Cleaning Question

[GB^Zeke]

I'm all for a "if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach but...

I'm new to the sport and firearms in general. I've been working on and just finished a Remington 700 in .308. So far I've run 560 rounds thru it without a cleaning. I'm keeping it oiled and the bolt runs great, I'll pull a bore snake through it a couple of times when I'm done shooting but I have yet to use any solvents or brushes. I'd say 90+% of the ammo ran through it has been the Federal Match HPBT 168 grains, and it seems to be pretty clean ammo. My accuracy is fantastic (for me at least) and I've been shooting sub-MOA since I installed the chassis and was able to run a 5 shot 1" group at 200 yards today, my personal best.

I guess my question is, am I doing damage to my barrel by not cleaning out the carbon and/or copper from this factory barrel? I understand the difference between the two and do realize that there are different products for each. I am not sure if by having that copper build up I am doing any harm. From other discussions here and on some other sites, the common thread seems to be that more damage is done to barrels by over cleaning or improperly cleaning vs. not cleaning enough. I'm starting to get a bit paranoid because of the number of rounds I've put thru it without seeing a decrease in accuracy.

Thanks for any input.

Zeke

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

Keep shooting it
Then shoot it some more

 

[GB^Zeke]

Sounds good Sonic - thanks

 

[gau17]

Clean it when you notice groups opening up.

 

[CrazyDonkey]

As other have said, keep shooting, when the groups open up then clean it.

 

[gol1]

I clean my rifles after every 100 rounds, I have been doing that for over 20 years now and never felt I need to clean more or less

 

[Frank Green]

I shoot them. I clean them. Sometimes I will put 200-300 rounds on the barrel sometimes it's only 60.

I agree more damage is done from cleaning than from shooting. Mostly improper cleaning technique.

But.....

If you don't clean and depending on what type of powder you are using and what the barrel is chambered in the carbon will keep building up and it will get to a point that it will cause pressure problems.

Kinda like driving a car. You use this brand motor oil vs. another, yea you can go longer in between oil changes but you still have to change the oil and filter. You cannot ignore it or your gonna have problems.

Pay attention to the rifle. It will tell you how it needs to be taken care of.

Later, Frank
Bartlein Barrels

 

[ScottVA]

I used to shoot competition and therefore shot many rounds in a year. Barrels that were regularly cleaned lasted longer before losing competitive edge. These were not factory barrels, however. If you decide to clean the barrel, use a bore guide and coated rod. Both are good investments.

 

[leadbullet]

if cleaning often makes you feel better, go for it, it won't hurt one way or another.

 

[JGorski]

I usually clean my rifles after Im done shooting, no brushes, just Hoppe's #9. As of late I haven't been cleaning my 308, but I've been shooting CFE which is keeping the barrel clean, when I do clean it there isn't much crud in there. Yeah, so as long as accuracy isnt suffering keep shooting.

 

[GB^Zeke]

Alright - thanks for all the input on this, I'll let it ride until my groups start to open up.

 

[Pinecone]

Actually over cleaning CAN hurt.

Most of the clean after every use advice seems to come from prior military or trained by prior military.

As I pointed out on another forum, if you are military and you clean to the point of damaging the barrel, you take it to the armory and they put in a new barrel and you are good to go. If you are non-military, you get to order a barrel, wait for it to be delivered (and with some barrels that can be a year) and then find a smith and send it off, and wait for it to be installed. And you get to pay the bills.

Also, IMO, the clean every time in the military is a hold over from the days of corrosive ammo.

When I shot serious USPSA and Sporting Clays, my competition firearms got cleaned once a year. The outside got wiped down after every use, but internal/bore, once a year.