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If a rifle is shooting adequately accurately should it ever be cleaned?

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  • Dawico

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    So a dirty barrel is more accurate than a clean barrel? Serious question.
    Well it depends technically.

    Many benchrest shooters scrub clean before shooting for record (or have some sort of routine that involves deep cleaning). Guys in other competitions do too.

    They also clean between strings so as to keep their barrel consistently clean.

    While I don't compete in any way, I prefer consistently dirty. It lasts much longer and is easier to maintain. I also prefer to spend my range time shooting, not cleaning.

    It is hard to argue accuracy against what the benchrest shooters are doing as far as pure accuracy goes. Keep in mind they spend a lot of time and money to be competitive.

    If you want the absolute best group then follow their lead. If you are okay giving up a bit of accuracy to be able to shoot all day and not have to scrub your barrel multiple times then let it stay fouled.

    I have shot my fair share of 1/2 MOA or less groups with fouled factory barrels. That's good enough for me to go out and have a great day at the range.
    Hurley's Gold
     

    dee

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    On my bolt guns I typically clean every 300rds or so. Smaller overbore rounds it can be uber critical depending on certain things. My 22 creed will get a carbon ring and start building pressure and opening up on groups. My 6 creed seems more forgiving but I still keep the 300rd rule or if it's going to a match soon it'll get cleaned and fouled before just to keep it under the 300 if I can. My 6.5 hasn't been shot as much but still gets the same treatment as well. The only one I've not seen much affect on is my 223ai but it will get a cleaning soon just because. All of these are custom tubes so they tend to foul less than some factory do. I also only ever clean powder fouling and never copper build up.

    Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
     

    HKShooter65

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    So a dirty barrel is more accurate than a clean barrel? Serious question.

    I have a conjecture.
    I have no facts.

    Conjecture is thus:
    After a thorough cleaning a barrel gradually builds up fouling for the first 33 to 37 rounds.
    At about 33-37 rounds the fouling asymptotically (great Scrabble word) approaches a constant.
    Upon achieving that constant the shots become highly consistent, ergo highly accurate.

    Actually I have no freaking idea. I'm making this up.
     

    easy rider

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    To me it depends. If it is shooting well and there is no malfunctions or obvious build up, then I don't worry about it much. If it's been sitting awhile and I knew it hadn't been cleaned since the last time I shot it, I would clean it.
     

    DoubleDuty

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    Are you suggesting that carbon and/or lead accumulation might, somehow, create a dangerous situation.
    That assertion would be new to me.

    My gas direct impingement ARs, when shot suppressed, seem to fill up with detritus from the blow back but the bores don't appear particularly dirty. Suppressed piston semi guns stay generally squeaky clean.

    I'm wondering about cleaning the bore?
    Anybody have an evidence-based opinion?
    No of course not. I was being a bit snarky.
     

    Pistol Pete

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    The bore in a high powered rifle should be cleaned and oiled to prevent rust. You will prolly need to do a fouling shot, you should do it regardless to confirm zero. .22 RF, clean it when accuracy declines, may need clean the chamber more often. A Patch Worm is your friend.
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    I can only go on my past experiences:

    Got my first gun at age 5 and dad a career military guy taught me to clean it regularly if shot or not!

    Went in the Army (Infantry) and we DEEP cleaned our weapons every time we drew them from the Arms room and if we went a while before we used them, we would draw them and DEEP clean for the hell of it.

    I remember well in my early enlisted days the Sgts and their "white glove' inspections on Sat mornings as we tried and struggled to get a clean glove so we could be off for the weekend. ANY smudge would send you back to reclean...note "white gloves' actually were an issue item, so the Sgt's would have them by the boxes.

    In the heat of getting overrun while out on Observation Post duty my M 16 failed. With MUCH luck I was out there beyond the wire by myself my buddy has told me he needed to go back for something which I have long forgotten why. Darkness makes for a great cover and when it stopped firing I hit the ground flat as a pancake while the pitter-patter of little VC feet ran across my back. They overrun was repelled and with great luck instead of the little guys retreated back over my position they dived off the side of the hill. I got lectured about cleaning my weapon...BUT after the butt chews were over they replaced the BCG with a new and different one. The new one was not black, but silver in color.

    I pass that on because later in my career I learned it was not cleaning that caused failure on the battlefield, but rather it was the interaction of steel vs Alum frame in the heat of extreme firing aka Battle! The steel BCG would gall against the interior of the upper! The replacement BCG solved the problem...let me also add: HAD the Army properly tested the M 16 prior to fielding it this would have been discovered, along with the drawback of the 5.56, which when tested in Gel Blocks is quite impressive, but when tested against a 125 lb little VC stoked on drugs and adrenalin, like Al Pacino in Scarface closing sequence, took a lot of hits before they went down.

    I don't clean my SS guns other than a wipe with a fabric brush and little gun oil after shooting, maybe a few strokes. My non-stainless steel gets the same treatment after shooting and from time to time a good clean, but NOT any more of the DEEP clean I lived with for so many years. In fact, the DEEP clean with its harsh chemicals and often seeing more strokes of brass brushes and swabs than rds sent downrange does nothing but wear the interior bore down reducing accuracy.

    My First Ruger 10/22 saw approx 25,000 rds down the pipe in my many summers of hunting water mocs on rivers that passed thru various ranches I hunted. That Ruger NEVER failed me, never jammed and I finally passed it on to a young 16 kids for his first gun after my staff gave me a SS 10/22 when I retired from the Army.
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    We always shot WD40 down the barrels, and on the outside of our rifles/shotguns after use, then wiped them off.
    That's pretty much all we ever did.
    I to use that often especially if there was any dampness, early morning dew etc, WD = water displacement and it does a great job on that.
     

    HKShooter65

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    We always shot WD40 down the barrels, and on the outside of our rifles/shotguns after use, then wiped them off.
    That's pretty much all we ever did.

    WD40 leaves a gummy residue in actions.
    Not a big problem but can accumulate and attract grit.
    I use it plenty. The non aerosol squeeze pump cans from Lowes last a long while

    Though I like Birchwood Casey Barricade.
    Scant residue but seems very protective.
    Expensive due to the 0.3% unicorn semen.
    Well worth it.
     

    91B10

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    Without fail I run a solvent rag down the barrel after every third shot.


    (Too damn hard to ram the patch and ball down the barrel if i don’t).
     

    diesel1959

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    I guess I'm one who always cleans every firearm after use. I don't deep clean them, but I use CLP & bore snakes and don't leave any powder residue in them. I've never concerned myself with removing copper. But I clean every firearm after returning from the range or other use. It's the way I was taught and the way I'll continue.

    For semiauto .22 rifles, I may not break them down completely; however, I will clean what I can and run a bore snake.
     
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