Clean barrel vs fouled barrel

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oo0juice0oo

New member
I've read a lot of hoo-ha about barrel break-in and cleaning after every shot and letting your barrel foul for up to 50 rounds or so before cleaning. My question is: If I'm gearing my rifle for a hunt would it be better to get my groups and zero by cleaning after every shot during a group so that I have a perfectly clean barrel before each shot, and then have a perfectly clean barrel when I head out for the hunt? Or should I have a little fouling before I get my zero/make my groups and then head out for the hunt with a fouled barrel? How many rounds would it take for my barrel to foul up enough for there to be a difference from the first clean shot? By the way I'm shooting a 300 win mag if that matters.
 
As far as break in, I do break in a barrel if it’s a bench only gun. The shoot clean shoot for the first 50 rounds.
Does it really help? No idea, all I know is on the 3 guns that I have done that process they became very accurate guns. Again that’s no proof. What I do know is that people much smarter than I am, one being a very good gunsmith recommended it.
What I do know with experience is that copper fouling can affect accuracy in a big way. And this was with a bolt 223, not some cannon like the 300 Win.
The other reason that I would go with a barrel as clean as possible is that the possibility of corrosion will be reduced.
This probably doesn’t answer your question very well but I’m not a hunter, just a paper killer. But from my experience clean is always better.
I am curious how the real hunters feel.
Good question.
 
Break-in is one thing. Hunting is something else entirely.

After I've settled on a load for a hunting rifle, I give the barrel a good cleaning, then when I go to the range I'll fire one shot and note the impact. Let the barrel cool completely, maybe 30 minutes, then fire another shot to verify zero. Thereafter, I won't clean the barrel, but when I go to the range, I'll take that rifle and fire one shot. One shot only from a cold, fouled barrel. After I've done this over the course of several trips, I'm confident in my load and my rifle. The barrel won't be cleaned again till after the hunting season, but you've got to realize that between the start of this process and the end of the season, I might only fire 10 shots through the barrel.

I'm a big fan of clean barrels and multi-shot groups. I like 5-shot and 10-shot groups, but when I'm prepping for hunting, the only group that matters is the one-shot group. I want to know to a dead certainty where that first shot is going.
 
I shoot a lot during the summer trying different handloads and practicing. Don't clean my barrels until I notice accuracy falling off or the gun gets wet. I give my barrels a good cleaning a few weeks before hunting season. But I'll always make 1 more range trip before hunting season begins to foul the barrel and verify the zero with a few shots much like Paw Paw. Don't clean them again until after the season unless I end up hunting in the rain.
 
I like my hunting barrel clean and protected from corrosion. My free-floating barrels don't shoot the first shot far enough off group center to worry about it. A piece of electrical tape across the muzzle further protects the bore from debris. Learned the hard way about that.

Long ago, I forgot to clean my fouled barrel .22-250 after varmint season and it was stored leaning against a sanitary stack pipe in the walk-in closet.

When I remembered to clean it about two months later, I could barely see through the barrel from the rust!!! I couldn't get a cleaning rod through it, so soaked the bore with oil of some kind and repeated it several times. After a few days, a rod made it through and cleaning with brushes commenced.

Most of the rust came out well, but the barrel was lightly pitted in several places. I decided to fire it to see if it was still accurate, so threw some loads together and a couple of days later, took it to the range. Lying prone on the firing line, I fired five shots at 200 yards and went down to see. I expected the target to either be clean, or have keyholed bullet holes. To my amazement, there was a 5/8" group, right where it should have been! Of course, I couldn't remember the load data, but I'd never shot a group like that prone without a rest, either before or since. Stuff happens!

I couldn't stand having a pitted barrel, so I traded the rifle.
 
My guns have always settled in after about 3 shots. Keep in mind, it's not just "fouled" or "clean". Different powder residue changes Point of Impact also.

For a hunting gun, it makes the most sense to leave the barrel fouled during the season and have the gun sighted accordingly. The powder residue in the barrel isn't hurting a thing unless you're using old, corrosive ammo.
 
After I'm done with sighting, getting comfortable etc with my hunting guns, I give them a good cleaning, then take it back to the range for a 3 shot group. It stays "fouled" for the hunt after that.
 
