Cleaning intervals

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Dec 28, 2015
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Completely depends on the barrel, caliber and powder you're using.

It's important that you not start load development until your barrel is properly broke in and fouled. After it's fouled depending on caliber and powder you're using. your sweet spot will last anywhere from 20 to 200 or more rounds before needing clean. My 7 LRM sweet spot is only 50 rounds where as my 6.5 Creedmore sweet spot is around 200 rounds. You only want to do your load development in the "sweet spot". That's the point in which your barrel is properly fouled before you start seeing diminishing returns in your accuracy because of a dirty barrel.

Yes I will occasionally run a wet/dry patch of "wipe out patch out" to clean out some of the powder fouling. This is especially important if you're running and overbore cartridge or a dirty powder.

I usually clean my rifle after 100 rounds during load development.


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desertcj

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I try not to let my barrels sit dirty unless it's hunting season. I've left them overnight, but I feel better about them being clean. I'll run a patch with solvent through the bore after 20-25 to get out powder residue. At least some CLP.
 
OP
A
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I shot 28 through it today. That's after about 14 a few days ago. No signs of lost accuracy and the bore looks fine. I'm still working on fine tuning a coyote load so I'll keep going until it starts spraying and document that number of rounds.
 

CaNINE

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Dec 12, 2015
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Key Peninsula, WA
I've been trying to answer this question for myself and have been experimenting with cleaning intervals in my long range precision rifles. I've talked to some experienced long range guys who tell me the never clean their bores unless something starts to go to heck. These guys are going 500+ rounds without cleaning and still holding sub half MOA precision. I'm running round counts in my 6.5CM, 308 Win and 300 WSM rifles to see when accuracy starts to degrade.

My basic process is to run a 25 - 30 shot break in with shoot one and clean for the first five shots followed by 4 - 5 five shot groups cleaning between groups. Then I fire 5 foulers and start load development. From that point on I don't clean the bore.
 
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Formidilosus

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When new, run a dry patch down the bore to get rid of any junk then shoot it until it stops shooting well. The current barrel on my match 308 has well over 1,500 rounds on it without a patch ever being out through it and averages just under 1 MOA for 10 round groups. The 223 Tikka T3 SL that gets shoot the most is above 3,000 rounds and still averages around 1.25 MOA for 10 round groups and he never been cleaned.

People WAY over clean.
 

desertcj

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When new, run a dry patch down the bore to get rid of any junk then shoot it until it stops shooting well. The current barrel on my match 308 has well over 1,500 rounds on it without a patch ever being out through it and averages just under 1 MOA for 10 round groups. The 223 Tikka T3 SL that gets shoot the most is above 3,000 rounds and still averages around 1.25 MOA for 10 round groups and he never been cleaned.

People WAY over clean.

Is that a stainless barrel?
 

Justin Crossley

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I only clean if I see a decline in accuracy. I'm not the best at documenting details but I know my 6.5-06AI which I shoot the most usually goes about 200-300 rounds before I see any change.
 

ckleeves

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Montrose,Colorado
I only clean if I see a decline in accuracy. I'm not the best at documenting details but I know my 6.5-06AI which I shoot the most usually goes about 200-300 rounds before I see any change.

X2. I also think every barrel is different. Some need cleaned way more often then others. One of my brothers .223's goes from a 1/4" gun to about 2" gun if it isn't cleaned every 200 rounds. Clean it good, foul it with about 5 rounds and it's right back to a 1/4" gun. I had a custom 300 wsm that was the same way but would go downhill fast after less then 100 rounds.

On the other side of the coin I had a 22-250 that I cleaned about 3 times total in the entire life of the barrel and shot lights out until the throat was gone.


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Cinch

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I'll clean my bolt and chamber but I don't clean a bore until accuracy starts to drop off...
 
