Another barrel cleaning Q- accuracy dropoff?

[ReaperDriver]

So, I'm firmly in the camp of NOT cleaning the barrel after every range session and only clean it when accuracy falls off. I'm getting excellent accuracy still on my factory Rem SPS-T after ~300 rounds down the tube since the last scrub.

My question is: how rapidly does accuracy typically drop off? Is it immediately noticable or is it a subtle decline? I'm mainly looking for the telltale signs to know when its times to clean the bore and whether its obvious or not.

 

[sandwarrior]

Re: Another barrel cleaning Q- accuracy dropoff?

Depends on the rifle. I have one that shoots same hole groups. Falling off for that one is I notice my groups just aren't as tight. Another one I take home leave for a month and goes from MOA or so to 5 MOA. It usually goes from 1" to 1.5" or 2" when falling off while shooting though. Anywhere's from 50-100 rounds. Some guys get flyers more and more frequently. Occasionaly to every or every other group.

Make sure you leave the rifle in a cool dry place. Higher temperatures speed up chemical process. And water facilitates chemical process (think corrosion). When you get corrosion in your barrel, even if it's usually the softer metal it will give the next bullet out of it a very bumpy ride. In more extreme cases it's going to take material from your barrel (think pitting). When stored cool and dry your barrel should be like the last bullet that went out of it. Except it's cold. You'll have to see when your barrel starts to drop off and how bad it drops off. Make sure it's not you. You're not fatigued or fighting mirage and blaming the rifle when it's just tough to shoot uber tight groups. Best to try and focus on this on a cloudy cool day w/no mirage, wind or other factors that can jam up your thought process.

 

[ReaperDriver]

Re: Another barrel cleaning Q- accuracy dropoff?

Good stuff Sandwarrior, thanks. Gun is stored in a safe in the house where the temp is typically 72F and humidity in the teens. No corrosion (no humidity) is one of the really nice things about living in NV.

 

[sandwarrior]

Re: Another barrel cleaning Q- accuracy dropoff?

AAAHHH...Las Vegas. I should have seen there would be little humidity. I grew up in Northern NV. No humidity there either. That's the way I like it.

FWIW, about 75 deg. is where the copper and steel really get incompatible on the dissimilar metals chart. Copper of course is the sacrificial metal that puffs up in light blue fluff, but not before oozing some steel eating isotopes that cause the pitting.

 

[sandwarrior]

Re: Another barrel cleaning Q- accuracy dropoff?

You know, a lot of people say not to clean because your rifle shoots best when fouled a little. This is true. But you want to make sure you won't do any harm by not cleaning it. You are in a good place in that you don't have humidity to complicate things. Most folks in this country experience a LOT more humidity than Las Vegas does though.

So, as much as the new school of thought says not to clean I say it doesn't hurt to soak the bore in solvent and run some jags down it and you don't have to worry about corrosion. But, you don't have to scrub it out, though. The other thing solvent will do is loosen and allow you to wipe out carbon that gets left behind and hardens. That can cause damage too. It usually blows out after the first round but when it stays it's like sandpaper under the first bullet that goes out through it. Even one patch soaked with solvent and four or five following it will remove that. As long as it's fresh it won't become super hard like that though. So it doesn't cause damage while shooting, just when left for a while.