Rifle Cleaning for deer season- NO oil!!

Every year I hear stories of hunters missing a deer, and they have no idea why they missed. After talking to them, they had their rifle cleaned spotless and all slicked up with oil on the inside of the barrel after shooting and zeroing their scope. Oil is a great barrel protector, but not on the inside when you are ready for making an accurate and precise shot.

So, how do you clean a rifle and keep the barrel fouled in and zero'd for deer season? Most rifles will shoot around 50 to 300 rounds (or more) before accuracy begins to fall off. Most hunters clean their rifles way before this time. I clean my rifles before I shoot them at the gun range. I run a patch on a jag (pointed metal tip) soaked in Butch's bore shine for about 2-4 patches. I'll run these through the barrel back and forth until I see I have the barrel almost clean. I stop there, and put 2-3 dry patches to get any remaining liquid out. (If you clean the barrel 100% clean, it will usually take 2-7 rounds to get the barreled "fouled" back in, and shooting accurately.) Now, the rifle is ready to shoot and get the barrel fouled in. During cleaning, the solvent's remove copper and powder fouling. "Fouled in" means the barrel has some copper build up from the bullets in the rifling, which will help make a consistent and repeatable shot. Since I didn't clean the barrel to bare metal, I usually only need 1-2 rounds to confirm my zero is dead on and shooting consistent. Once you confirm your zero, don't touch the inside of the barrel again! This is where most hunters make their mistakes. They will clean it again and oil it up inside and out. Outside oil is fine. It will help protect the outside of the rifle. But oil inside the barrel will cause the rounds to go anywhere they want to go, often not where you wanted. A little oil on the bolt and race way is also fine. I put some oil on a patch, and put the patch on the areas I want to oil. If you put drops of oil directly on the parts, it will seep into other areas you may not want oil.

What if the barrel gets wet? Run a dry patch though the barrel and call it good. If you have to clean it, do a light cleaning, like 1 wet patch followed up by a couple dry patch's, but NO oil on the inside.

If you drop it in the mud, push out any debris with a dry patch, then give it a light cleaning, but no oil. Some hunters carry a bore snake. This is good for removing any debris, but does not do much for actually "cleaning" the inside of the rifle.

If I am storing my rifles for a long period, I will put a coat of oil inside the barrel. But before I shoot it, I will clean it, and get any oil out of the inside of the barrel. This is why I clean my rifles at the range before I shoot them.

I hope this helps some of the hunters who over clean their rifles, thinking that's what's needed.

This has been a free public service announcement from an official THF rifle expert. Thanks for watching.



Y'all could do like me and never clean it until it quits shooting sub MOA. That's every few months.

I would add that higher quality barrels (ex, aftermarket, Hart, Shilen, etc.) may foul even less, requiring even less cleaning.

I actually agree with fireman on this point. I usually run my rigs a bit dirtier than most, but they shoot sub moa better when fouled...

good read use scentless oil

^^^^This^^^^^

Hmmm just thought about this a little My 223 seemed to shoot a little worse than I remembered... I subscribe to the don't clean it till it shoots bad school of thought and I haven't cleaned it at least the past 2 years. Think Im gonna give it a cleaning.

good advice.

Good info. Thanks for sharing it.

If you bought a new stainless rifle, did a little barrel break in, cleaned it, fouled it, hunted with it, sat in the corner and shot it twice a year to check the scope, and never cleaned it again, You would be long dead before it weren't deer capable.

Just came from the range. My Ruger 77, 25-06 is entering its 5th deer season. Fired three rounds, all in the bull, packed it up and am now awaiting Nov 2. I have a drawer full of unused cleaning supplies, snakes, anti-foul solvent, etc. I guess the gun will tell me when its time to use it. Thanks for making me feel better about 'neglecting' my bore. However, I'm almost anal about cleaning the exterior and the bolt.

You're not neglecting it, you're actually taking care of it. Over cleaning adds up to wearing out a barrel, in my book.

