To clean the barrel or not???

[tsokasn]

Hello!
I heared today that some prefer not to clean their .22 barrel(just the action)not till a 1000 rounds are fired...
They claim that the rifle's accurancy gets better,espesially in old rifles...
Is it true?

[1813benny]

Every barrel is different...some like to be cleaned while others do not. The only way to determine what is best for your rifle is to keep records of number of rounds and sizes of groups fired.

[BartP]

The best smallbore marksmen in the world - the guys and gals at the top if the ISSF rankings - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best benchrest marksmen in the world - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best highpower shooters - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

There are a few holdouts, of course. But you can see the trend.

Bp

[scott75]

I clean my riflle after every shoot, i do this religiously as past of my packing up process.

Saying that i shoot with others, one springs to mind who has not cleaned his barrel in 2 years (im suprised how the bullet has room to travel the length of the barrel), but he shoots about 1 200 a shoot (he shoots once a week traditional english match) and is averaging 199 for the year to date. His theory is that once he has cleaned his barrel it usually takes about 150-200 shots to get it back to its usual performance.

Ha after all that waffle, i still clean after every shoot and i shoot 2 or 3 times a week.

Cheers

Scott

[ciscovt]

For what it is worth: I had my Anschutz rebarrelled by Creighton Audette of Springfield VT the Fall before he died. When I picked the rifle up, I asked Creighton about his feeling on cleaning. He flatly stated that a high power rifle should be cleaned after every outing to prevent galvanic action from happening between the copper fouling and the steel barrel.
However, for my new Lilja .22 barrel Creighton said "shoot it." He went on to clarify that I should shoot it until I had occassional flyers that I knew were not on call. Only then he said to clean it, or when putting it in storage.
Creighton Audette was one of the very best high power match rifle builders in the country.
From then on I cleaned it once a season, before I was putting the rifle up for the off season.

Scott
Vermont

[Pat McCoy]

If you ever get a chance to shoot in a smallbore match where Lones Wigger Jr is shooting, keep an eye on him between relays. You'll find him cleaning the bore.

[anschutz]

For what it is worth: I had my Anschutz rebarrelled by Creighton Audette of Springfield VT the Fall before he died. When I picked the rifle up, I asked Creighton about his feeling on cleaning. He flatly stated that a high power rifle should be cleaned after every outing to prevent galvanic action from happening between the copper fouling and the steel barrel.
However, for my new Lilja .22 barrel Creighton said "shoot it." He went on to clarify that I should shoot it until I had occassional flyers that I knew were not on call. Only then he said to clean it, or when putting it in storage.
Creighton Audette was one of the very best high power match rifle builders in the country.
From then on I cleaned it once a season, before I was putting the rifle up for the off season.

Scott
Vermont

What happens when your in a Olympic final, and that's when your rifle starts getting the occasional flier ?.
Keep it clean and you take out that uncertainty of when that flier will occur.Colin

[WesternGrizzly]

I say clean it as often as you can. About every 60 rounds. thats what a lot of benchrest shooters do. And i am talking RIMFIRE benchrest. Or if you are shooting an NRA match during the breaks run a few patches through. In ISSF maybe between positions.
matt

[bruce]

The best smallbore marksmen in the world - the guys and gals at the top if the ISSF rankings - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best benchrest marksmen in the world - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best highpower shooters - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

There are a few holdouts, of course. But you can see the trend.

Bp

Add to the list the ammunition and rifle manufacturers.

Anschütz and Eley have access to huge quantities of data, collected over decades, from testing in their ranges. Both insist on cleaning, at a minimum, at the conclusion of the day's shooting.

What no-one seems to agree on though, is the cleaning technique.

Some use a solvent during every clean, but the Anschütz factory technicians suggest dry cleaning every shoot, and a more intensive clean every 500 rds or so.

[Guest]

His theory is that once he has cleaned his barrel it usually takes about 150-200 shots to get it back to its usual performance.

