How often should I clean my rifle

Some people clean theirs after every outing. At a match I've seen them clean it after every round.
Others go years and never clean theirs and they still shoot pretty good.
There have been several tests you can google where guns have been fired with hundreds or thousands of rounds without being fired.
For some semi's in particular, they may not load or eject a cartridge reliably if they get dirty.

I clean mine within a week after a use, and the barrels all look like new.

But it's really up to you. Cleaning doesn't hurt the gun.
 
If you are shooting it every day, it would depend on what type rifle your are shooting, and what caliber. But generally speaking, it should function fine for a minimum of 200 rounds between cleanings. If I were shooting 50 rounds daily, I would probably just run a couple of lightly oiled patches through the tube every day, then clean it more thoroughly at 200.
 
There is no right answer to this question. At a minimum, a rifle should be cleaned when accumulated gunk interferes with either function or accuracy, and how many rounds this translates into depends entirely on the rifle and the ammunition.
 
It's a 3006 weatherby..
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Shooting modern US commercial ammo all the above advice is good. Some benchrest shooters clean every 20 rounds, some only when accuracy is affected.

Now, if you are shooting foreign milsurp ammo or US suplus ammo made before the early 1950s, ASSUME it to be corrosive primed.

Corrosive primed ammo the rifle should be cleaned as soon after shooting as practical, that day, or no later than the next day, if you are in a humid environment, and if not, still should be cleaned within a day or two.

Cleaned PROPERLY for corrosive primed ammo (which involves a little more work than the cleaning needed for non-corrosive ammo, look it up, ;))

If you don't, or don't do it right, the chemical salts left in the bore (and everywhere else powder gas goes) WILL CAUSE RUST!! and, in high humidity, it can begin in a matter of hours!!!

.22 rimfire is still a different matter. Modern .22s unlike centerfires, seem to shoot their best with well fouled barrels. many have reported their .22RF becoming LESS accurate after they cleaned the barrel, and not getting the previous level of accuracy back until a few hundred rounds had been fired.

If your .30-06 groups suddenly get bigger, for no apparent reason, clean the bore. IF that doesn't return things to normal, THEN start checking the rifle for changes, loose screws, scope & mount, etc.
 
I'll wipe down the exterior and remove gunk from the action after every range trip regardless of the number of rounds. Cleaning the barrel is much less often. I don't want stuff to build up that could affect function. Barrels shoot better when slightly dirty.

Sometime in the next month or so I'll take a day and thoroughly scrub all of my rifles barrels. Then get them to the range to get in some shooting before hunting season. The point of impact from a perfectly clean barrel will usually vary somewhat from one that is fouled. Accuracy is usually a bit better after a few rounds have been through one so I don't like to take a perfectly clean barrel hunting. During hunting season which runs from October to January I don't shoot a lot so the barrel isn't cleaned unless it gets wet for some reason.

During Winter, Spring and Summer I get to the range and shoot more and often give the barrels a good cleaning twice a year. Sometime in late spring and again in late summer. If I note accuracy declining the barrel gets a good cleaning earlier. Othewise about twice a year.
 
Think in terms of hunting. First shot is out of a cold, clean barrel. That's how you should practice on the 9" pie plate at 100 yards.
 
I used to clean obsessively, as I started shooting with corrosive surplus ammo. I think that it depends from rifle to rifle, but it's not necessary to clean after every trip to the range.
 
I always clean after every trip so no idea if it still shoots well. I;m thinking I've read where it's best to clean after 20 rounds as accuracy starts to fall off, don't know if that true of not.

Shot my cast bullet rifle a few days ago and didn't clean it. What I found with cast bullet's is that so long as there is no leading doesn't take much to clean the rifle. In my other rifles shooting jacketed bullet's, I don't like the copper build up in the barrel and the long you let it go the longer it takes to clean it out. My 22 rimfire's seldom get more than a wipe down.
 
I've read where it's best to clean after 20 rounds as accuracy starts to fall off, don't know if that true of not.
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In a match gun, or precision varmint rifle, it could happen, but remember those groups are measured in fraction of an inch, and top benchrest groups 0.001" might be the difference between winning and losing.

in a regular deer rifle, not so much.
 
I rarely clean my firearms. I usually only clean when I notice accuracy dropping off or working up new loads for a rifle.

With that said, I do clean an AR, shotgun and pistol that will be used in a shooting match. I was cleaning my 3 Gun AR the other night and could not believe the carbon buildup inside the bolt carrier. My CAT M4 wouldn't even turn inside the carrier. Also couldn't scrape the carbon buildup with a screw driver. I eventually soaked bolt carrier in carb cleaner which loosened the carbon up some. The carbon was no match from Kroil. That stuff is amazing.
 
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Depends on what one considers cleaning. Complete breakdown and clean or just a patch run through the barrel. I would say that probably most gun owners over clean their firearms. There are just too many variables to give a positive answer. Some gun Mfgs give a recommendation for cleaning their products.
 
I'll wipe down the exterior and remove gunk from the action after every range trip regardless of the number of rounds. Cleaning the barrel is much less often. I don't want stuff to build up that could affect function. Barrels shoot better when slightly dirty.
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^^ This. I clean off the powder residue from the action but the barrel only gets cleaned when it actually needs it.
 
I rarely shoot very many rounds at any one benchrest session, and generally don't plink very much with my hunting rifles. Aside from a wipe-down, all I usually do is spray some WD40 on a patch and run it through the barrel and then some RemOil on a patch and run it through. My main concern has always been rust prevention. My system has worked for me for many decades. :)
 
I clean a centerfire hunting rifle after a hunt or after a trip to the range. It may be several months between hunts. I also clean my AR after every outing, again if it's a long time between trips to the range or hunting the bore can and will rust. Clean it, oil the bore. Don't forget to run a dry patch thru the bore before shooting it. .22 Rimfire, very seldom and lately I've started using a patch worm on the rimfires. I've not had any rust problems in the bores of the .22s, the lube on a .22 must be enough protection. It is of benefit to keep the chambers clean on the .22s.
My 2 cents...................................
 
Dano4734 wrote:
...do I clean after every say 50 rounds or am I good for a bit...
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My practice has always been to clean the gun after every use.

You never know when you might be involved in an accident or stricken with a medical condition that keeps you away from your guns for months or years - it happened to me.
 
Take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you.

My own rule of thumb: clean my weapon first chance I get after every outing within 24 hours. That way I don't have to worry about trying to remember if I used corrosive or non-corrosive ammo.
 
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