Great info. I was always taught to hunt with a fouled barrel. I can't tell you how many young shooters I've seen at the range who clean their rifle after every single round. Perhaps the know what they are doing but that goes against what I've been taught.

good info.

Agreed sir. I have a Ruger M77 22-250 born in 1976 that I can't remember cleaning the bore once. Been trying to wear that barrell out since I was 13 and the groups just keep getting better. Love that rifle. The guys you see at the range punching the bore after a few rounds are probably breaking in the barrel but I had a gunsmith who I respect very much told me the best way to break in a barrel is to go the range shoot a couple of boxes through it. Clean the bore one time when you're done and never clean it again and just keep shooting the pee pee out of it.

I normally don't clean my rifles until I am ready to store them for an extended period of time. I always hunt with a fouled bore. If you live in a dry climate then I think you could get away with storing them with a fouled rifle bore but in the humidity of North Central Texas I think you should clean lightly to remove moisture absorbing fouling. It doesn't take much moisture in the air to get rust started. If my rifles are going to be stored an extended period of time then they get a good cleaning and coating of oil.

I looked in the log book for the .260. It was cleaned when the barrel was brand new to get maching fluid, and any steel shavings out. It was fouled with 5 shots, then dry patches, and was untouched until it had 500 rounds on the barrel. Then was cleaned again around 1200 rounds. And it's the tightest shooting rifle I have.

A friend recently asked me what would be the best method to remove rust for his shotgun that had been left in a closet for an extended time. It's why I periodically apply a light oil to all my firearms, including inside and outside the barrel. Before heading to the woods, I fire one or two fouling shots just dry and stabilize the bore. And if I don't expect to use the gun within the next month or two, I clean and oil the barrel before storage.

Yes, for storing them, oil is fine. It will help protect the metal from rust. But a lot of shooters will oil it up with the plan to then go shooting. Then they wonder why there first few shots are "way off". I recommend cleaning the chamber/barrel to get the oil out, and not shooting it, though.

It's my understanding that fouling is necessary to create a more consistent spin to the bullet as it travels down the barrel. If the bore was completely clean and dry with no oil residue, you still want fouling in the barrel to compensate for the very slight imperfections in the bore that result from normal manufacturing processes. It's because of these same imperfections that some will spend a lot of money to have a factory barrel re-worked by a gunsmith who has a reputation for such work.

I always started with a clean rifle then got it dialed in with 3 to 4 shots and did not clean the barrel until the season is over. It does make a difference.

This is what I do. Never pay much attention tothe groups until oil is burned out and barell fouled.

What do you mean store them, go shoot more often.

Thanks for the info.

It's worth your time to find out where the rifle shoots with oil and without oil in the barrel. There will likely come a time that you will want to know. I also hunt with a fouled barrel, but I apparently clean bores more often than some. Actually, I never leave oil in the barrel, but will on occasion leave Bore Shine in the bore if the gun won't be used for a while.

Thanks for the info!

even my Kentucky .45 can shoot 2maybe3 times with out cleaning, but thats about it. Awhin I put er up for the night I spoil er with a good cleaning &rub down.

This is a great post, hope it stays near the top a while.

I've got a good buddy, he is ex-military and a good guy. He cleans his rifles religiously, after every trip like they taught him. This includes lubing up the barrel.

Nearly every year he misses or makes some sorry shots at real short yardage (<70 yards). And every time I tell him to quit lubing that barrel and hunting with an un-fouled rifle barrel. Now I can pass on somebody else telling him the same thing. Our modern non-corrosive ammo won't hurt that barrel one bit.

ya need ta tell that ta the drill sargents, they tend ta drill that inta ya. while I didnt clean my weapon after every round, m60, did clean it an light oil before putting up. never had a problem with it.

I've used silicone for years.

Good info I'll have to try it both ways and see the difference my rifles shoots with and without oil.

I don't want the barrel dry per se, but I don't want it wet, oily, or fouled/dirty.

I want to know for dead certain where the first clean, cold bore shot is going. I am way more interested in hunting rifles than target rifles too.

