Rifle Cleaning?

I hardly ever clean my barrel, can easily go a few hundred rounds with no noticeable effect on accuracy. I keep the outside as well as the bolt well oiled, especially from sweaty (salty) hands, just use oil on a rag. The Hoppes oil would do fine.

If I don't shoot very often I'll put a lightly oiled patch through the barrel, even when dirty, to stop any rust forming in the barrel.
When it comes time to clean the barrel properly, I run soaked patches with Bore Tech Eliminator or Hoppes 9, and leave it in there a while to work it's way in (about 30mins). I use a bore guide to not drip solvents and stuff everywhere.
Then I run a nylon brush on a one piece rod through the barrel a few times, I take it backward through just being careful.
Then I'll run dry patches until they come out clean.
If it's still quite dirty or I'm bored, I'll run another wet patch and then the nylon brush again.

I hadn't cleaned my gun after probably 100rounds not long ago, and still managed to shoot a clover leaf at 100yards with my T3 Lite 223.

Biggest thing for me is to wipe to whole outside with oil, as it's very muggy where I am, so rust can form very quick. And also oil the barrel when storing.
I left my Remington 870 very dirty for a long time in the safe, but it was well oiled. When I finally cleaned it, it came up like new again.
 
Interesting. 40 is a number I have found to be where accuracy starts to turn. I can go 60, but it is clearly shooting worse by then.

Mine is a Savage 12BVSS in 300 WSM, shooting 190 gr Bergers, if that matters.
 
Hey guys I know I should put a thin coat of grease on the back of the locking lugs on the bolt. Based on my research there should be some grease on the cocking cam and extraction cam. Not sure where these two things are located on a Tikka bolt??
 
Every rifle is different.
As Trg said, in his case they need it rarely.
Best advice on "how often" to clean the bore is only when accuracy degrades.
 
CC268 said: Hey guys I know I should put a thin coat of grease on the back of the locking lugs on the bolt. Based on my research there should be some grease on the cocking cam and extraction cam. Not sure where these two things are located on a Tikka bolt??
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Good maintenance requires that you take the bolt apart for periodic cleaning and lubrication. I don't do it very often, I wait until I get a misfire and then I do a detailed strip and cleaning of it. But I'm just punching paper. If I was hunting/competing I would do it before each event.

Here's someone on YouTube has done a Tikka bolt disassembly.
 
I am going to go with jmr40 on this one. If you are going to use it for hunting, you can "Overclean" it. I was really busy this year and only got to the range right before deer season. I had cleaned my 7x57 well the previous season and not shot it since. The first shot was about 2" high and left. The next 3 were right in there. Same thing every time I clean it. First shot is off until the barrel is dirty. I used to go crazy cleaning my surplus rifles because of the surplus ammo I shot. With the new powders and primers, you probably are doing more damage constantly cleaning a gun. The more you strip it down, the looser everything gets. It is not a military gun.
 
Gunplummer said: If you are going to use it for hunting, you can "Overclean" it.
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From time to time I read statements like this and just cringe. It is a ridiculous statement. I can't think of any machine that performs better with internal parts being dirty or fouled. If you're rifle shoots better after it has been used it is because it has an obstruction (copper fowling, lead, caked carbon etc...). A warm barrel expands slightly minimizing the obstruction, but that doesn't necessarily improve accuracy.

Take a look at these targets and my notes the results are there for you to see. Look how the middle groups (FGMM) improved from before to after some cleaning.
 
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Distinction needs to be made between cleaning the bore (when needed due to accuracy degrading), and cleaning/lubricating the rifle...

Two different animals, often independent of each other.
 
Okay so the dissasembly for the bolt looks really easy based on that Youtube video. However, still not sure what the cocking and extraction cams are?? I have so far just put a thin strip of grease on the back of the locking lugs.
 
You have a nice shooter there. If it is new, you might want to look into a proper break in. Also note the barrel temp with pattern. Then avoid getting to that temp.
 
I have done quite a bit of research on barrel break in and based on research from metallurgists and others it sounds like break in is more of a myth than anything, although there are simple guidelines that can be followed. Some of the break in procedures I have seen seem really ridiculous to me.
 
Eppi, I disagree. I know what happens when I clean/shoot my rifles. I don't let leaves and sticks build up in the action, but I don't get silly about cleaning either. I have almost no rifles with button rifling, and I believe that copper fouling is more of a problem with them. I have had a 336 Marlin freeze shut on me. I was young and thought cleaning and lubing was to be done constantly. There was a lesson learned the hard way. If it somehow makes you feel better, wear yourself out.
 
I've got a few "don'ts" for your consideration.

1. Don't use a bore-snake on a rifle. One pass with a clean one won't hurt much, but why run a dirty snake through a barrel? It's not just dirt, but ground glass that's used in primers and other gritty debris.

2. Don't allow WD-40 to get within two miles of any firearm!! It turns to a sticky mess that will gum up triggers, firing pins, and has even seeped out of firing pin holes to kill primers in hunting rifles. (Use Break-Free or Rem-Oil sparingly)

3. Push a lubricated bronze brush through the bore from the breech end and remove it, instead of dragging back against a sharp barrel crown. Brass doesn't do the damage, it's the grit that gets on it that causes it to act like a Remington Rod Saw!!! Clean the brush with Brake Cleaner spray or Gun Scrubber spray before putting it away.

4. Use a good solvent, then a dry patch, then RemOil on a clean patch to actually protect the bore from corrosion. Solvents like Hoppe's #9 are not protectants!!

I like to clean a new bore before shooting, then after shooting about 5 rounds, just to get any tiny metal shavings out. After that, it's good to go.
 
Thanks guys, I got a Viper Bore snake because it works so damn well on my other gun, but I use it last after the bore is already really clean. The bore snake just sort of gets the barrel that much cleaner.
 
Your take on barrel-break in is in agreement with mine, and many others.

But, just like this thread on barrel cleaning, is a hotly debated topic, with evidence to support both sides.

Just bought my son a DPMS LR-308, and they recommend an extensive barrel break-in procedure. He'll most likely, just "shoot it"...

Factory barrels may have machining marks left from the chambering process, and "break-in" is to wear these down, and fill-in/smooth out the leade by laying down some copper fouling. Match grade barrels that have the chamber hand-lapped require little or none of this.

We plan on sending a couple of dozen rounds downrange initially for this purpose and to get the optic on paper, then clean and start load development to see what it likes.
 
I basically plan on zeroing my rifle and shooting a few rounds after. Then I will take it home and do a thorough cleaning of the barrel and whatever else
 
CC268,
Since so much time has been spent on barrel cleaning, I want to explicit state the obvious.

You do realize that the .243, although a great shooting caliber, is also known as a barrel burner right?
 
Well I already bought the .243. Maybe I should have bought the .308, but it is what is it. I don't plan on shooting more than 200 rounds a year through this gun. I am a college student and can't afford to shoot more than that anyways. If I burn through the barrel in a year then I guess I am **** out of luck and I will buy something else down the road. Starting to wonder if maybe the .243 was the wrong choice for me.
 
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