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My barrel is more accurate dirty. Groups size ranges from 0.4" to 0.75". After I clean the barrel the group size increases 0.80 to 1.30". After 15+ shots the group size settles down again and gets real tight after 25 rounds or so. I clean the barrel after hunting season. With this gun, any sudden changes in accuracy would have me checking the base mounts, scope rings, actions screws. With my gun, speaking only to my situation, a dirty barrel is the least likely source of a sudden change in accuracy.
 

spaniel

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Apr 11, 2017
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Indiana
When new, run a dry patch down the bore to get rid of any junk then shoot it until it stops shooting well. The current barrel on my match 308 has well over 1,500 rounds on it without a patch ever being out through it and averages just under 1 MOA for 10 round groups. The 223 Tikka T3 SL that gets shoot the most is above 3,000 rounds and still averages around 1.25 MOA for 10 round groups and he never been cleaned.

People WAY over clean.

I guess it depends on your expectations. If my guns shot like that I'd clean them, and lacking improvement, rebarrel them, or sell them. The X ring of an F-class target is .5 MOA.
 

bhylton

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if your doing load development i would not clean at all. start with a clean bore, shoot 15rds (or maybe it takes more) of factory ammo to foul the bore, then start load development.

during development you want every variable to be EXACTLY the same from shot to shot, group to group. if it takes 15 rds, or maybe 50rds to fully foul the bore, the bore will be changing condition after every shot until you get there. Once your barrel is fouled, however, it should stay the same for a long time giving you a consistent platform to test powder charges, seat depth ect. People talk about over fouling or whatever but have not experienced that with the number of rounds i shoot. ( im only up to about 150 - 200 on my rifles which are all factory). i clean only when im not going to shoot for several months and i leave a note on the gun to shoot 20rds before i try messing with anthying

I asked this same question here about a year ago and Sam Millard told me basically what i just wrote. made my life so much better during load development. good luck
 

Formidilosus

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I guess it depends on your expectations. If my guns shot like that I'd clean them, and lacking improvement, rebarrel them, or sell them. The X ring of an F-class target is .5 MOA.


You shoot a 6lb .223 in 1,000 yard F-Class and average .5 MOA for 10 round groups?


Whats interesting is all the "1/2moa all day long" rifles that people have. A couple years ago my partner and I shot a major sniper match. I shoot a reletively unique rifle and lots of people ask how it shoots. I generally respond with "about 1 MOA" as that's the truth- I can guarantee that gun will hit a 1 MOA target at 100 yards with significantly better than 95% certainty. The usual response is and was disdain for such a bad shooting rifle, as all of theirs are "sub half MOA all day long". That match had three different stages where you shot .75-1.25 MOA targets at 70-100 yards. There were three people out of 120 that cleaned all three stages. My partner, myself, and another shooter that had a "1 MOA" rifle.


It isnt a .5 MOA gun if it won't hit a .5 MOA target with every round, starting cold.
 
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the gun may be, the shooter may not

I have gone from cleaning to much to only cleaning powder fouling if the gun will sit.

For the record I am not one of those that can hold half moa all day long but my gun may be able
 

desertcj

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You shoot a 6lb .223 in 1,000 yard F-Class and average .5 MOA for 10 round groups?


Whats interesting is all the "1/2moa all day long" rifles that people have. A couple years ago my partner and I shot a major sniper match. I shoot a reletively unique rifle and lots of people ask how it shoots. I generally respond with "about 1 MOA" as that's the truth- I can guarantee that gun will hit a 1 MOA target at 100 yards with significantly better than 95% certainty. The usual response is and was disdain for such a bad shooting rifle, as all of theirs are "sub half MOA all day long". That match had three different stages where you shot .75-1.25 MOA targets at 70-100 yards. There were three people out of 120 that cleaned all three stages. My partner, myself, and another shooter that had a "1 MOA" rifle.


It isnt a .5 MOA gun if it won't hit a .5 MOA target with every round, starting cold.

Their guns may have been .5 minute rifles, I bet there rifles were not zeroed properly and they probably mis-dialed for such a close range. I could very well be wrong, but 1/2 minute rifles do not make 1/2 minute shooters as I'm sure you know.
 
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