I found on my rifle that the first shot out of a clean barrel is a "flyer". Only an inch or so from the normal group but I'm fussy. So after I've sighted in the rifle (or checked it) I clean it and put it away until season. Then I'll fire just one or two shots to slightly "foul" the barrel. I believe this might be overkill but I want to KNOW my rifle is going to hit where I want it to.
 
I'm 100% with PawPaw. And as for fouled vs clean barrels, I do my hunting with 4 rifles (223 for pests, 220 for Coyote & Pig, 260 and 270 for Pig and Deer) and each of them needs to be different degrees of dirty for best shooting and each takes a different number of shots before they are dirty enough to need cleaning. Deer season opens here in Texas tomorrow morning, and the 260 and 270 are properly dirty. And...LSU/Alabama play tomorrow. Gonna be a great day (if the Tigers win and that 10 point Buck I've been seeing comes within range).
 
Nearly every rifle I have ever owned has fired the first shot from a clean cold barrel about an inch high at 100 yds., compared to the next 4 shots, even with ample cooling between shots. I don't think it's enough to be a problem, but just in case, I know the high point of my trajectory and hold a few inches low if the range warrants it. This only if I didn't have a chance to foul the barrel before the hunt.

Normally I fire a couple sighters once the hunting destination is reached, then leave the bore fouled for the hunt.
 
Many moons ago I attempted to get the most accuracy out of a Handi youth rifle for my sons. At the range, I fired 1 shot, cleaned, fired another, cleaned and so on. My groups sucked in a big way. That gun was sold due to accuracy "issues". I thought by starting with the supposed same clean barrel every time I was eliminating fouling from the equation. In reality, I was adding solvent to the equation.
Fast forward many years and much more experience. After a good cleaning, copper and powder, the first shot rarely is within the group. I now clean, fire 2 foulers, shoot for group. Next range session, 1 shot from cold fouled barrel to verify point of impact. In most cases, that 1 shot falls within the groups of the previous session. After that, barrels never gets cleaned during hunting season unless bad weather.
 
never

I've got a Rem 700 whose accuracy will begin to degrade within 20 rds. Likely not enough to miss a deer, especially at the range I typically shoot whitetails here in the south. But a rifle not performing its best is always an irritant to me.

Once zeroed, I do not do a "bare metal cleaning", but I will pull a boresnake or some patches through a barrel any time I think it might need it after wet conditions.
 
Varies with the rifle's behavior. My two "pets" put the first shot at the point of aim, the same as the next few, as long as a dry patch went through the barrel before shooting. For that matter, I've seen little difference if there is but the lightest film of oil--which is usually how I store them.

Best way I know to test is go to the bench with a lightly oiled barrel and shoot a group. For a hunter, only the first three are truly important. If you don't have a flier with that first shot, compared to the next two, don't worry about it. If it's a flier, then fire a fouling shot before going hunting.
 
Myself I work towards a properly "Seasoned" rifle barrel. So my best advice to anyone is to learn to use "Bore Snakes" before and after every range session. And day of hunting.
 
I shoot my hunting rifles pretty regularly at the range, and I gave up on the 'ol "white glove" stuff a while back.

After I shoot, I run a boresnake :eek: with some Hoppes #9 through the bore twice, and call it good. This is what I do for the whole of hunting season, after the season, I do a through cleaning.

Keeps everything on target for me, though I rarely shoot over 100yds and almost never while hunting, so the long range guys may recommend a different regimen.
 
I have experienced clean barrels walk as I shoot them in highpower matches.

My last M1a barrel, a Douglas, it had close to 5000 rounds. A deep cleaning with JB bore paste and Sweets, next match that thing was radically changing its elevation as I shot. Might have stablized around shot 5.

But not all.

My krieger barreled 308 Match rifle, shot it at 600 yards without any fouling shots and it shot to same elevation as before.

Windage is never the same at 600 yards. ;)

That barrel is really new, so I don't know if new barrels are less affected than old.
 
I am like pawpaw before the end of deer season and before the start of the next deer season I clean my rifle thoroughly. When I check my rifle before the season starts, I fire a couple of fouling shots let the barrel cool. Then I fire shots from a cold bore to check point of impact. After that I leave it alone until the season is over. If I shoot in between seasons I will clean the barrel afterwards.
 
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