Hi Andy.
Welcome to the club mate
I could never see the point of letting a rifle go to the point of loosing accuracy before cleaning its barrel.
In my gun bags I have two tins of pellets of what ever make for the rifle in question.
Once those pellets have gone, I lightly clean the barrel, no scrubbing or brushes involved, just a pull through with a dampened patch using white spirit, then a further couple to finnish.
I put it down to progressive maintenance, works for me
Then stick 50 through to re lead, jobs a good un.
Bill.