cleaning

[Tim S]

Roger et al,

I think the decision on whether a dry patch is safe, depends on when you clean. I often dry patch my barrels straight after shooting; the fouling is still soft and moist to the touch. As Dave noted above, a lot of the sticky powder residue/bullet grease comes out with the patch. However if I'm cleaning the day after shooting, I start with a wet patch first (several in fact) as the fouling is otherwise dry and gritty.

[muldoon9]

The newest nano grease I found attracts barely anything,
that is, if you try to wipe it off its still there, acting as a lube.
Acts much different than traditional long molecule grease.
M

[muldoon9]

Nano Plas
Product #NCG 1000
809-521-0540

"Ceramic Mold Grease"

M

[patriot]

Roger et al,

I think the decision on whether a dry patch is safe, depends on when you clean. I often dry patch my barrels straight after shooting; the fouling is still soft and moist to the touch. As Dave noted above, a lot of the sticky powder residue/bullet grease comes out with the patch. However if I'm cleaning the day after shooting, I start with a wet patch first (several in fact) as the fouling is otherwise dry and gritty.

Yep; same for HP.

I wipe the bolt off with CLP after every trip to the range.

Mark

[matchguy]

Very interesting. When I got my Anschutz a few years ago it was general consensus not to clean the barrel once seasoned and using a certain brand of ammo until accuracy started to fall. This was a lot of rounds. If changing ammo, a cleaning was required. Also, there's a ring of lead at the end of the chamber with a lot of Anschutz rifles. Some would buy a bore scope to see it and clean it out with a brass brush but then accuracy would fall off until it filled up again with lead. Mine had that ring when I got it. I know master class shooters that never clean their barrels.

I'd like to hear what the Olympic or World Cup level shooters do like McPhail, Emmons or Uptagrafft. If they clean their barrels every day or outing I'd do the same in a minute. The guy I got my Anschutz from had 50,000 rounds thru it but only cleaned it when accuracy fell off. It's still very accurate with select ammo. He did use a boresnake and included it. It wasn't very dirty at all showing it wasn't used much.

I don't like having a dirty barrel but I did notice when I cleaned it, accuracy wasn't as good as when it was seasoned and it took several hundred rounds til it was back.

Just my 2 cents.

[patriot]

Eric will be seen cleaning his barrel immediately following the match. Kevin posted almost the identical procedure I noted above.

Another elite shooter suggested the "I never clean" competitors were deliberately misleading others. Why else would Bench Rests shooters clean so often?

If your barrel needs that many rounds to settle down, maybe it is time for a new barrel. Have you scoped it? Although Boyd won the second day at Perry a few years back with a rifle barrel that looked shot out. My barrels need around 5 rounds; 10 if I've used JB. Every barrel is different. One top competitor had a barrel that needed cleaning half way through a 1600 point match.

I did learn a lesson the hard way about deep cleaning a 308; two sighters were not enough for it to regain it accuracy. It is surprising how well a 1903-A4 with a roughly machined two groove barrel will shoot, but they are almost impossible to get clean.

Mark

[matchguy]

My barrel is still pretty good. While "seasoned" it shoots incredible. Didn't say it shot bad after a cleaning, just not the best it will shoot. It's from '83. I've never cleaned it so much so the lead ring was gone. Yes I've scoped it and the throat is very good. That's how I saw the ring but that's the only lead I saw in the chamber/bore. Surprisingly with 50k rounds thru it, it shoots as well as anyone's at our club.

At least when I got my Anschutz a few years ago, there was no shortage of people not cleaning on the Anschutz section of some of the other rimfire forums.

Another club I go to has a group of people that do 22 BR and some clean & some don't but most are older.

[redschietti]

At least 20 years ago the shooters going to the olympics cleaned about exactly the same as is being recomended now.

[muldoon9]

I would like to know who or where the idea
came about to " not clean rim fires" .

That would help debunk...

M

[Tim S]

I would like to know who or where the idea
came about to " not clean rim fires" .

That would help debunk...

M

An educated guess would say that it occurred in the 1950s, when smokeless propellant and non-corrosive primers became the standard. Once it was no longer necessary to clean to avoid rusting, habits slipped.

[Cumbrian]

The discussion has progressed well beyond my question but I would like to thank all those that responded to it and illuminated that aspect for me. I must also say that this has been an extremely interesting topic in general.