I have tested my barrels at all European ammunition manufacturers, and it takes max 20 shots to warm up the barrel and reach the usual performance. If it takes 150-200 shots... Well, then there is something very wrong.

[Guest]

I used to clean after every 40 shot match. I found i was using a lot of ammo and time refouling after every cleaning (10-20 ) rounds. Unless you want to use your hot lot at 40 cents a shot that means taking two kinds of ammo to the line (say Red and Club) using more time and energy and eventually your barrel gets shot out sooner because you are putting more rounds through it. I decided, shoot the damn thing and get a new barrel every 5 or 6 years.

[weilers]

Personally, I try to clean my barrel as much as I can. I keep a Hoppe's Bore Snake and a small (2 oz) spray bottle with some solvent I take with me anytime I shoot. I have spoken with both Anschutz as well as the distributor I purchased the gun from and both said the use of the Bore Snake was perfectly safe. Once a month (~500 rounds or so), I throw it in the wash on hot and it's back to normal.

I have timed myself: I can get the barrel cleaned, from start to finish, in around 3 maybe 3 1/2 minutes. When I get home, I bring the rifle case down to the basement and give it a proper cleaning, then pack it back up for my next forray to the range.

[dlinden]

Discussions on barrel cleaning never fail to be either informative or entertaining. I agree with BartP and follow the lead of the top marksmen. You just can't be too meticulous with your cleaning routine. My barrel is press fit and glued. After each session of shooting, I remove the barrel from the action and simply drop it in the washer with the rest of my shooting apparel. The sweater, shirt and jeans help deaden the sound of the barrel during the spin cycle. A little Hoppe's #9 in the fabric softener dispenser is all you need. Twenty minutes on the rack in the dryer and your ready to go. Haven't had a flyer since following this routine.

Hope this helps - Dennis

[Telecomtodd]

That's evil, LOL

[KAZ]

I'm a benchrest match 22RF shooter, and before when I just occasionally shot targets/plinked believed that leaving a coat of oil prior to storage followed by an external wipe down to prevent rusting was enough. Now, I make sure to use a proper bore guide, and cleaning rod to clean every time I finish shooting with three wet patches, followed by two dry. It does matter, and removes moisture left by firing. Regards [/list]

[2650 Plus]

Yes, clean regulary,czrefully, and completely. Good Shooting Bill Horton

[Telecomtodd]

The best smallbore marksmen in the world - the guys and gals at the top if the ISSF rankings - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best benchrest marksmen in the world - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

The best highpower shooters - CLEAN THEIR BARRELS meticulously.

There are a few holdouts, of course. But you can see the trend.

Bp

Just saw Bart a couple hours ago. Busy scrubbing my bore in my hotel room now. That hotel shampoo works great.

[Guest]

bart pretty much described it best. of course when youre shooting a 3x40 you wont clean it between each stage, just clean it after it is all said and done, unless you're in a final in which case clean it after due to the amount of fouling shots. if you cannot do the full cleaning, to get the junk out of the barrel throw a few wet patches and a few dry ones down until you can clean it fully with the brush. not cleaning the barrel, especially in humid areas, will speed up the pitting process which will destroy your barrels accuracy. so when you can, clean it after every time you shoot. if not, get most of the junk out with some wet patches until you can clean it better.

M. Liuzza

[guidolastra]

So, what is the best cleaning routine ?
I do clean after every shoot in this order: dry patch (X2), Solvent (in and out 5X with the same patch), brush (in and a couple times), clean patch (2X), oiled patch (X1) and finally one dry patch to remove the excess oil.

[Antipentium]

One thing I did not see mentioned here is that ammo adds a factor in here. If you are shooting lowed quality you can expect to clean a lot more then the higher quality ammo. I learned from my uncle who was a Winchester rep and shot in the 1924 Olympics. He would clean after every event or training session. He would also clean before with a few dry patches then run about 5 rounds through it to as he put it "settle things"
He said that he never had a clean gun cause a malfunction...
Now getting into bigger bore rifle is different and not for here.