Advanced Marksmanship When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

[Shredder58]

I know there is much debate about when to clean the bore on a precision rifle. Discussion seems to center around questions like; after how many shots, or after a certain level of accuracy degradation, or never. I think surveys can provide a large amount of useful info in one spot, so I thought this topic might be a good one to use the SH poll format to collect data from a wide range of folks that everyone can then review over their favorite beverage. I also like surveys because you don’t have to write anything down, and you can stay anonymous, but the poll format here on SH also allows folks to post comments if desired. Perhaps we have the best of both worlds right here. Please answer the survey questions in the order they appear, and please answer the survey only once and truthfully (if you can) so we can gather the most useful info from a broad range of SH users. If your answer to the first question is E or F, then STOP after you answer the first question! Only answer those questions that apply to you, thanks.

NOTE: Complete poll results will be available for viewing upon close of poll 31 October. So please do not answer questions that do not apply to you just to see poll results immediately. This will skew the results. Thanks for your cooperation!


So, let us begin…

 

[lonely_wolf]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

Great idea. I'm curious to see how it all turns out.

 

[Mo_Zam_Beek]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

FWIW - a lot of guys will respond clean after X number of shots - b/c they know that is when the accuracy is about to drop off.



Good luck

 

[TallShot]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

This should be interesting. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[sled_mack]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

It's too bad we can't sort the answers to the first questions by the answer to question 6. The answers above would mean more if we knew what the person was doing with the rifle in question.

Still, for all the debate on this topic the poll was a good idea. Not that it will end the debates, but it will hopefully show what people are actually doing to their rifles with regards to cleaning. I really hope more people chime in.

 

[bitter24]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

Very good idea i like it, since it has been a hot topic here. Hopefully get a good number of responses to this.

The only thing I would of done different (if I would of thought of this) would of been for question #2 for guys who clean there bore after every use, would of been wipe down the bore with patches and light lubricant and after x amount of times I do a complete cleaning. Thinking some guys wipe down the bore to get crud out of it every time and then after so many trips to the range do a complete cleaning.

Though you covered everything well, so dont get me wrong think this is a great post! Thanks again

 

[Graham]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

At the range today I saw a bolt-gun clamped in a sporting rifle rest. It was being scrubbed, from the muzzle, every five rounds. The owner was complaining that it wouldn't hold a zero.

How do I know that its owner didn't answer this survey?

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

"5. If your answer to question #1 was "d. After I notice accuracy drop off", what is the drop in accuracy level that triggers you to clean?"

I dont judge in moa, when it stops shooting consistently, I clean. Or any time the rifle has been exposed to rain/water I clean.


"6. How would you categorize your shooting level with your precision rifle?"

I dont compete, yet. I shoot for fun (several times a week in all weather) and hunting.

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Niles Coyote</div><div class="ubbcode-body">"5. If your answer to question #1 was "d. After I notice accuracy drop off", what is the drop in accuracy level that triggers you to clean?"

I dont judge in moa, when it stops shooting consistently, I clean. Or any time the rifle has been exposed to rain/water I clean.</div></div>

I agree with Niles here. When consistancy falls off, after evaluating myself, I will give it a cleaning.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

100 rds or 1 year, which ever comes first.

Lately it's been the 1 year mark.

 

[Evilaviator]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

NRA Service Rifle Shooter here. Not running moly, I clean after 3 NRA matches which is around 270 shots.

 

[dbateman]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

I clean my bore after I notice accuracy drop off , I do try and give my rifle a good cleaning but if I am out on the range or in the field hunting I just use a bore snake till I get home and can clean it properly .

I know a few guy's that just use a bore snake and that is it and then I know other's
that give there rifle's a good cleaning after every range session, which is to much in my opinion but I don't try and tell them otherwise unless asked .

If I am going to leave my gun's in storage for a long period of time I will do a detailed cleaning and oil grease them till I return .

I do the same with pistols (1911 is all I own) I just lube them and keep running them till I think I should clean em .

 

[jbell]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

I love reading topics like this, I find it very interesting. I my self clean after every outing b/c it may be 5 days to 3 weeks before I can get back out and never know. I worry about the bore being stored for that ammount of time w/o oil in it but I dont want to oil whial dirty so I clean it (but this is with a chromoly barrel). Im thinking about leaving my stainless barrel dirty as long as I can shoot at least 1x each month. I just hate experimenting with such good barrels.

 

[adrenalinelife]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

What? We have to clean the gun? Dang it, I knew something was off.

 

[adrenalinelife]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

Dang it, my 100th post was the above... at least I could have made it smarter.

 

[Radar360]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

Interesting. This would be good to share / compare what SH members do versus say a mostly hunting forum.

Could you send all of us that took a survey a PM to alert us of the final results? I hate to miss out the final conclusion. But really, I'll be checking as I'm an impatient time with some things.

 

[McCrazy]

Re: When do you clean the bore? (**SURVEY**)

Tag so I can see the final results. Voted too.