Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles How many shots between cleaning for larger bores?

I know this depends on a lot of things. Powder , individual barrel , etc..
I also know each rifle will tell you when it needs to be cleaned .

So with calibers such as the 300 wsm , 300 wm , etc. how many any rds till you notice accuracy falling off ?

Yep. I've never shot the chamberings you mentioned to the point I saw the accuracy fall off without cleaning at some point. Mainly because it's no fun to shoot that many with a .300 magnum. But I just wanted to point out the opposite is true with some rifles, if you clean down to bare metal. I've had a few that needed several rounds down the bore before they settled down and shot like they were capable of.

There was a time when I shot at a private range weekly, sometimes twice a week. I shoot at the "bench rest" range".

I would watch guys shoot 3 or 4 shots, then clean, and repeat the process, and then bitch that they could not get their rifle to group.

IMHO folks over-clean their rifle barrels.

BTW, how long has it been since you put 75 to 100 rounds down the tube on your 300 Win Mag at the range, doing load development, or to see how many rounds it takes before accuracy begins to fall off.

If you are at a benchand are not using something like a lead sled with weight, even if your rifle has a brake, I'd be more inclined to believe one will develop a flinch that will be much more detrimental to accuracy than barrel fouling.

In the field at any reasonable distance with the heart pumping and chest heaving, and the critter moving, how do you tell if your "group" has opened up by 1/2 MOA.

Quien Sabe?


GWB

If I could get light to shine through the bore of my dedicated hunting rifles I would show you how fouled they are...grins

All kidding aside, I’d bet my .300 has 100 rounds or close too it through the barrel without a cleaning- may not be a 1/2” gun, but I’d bet it holds 3/4 all day...this particular rifle is a factory offering .300 win mag that has 1800rds fires. Only rifle I have ever kept track of. I did over clean when it was new, and saw inconsistencies far more then when it’s fouled.

Every circumstance is different...I am lazy, but tell myself I am too busy for the annoying stuff....Like cleaning for instance.

There was a time when I shot at a private range weekly, sometimes twice a week. I shoot at the "bench rest" range".

I would watch guys shoot 3 or 4 shots, then clean, and repeat the process, and then bitch that they could not get their rifle to group.

IMHO folks over-clean their rifle barrels.

BTW, how long has it been since you put 75 to 100 rounds down the tube on your 300 Win Mag at the range, doing load development, or to see how many rounds it takes before accuracy begins to fall off.

If you are at a benchand are not using something like a lead sled with weight, even if your rifle has a brake, I'd be more inclined to believe one will develop a flinch that will be much more detrimental to accuracy than barrel fouling.

In the field at any reasonable distance with the heart pumping and chest heaving, and the critter moving, how do you tell if your "group" has opened up by 1/2 MOA.

Quien Sabe?


GWB

Well I actually shot at my range earlier this week.
No I did not shoot 75- 100 rds , but I did put 25 down the tube.
This is where this rifle seems to need cleaning .
Flinch ? Got the rifle back out the next day. Shot a 3 shot group and accuracy was not what it was supposed to be. Cleaned rifle good.
Shot 2 foulers , and accuracy was back to normal. This seems to be the pattern this rifle shows.

This is why I asked the question !

Shoot. Thought ths was a thread about Liger Hunting

I don't really count rounds down the barrel. I clean when I feel it (I?) needs it - can't recall ever cleaning because the accuracy deteriorated. But then I only shoot effusively when working up a load for a "new" gun. Almost never get to 100 rounds doing that.

In a good year for an "established" hunting rifle - 3 (doesn't always work out this way) - One to check scope setting after getting it out of storage, one to drop the game, one insurance shot if needed from close up. Sometimes only two if no insurance is called for.. Clean and put away until next use - always if it got wet, from precipitation or condensation. If it got really wet, it is a complete (or nearly so - I don't unscrew the barrel!) dissassembly. The next session usually calls for a 3 shot group after storage. sometimes (seldom) more if needed.

If not wet, I might go 6 rounds, or even 10-25...multiple years, tho I do run a dry patch down the bore prior to that first shot after storage. Bugs....dust.... cobwebs... just for luck....

I did have one '98 with a pitted bore that shot 1.25 inch groups after cleaning and about 15 rounds.... 6 inch groups right after cleaning. I didn't clean that one much. - probably every 10 years or so. I eventually rebarreled it.

All depends on the barrel. My bartlein barrel, every 150 rds. My savage barrel, every 30 rds. It begins to copper foul. I would say that most factory rifles probably need cleaned about every 50 or 60 rnds. It simply depends on how smooth the barrel is.

I go to the range once or twice a week (during Winter time only) I will take two to five rifles and fire each 15 to 20 rounds testing different handloads so I never see a fall off in accuracy and I will thoroughly clean my rifles after each range session....I love a super clean rifle......👍.....Hb

I would clean my 300 saum once or twice a year. Roughly every 300 rounds. It shot like crap until I got the barrel dirty again. My 243 is the same deal. Shoots like shyt until I foul the barrel.

This makes no sense to me but if it works for you, keep on keepin' on.

This might stir some people up but I clean all my firearms every time they are used. Don't know if is my upbringing or what. I figure when I need it most I don't want it to be gunked up. I also don't rely on fouling shots either. My thoughts on rifle accuracy is what will it do (5 shots) with a cold clean barrel. I was taught to care for my tools. More power to you if something else works for you.

Have read that ‘excessive’ (read too frequent) cleaning of a barrel often causes more harm than good.

That said, I do give a gun a good wipe-down every time it is handled.

Whether its an actual hunt or just to the range, I too wipe my rifles down, which typically include wiping down the bolt. I will either use Ballistol, or Kroil. I've never had a problem with a "gunked" up barrel unless I've dropped muzzle first in the dirt.

YMMV.


GWB

Yeah I cant put a rifle with a dirty bore back in My safe, To avoid excessive wear I dont run a bunch of patches through my rifle bores and I never use any kind of brush (even nylon) after a good soaking with Wipe-out bore cleaner it takes only a few patches to have my barrels thoroughly clean with no copper fouling left (I shoot a lot of Barnes TTSX/TSX bullets)...... I used to shoot .22lr matches at a few of My local clubs and i remember many members had your same philosophy, they swore they never cleaned the bore of their rimfire rifles but to their horror I (and a few others) would clean our barrel bores at the end of the match and without fail at least one member would approach me and tell me how bad i was screwing up even though I might even have just won the match 😁 (I did win a few) ....I take meticulous care of everything I own from my guns to My truck and motorcycle all the way down to my lawn mowers and the hand tools in my shed...It works for me .....good shooting....Hb

During load work up I might clean every 20-40 rounds especially if switching components especially powders. Then once that is done I might go two years between thorough cleanings. Probably will get flack for this but I will run a patch with Kroil in a fouled barrel for storage then a dry one before next use. I have not had any corrosion doing this.

Hey, if it works for you more power to ya! 👍......Good shooting....Hb

As stated above it depends upon the barrel. Each practice session starts with at least one group and I don’t clean a barrel until groups open up. Some rifles that was 15 rounds others it was 500.

I pull a bore snake through a barrel after shooting if its over 25-30 rounds, maybe 2-3 pulls. Maybe once a year in the winter i'll do a full clean.

can anyone define the demarcation line between excessive and non-excessive cleaning?