer strings of shots on occasions so could be an overheating issue too.

22 Lr , semi once it's starts to jam 500 - 700 rounds.

22Lr , Bolt nearly never till feeding or extraction becomes an issue. 1000 rounds plus.

17HMR only once accuracy drops off , 500 rounds plus. ( it should be noted that down here in Central my rimfires are my go to rabbit rifles and I just consider them tools )

Centre fire , Always after either one shot or a couple of boxes used , once the rifle has being fired I clean before putting away..

There is a debate that too much cleaning has damaged a lot of rifles weather it's rods and brushs and even bore snakes. I only clean if I have to.

Going by what others do here, I'm very naughty.

I also periodically put some more oil down the barrel too if I haven't used it for a while. Normally once a month.

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Originally Posted by Tahr

Going by what others do here, I'm very naughty.

That makes 2 of us. Sounds like I don't clean 1/32th as much as I should going by this thread.

22lr if it got wet oiled inside and out but not cleaned...dry patch before use. otherwise nothing.
blued centerfire barels oiled patch after every outing fired or not, dry patch before use.
S/S centerfire oiled if wet dry patch before use otherwise just in the safe, cleaned if issues.

Probably doing it wrong tho.

@Tahr & @mikee There's no harm in not cleaning, as long as the relative humidity in your safe is adequate for storage. I have put rifles away after shooting without cleaning and so far they haven't rusted.

I bring it up as I was doing the same, cleaning after every use but after some research and talking to different people I'm not so sure. you also run into the issue of having that first or even 2 or 3 fooling shots going astray.

The cleaning after every use thing comes from the military but they are firing 100s to 1000s of rounds in a sitting which makes sense to clean after that. however some competition shootings say they don't clean till accuracy drops off, is there some kind of middle ground between cleaning and just maintaining?

I like that post. I now know who not to buy a second hand rifle from ;-)