Routine cleaning to prevent barrel damage

[Jon69]

Having just had to scrap a rifle that’s barrel was really badly pitted, I’m a bit paranoid to avoid doing the same thing to it’s replacement. It was second hand and had a good few miles on it, however, its replacement is a sparkly new 308 S20.

As a recreational stalker, I’d be very happy to fire a shot once a week in the season, and certainly not more than a handful, other than a range session where it could be 20-50. Moderator comes off straight away and rest of the rifle is cleaned down as required.

Previous cleaning regime was a pull through after each outing, and a more thorough clean with solvents/chemicals at the end of the season or after a heavy range day.

Any well read folks out there able to offer their knowledge on cost vs benefits of regular cleaning (chemicals/not) vs. leaving it well alone?! Can’t afford to replace this one any time soon

 

[HonestJohn]

Personally I give my rifles a clean after about 2 boxes of ammo, or around every 3 months whichever comes first. Never had any start pitting from that regime. Some put a patch through after every shot, but if you do, make sure you’ve tested it goes back to POI reliably, or run a patch of meths through before heading out.

 

[Foxyboy43]

With that amount of ammo shot copper fouling is unlikely to be an issue.
Every time I get home - shot or not a boresnake two or three pulls finished with a lightly oiled cloth pulled through then an all-over metal wipe with another oily cloth.
If it’s new do make sure you follow “shooting in of a new rifle” procedure…..

 

[muddy42]

The combustion process is complicated but I've always understood that firing results in the barrel being coated with a mixture of fouling/carbon, water and copper. Unfortunately the water can get trapped, so the only fail safe way to protect your barrel is after every shot to deep clean back to bare metal which can then be oiled as a protection.

But life is too short for all that soaking, patching and oiling every time. After every shot I just clean with lightly oiled patches and put the rifle away. Not too different from shotguns. Once a year or so I soak in copper solvent and get back to bare metal.

 

[Ranger22]

I clean mine throughly every week, 1 shot or 100 shots. Works for me. I do this with my work rifle and personal rifles. Accuracy is spot on

 

[User00056]

Boresnake for me. I've never deep-cleaned any of my rifles

 

[zambezi]

put a patch through after every shot... run a patch of meths through before heading out

After every outing I carbon-cleaner patch and then oil the bore. Before each outing, I meths patch the bore to clear oil.

Cold bore shot is always on target. Barrels are all in mint condition after several years of this regime. [I do use a borescope to verify status periodically]

I only copper-clean if POI changes which has only happened on my higher round count 6.5x55mm.

 

[wytonpjs]

I'm probably going to go to hell in a handcart paraphrasing a well-known member's post elsewhere on here today, but I very rarely (read once in a blue moon) scrub my barrels Like @Quixote , I dry out my rifles and mods religiously, bore snake after use and bar a good scrub/oiled wipe of the crown and a light oiled wipe over the externals, that's it for the rifles. The mods get a squirt of Napier's SilenSave too.
I have owned my oldest rifle since buying it new in 1995 and that, and my Sako S20 for the last 5 years. Neither of these, or any other of my rifles, has any accuracy/corrosion issues

 

[VSS]

Clean during the close season for all UK deer species.......

Meanwhile, always dry off and allow to warm up to room temperature before storage.

 

[zambezi]

always dry off and allow to warm up to room temperature before storage

 

[enfieldspares]

I clean after every time the the gun, or rifle, has been shot.

It was what I was taught growing up in the era when there was always a risk that the ammunition, be that military surplus or old stock Kynoch, you were using was loaded with mercury fulminate primers that were highly corrosive. And that had been as standard the ammunition my elders had only ever experienced.

The habit has stayed with ever since. You'd see pistols, revolvers, rifles that externally were immaculate. The bores however were in some cases like old cast iron gutter downpipes inside. Modern ammunition fed .22 Rimfire I never clean unless it got wet in the rain. But as my last .22 Rimfire rifles were used on indoor ranges they were never cleaned.

I'll wave the "sad old git" finger at you all reading this and cry "Some of you don't know what it was once like back in the past....". Which actually in terms of risk of getting corrosive primed factory ammunition that "past" was the 1970s even into the early 1980s.

 

[Smellydog]

Cleaning or not is not the issue.
Condensation is the issue.
Coming home with cold steel into a warm home, air laden with water, it condenses on the cold steel inside and out.

Give time for the rifle to warm up then rod or pull through with an oily patch.

I don't use solvents unless after a test accuracy has deminished.

In saying all that a potted barrel can be absolutely fine!
A shot out throat or damaged crown is far worse.

 

[gixer1]

Firing one shot produces Corbin dioxide and the moisture in the air will combine with this to make carbonic acid - which will eat steel…after every outing, 1 shot or 100 I spray with a light oil (Legia or Napier light oil with VP90) then run a pull through (bore boss) or if more than 20 rounds it gets scrubbed with boretech eliminator and also I run a chamber brush into the chamber with a light coat of oil.

This has served me well.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[gixer1]

For my “full clean” the rifle gets a patch soaked in boretech eliminator pushed through twice. Leave it for 15 mins, then 40 passes with a nylon brush soaked in eliminator, wait 5 mins then another 20-30 passes, and then patched until it comes out clean, then a pull through with a light spray of oil on it, and then chamber mop with a light spray off oil.

Regards,
Gixer

 

[SikaSeeker]

If I fire a shot, I use KG1. After 60-80 shots it’s KG12. POI never changes, I always make sure patches come out dry. Light oil on external surfaces

 

[Heym SR20]

I rust run a patch down the bore with a couple of drops of 3 in 1 oil before I put the rifle away. i also give thr rifle a good wipe over with an oily cloth to remove finger marks etc. I don’t like leaving a gun with fouling in the barrel as this can attract moisture and start pitting. If I know I am going out the next day I won’t bother.

When I get the rifle out I run a patch with a squirt of light fluid on it to remove any oil.

If the gun is wet I dry it before putting into the slip and make sure its properly dry before I put it away. Also I check it a day or two later.

My cleaning rod and patches are next to cabinet so it takes but a moment. Rifles are an expensive item. Shotguns even more so.

 

[wytonpjs]

Rifles are an expensive item. Shotguns even more so.

Not my shotguns

 

[Camdig]

My cleaning consists of bringing rifle upto house temperature, remove the mod normally place upside down on radiator, wipe everything down on outside with Napier VP90 including bolt and put rifle away, every now and then I will forest foam the barrel patch it and light oil at end.
I always have some Napier sachets in cabinet as the room where cabinet is can get a little humid at times.

 

[timbrayford]

I clean with Youngs 303 after every use, dust, rust and cobwebs might suit some people but I can shoot accurately enough without it!

 

[shotguntom]

Nylon brush, then dry patches, followed by a patch with some Ballistol, then patched until they come out clean. I do this after each use unless using the rifle again the next day. No issues with accuracy or corrosion.