Rifle cleaning?

[danebrewer10 6]

Hi there,

I'm just wondering as to how often you should clean your rifle, I wonder because I clean by shotgun every time I use it, scrub the barrels and oil the reciever/forearm components etc but a stalker/woodland manager friend of mine has a Mauser 66 in 7x57 and only cleans it every 3 months or so and it still shoots 3/4 or 1/2 inch groups! I would have thought, scrub the powder fouling out each outing, then shoot a 3 shot group after every box of ammo and see when the groups open up, then you know that after however many rounds you need to clean the copper fouling from the bore.... what do others think?

[SNAP SHOT 194]

i clean the shotgun every time after i come in, total strip..... dry everything off clean the barrel, oil the stock, and action etc.

 

The rifles i clean after every outing bar the hmr which i give a good clean when i see accuracy falling off,

 

the centrefire rifles i clean after every outing, without fail, i give them a good copper cleaning routine every 100 rounds or drop of in accuracy..

 

By not cleaning the rifle you are allowing copper build to be pressed into the barrel everytime another bullet is fired over the existing copper build up.

 

Then this becomes very hard to clean and is a place for moisture to find.......... he may not notice accuracy falling off yet but when he does he'll have a

 

job getting it back..........

[Mr_Logic 5]

Hi there,

I'm just wondering as to how often you should clean your rifle, I wonder because I clean by shotgun every time I use it, scrub the barrels and oil the reciever/forearm components etc but a stalker/woodland manager friend of mine has a Mauser 66 in 7x57 and only cleans it every 3 months or so and it still shoots 3/4 or 1/2 inch groups! I would have thought, scrub the powder fouling out each outing, then shoot a 3 shot group after every box of ammo and see when the groups open up, then you know that after however many rounds you need to clean the copper fouling from the bore.... what do others think?

how often in those 3 months does he use the rifle? If it's only firing 10 or 20 rounds in that time then so long as the barrel is oiled it should be fine.

 

I am like Snap when it comes to cleaning - cleaned every time they go out, and a thorough scrub every 50-100 rounds or so.

[Guest Ralfy II]

depending on the velocity, & caliber , (wssm every 5 !!) between every 20-100 shots with a pull through & a good scrub , when needed only..

[danebrewer10 6]

hey cheers guys, another question, what if you get caught in a rainstorm? do you then take the action out of the stock to oil the underside of the barrel etc and let the moisture evaporate? surely this wouldn't pose a problem if you had a free floated barrel?

[Mr_Logic 5]

Yep, get home, dismantle rifle, leave to dry (even overnight)

 

Never put it away wet or damp, that way lies rust!

[Deker 3,491]

It can be a pain and a chore cleaning the guns but look after them and they will look after you. Don't quite understand a 3 month cleaning routine, as others have said clean the rifle every outing. Copper can be very stubborn if left to build up!

 

Shotguns are somewhat different, and the residue left from many shotgun cartridges are VERY corrosive, they will make a serious mess of your lovely smooth barrels and block in no time if left, powder is also often a real pain to clean from many semi autos...but cleaning is vital!

Edited March 2, 2009 by Deker

[danebrewer10 6]

It can be a pain and a chore cleaning the guns but look after them and they will look after you. Don't quite understand a 3 month cleaning routine, as others have said clean the rifle every outing. Copper can be very stubborn if left to build up!

 

Shotguns are somewhat different, and the residue left from many shotgun cartridges are VERY corrosive, they will make a serious mess of your lovely smooth barrels and block in no time if left, powder is also often a real pain to clean from many semi autos...but cleaning is vital!

 

what do you do to you rifle when you clean it then? get rid of the powder fouling and then remove the copper? so that the patch stops coming out green?

 

Ta

[Deker 3,491]

It can be a pain and a chore cleaning the guns but look after them and they will look after you. Don't quite understand a 3 month cleaning routine, as others have said clean the rifle every outing. Copper can be very stubborn if left to build up!

 

Shotguns are somewhat different, and the residue left from many shotgun cartridges are VERY corrosive, they will make a serious mess of your lovely smooth barrels and block in no time if left, powder is also often a real pain to clean from many semi autos...but cleaning is vital!

 

what do you do to you rifle when you clean it then? get rid of the powder fouling and then remove the copper? so that the patch stops coming out green?

 

Ta

 

 

RIFLES

Hoppes Copper Solvent..every outing....it comes out black and then shades of grey through to clear as it cleans, never had enough copper in the barrel for it to come out green!! Napier Gun Cleaner, Legia, Express Gun Oil, all have their uses for other cleaning work...and there are specific powder solvents, although I find this lot perfectly capable. There are lots of other makes/names of cleaners and I suspect they all do a similar job!

 

SHOTGUNS

Youngs 303, its a good Nitro Powder Solvent, Napier Gun Cleaner, Legia, Express Gun Oil

 

You'll get lots of variations, everyone has their favourite way to clean and favourite cleaning solvents/oils/tools!!

[clivej 0]

I'm trying out the Lidl Brake and Clutch cleaner at the moment on my 223

 

I shot 10 rounds and used the Lidl B&C cleaner and patched out usual - left for 10 minutes. #1 patch was black, #2,#3 black/grey, #4,#5,#6,#7 grey and getting cleaner #8 clean.

Then used Hoppes #9 and left for 10 minutes. First patch out was clean.

Edited March 3, 2009 by clivej