Gun cleaning after one shot

[Ruark]

Some of you guys are really into some high end custom accuracy rigs (drool, drool). I thought it would be interesting to bring up this question: what cleaning procedure do you follow after firing a SINGLE shot?

So you've run all your Sweet's and #9BR through it, etc. and got the bore cleaned of every molecule of copper fouling, oiled and polished like a mirror. You take it out on a Saturday afternoon coyote shoot and fire ONE shot with it on the trip.

When you get home, do you go through your entire cleaning operation, or something briefer? Remember, again, we're talking about your baby: your 800 yard, 1/4-MOA fine rifle, not your old truck gun you clean once every 10 years.

[J.B.]

many competition shooters arent cleaning their custom rigs at all.....until accuracy deteriorates....250-500 rounds!

Once the rifle is fouled it will shoot its best if it is a good gun. No need to clean every few shots. Clean after accuracy deteriorates.

[Mud Shark]

many competition shooters arent cleaning their custom rigs at all.....until accuracy deteriorates....250-500 rounds!

Once the rifle is fouled it will shoot its best if it is a good gun. No need to clean every few shots. Clean after accuracy deteriorates.

That's right. Wipe down the outside, but I VERY rarely do anything inside the barrel.

[Maddox]

This, I stopped cleaning my rifle often, most of the time it's not needed.

I think what you are talking about is new barrel break-in, where you run a patch or brushless snake through the barrel after each of the first 10 shots. This is just to ensure the inside of the new barrel is "smoothed" out.

many competition shooters arent cleaning their custom rigs at all.....until accuracy deteriorates....250-500 rounds!

Once the rifle is fouled it will shoot its best if it is a good gun. No need to clean every few shots. Clean after accuracy deteriorates.

[Drycreek3189]

I don't clean one until it needs it. Certainly not after one shot. Most guns shoot their best with a fouled barrel. After all, it was dirty when you got it where you wanted it !

[M16]

The first thing I do after cleaning it is fire a fouling shot if I'm gonna be using it in the near future. I don't clean mine often, only when accuracy tells me it needs it.

[Ruark]

My current practice is to just do a light cleaning after each use, but NOT a major scrubbing. I'll run 2 or 3 wet patches of #9BR through it, then dry patches until they come out clean, and I'm done.

[cwill37]

cleaning after firing even one round goes back to the black powder and corrosive primers days. The fowling from black powder and the residue from corrosive primers can cause a barrel to rust very quickly. Smokeless powders don't cause the same caustic effect and its not necessary to clean like in the past, and the only corrosive primers you may find are in older surplus ammo.

My hunting rifles get a thorough cleaning at the end of season or if they are going to be stored for any length of time, the rest of the time they just get wiped down after every trip(unless they get wet).

My precision rifle gets wiped down every time its put up but the bore only gets cleaned when accuracy starts to degrade, usually after 250 to 300 rds. It then usually takes about 5 rounds down the bore for it to settle down again and shoot right.

[trophy8]

Only time I clean it completely is when I run it hard and its full of sand etc. as far as the barrel, ill shoot 2-4 fouling shots before I start shooting targets, deer, etc. I will completely clean the barrel after 50-60 rounds.

[Rudyl]

Interesting

[zac221]

Last season I built 120 rounds for my 25-06 and was covering 3-shot groups with a quarter at 100yards. Bout a month and half ago I scrubbed it real good, until the patch quit turning blue from copper. Shot it about 2 weeks ago and am able to cover 3 shots with a tennis ball. Gotta get that rifle dirty again to shoot good. So I'm gonna stick with keep it dirty until accuracy tells me to clean it.

[Ruark]

Wow, great feedback on this topic. I knew some people never cleaned their guns, but I didn't realize the practice was this common. I have a couple of boxes of ammo I don't use; I guess I need to fire 5-6 rounds through it before I go back to the deer stand.

[WCB]

Great info

No wonder I can't hit the broadside of a barn...

[tx07]

Great info

No wonder I can't hit the broadside of a barn...

Lol


My theory is on new rifles. Clean it once each shot for the first 5 to 10 rounds until it breaks in. After that, bout 1 every year if it gets used. Which reminds me. I need to go clean the barrel of my compound bow real quick.

[JeffJ]

Dont think I ever saw my papa clean a gun and I KNOW my dad hasnt ever cleaned one. I clean mine once or twice a year usually unless it gets real dirty. Usually wipe down the outside every couple hunting trips.