I don't shoot as much as a few of you, but more than most would be my guess. I clean them thoroughly about twice a year, clean the exterior every time they are touched/used, and regularly inspect and lube actions as needed in the field. I am probably rougher on some of my guns than most. I think the way you use them, handle them, and your purpose, can vary the "best" answer to this age old dilemma as well.

Also, for the military/LE background, cleaned, oiled, etc. is for reliability reasons, not accuracy. Looser/wetter guns are virtually always more reliable than tighter drier guns, which are almost always more accurate than the former.

And yes before RM says it, I do abuse the Remington 750 that will spend the rest of its life on the front of the four wheeler, but that's what I have it for too.

very light oil if it gonna set up a while keep rust & pitting, can always take clean drry rag patch & run threw before shooting again. if ya ever sell it some people actualy look down barrell, spit shin is what like ta see. Tip for bolt legeraction, kake SURE gun not loaded, can take piece of white paper put so light will shin threw breach it will reflect off paper.

Bump for deer season!

I'll stop cleaning my barrels after each use when gunpowder residue is no longer corrosive to metal.

As for avoiding a dreaded miss, I'll treat that with a good practice regime.

Knowing how your rifle performs with a clean, cold barrel will tell you if an initial fouling before heading to the woods is a must. My Remington 700 will drive a tack on the first shot with a spotless barrel.

On a dare, it once shot the nail out of a board that was holding a paper target at 100 yards.

It's not corrosive

Ive never seen rust in any of my barrels and I have a few rifles that have sat with a dirty bore for 2 or more years in the safe without being fired.

Because rust is caused by humidity not modern gun powder residue

Smokeless powder is not corrosive. Black powder is. 2 different type of powders.

While the powder used in modern ammo and primers is not as corrosive as it was in years past, it still holds moisture which has the same effect on anything made of metal.

I use a dry lubricant, such as Hornady One Shot Gun Cleaner and Lube, as a final step in cleaning my barrels. It removes any oil residue, while leaving a lasting protectant against moisture and rust.

Most of the newer blk powder isn't corrosive either

Is it moisture/humidity or oxygen reacting with iron that causes rust?

Its a combination of moisture and oxygen that causes corrosion.

Great advice. I've actually been doing this for awhile. Sighted in both guns this weekend after not cleaning after last 2 seasons. All is good

This^^

I'm glad Chad bumped this.

Had a couple of firemen come out last week in preparation for an elk trip. One fouled rifle shot like a champ. One clean rifle was horrific. It had been cleaned spotless two days before...

I get phone calls from customers each season with this issue from missing a deer or bad shot placement. They over clean them, or clean them right before they go out into the field.

I never clean a barrel to spotless - that is pointless and only adds to the fouling shot count to get the barrel shooting good again.

I don't leave the bore dirty with any of my hunting rifles after the season is over though. While I know that powder is not corrosive, it does trap moisture, I live on the coast, and I just don't like the idea of my .243 sitting in the safe for 9 months dirty. I don't clean the bore during the season at all, and after my yearly sighting trip I run a couple of patches down the bore to knock any powder residue out.

Never had any problems, and the gun shoots sub MOA at every range I've shot at (out to 400).

I wipe my rifles down but seldom mess with the bore. Maybe once every few years.

I will add, when cleaning the bore, clean from the breach and not the muzzle. Some of the metal, brass, aluminum rods can mess up the crown and affect accuracy.

Interesting thread, we destroyed rifles in the Marine Corps by cleaning them to death and then had to go out to qualify out to 500yds with iron sights. Later in my career I learned about the over cleaning issues so when I drew a weapon to qualify with I didn't punch the bore or even break it down after the first day on the range. The weapons were so over cleaned, shot our with actual rounds and then blanks with a BFA on them. Add to that using them as weapons on bayonet courses, close combat courses etc. it's a wonder any of us qualified at times. I got to the point that I used to put a folded matchbook cover in between the upper and lower receiver to tighten it up. That too did not move all week, I shot expert so I guess it worked...

Well I am sure glad I read this, I just cleaned my rifle in preparation for deer season... Looks like I am heading to the range before November to get some shots in.

1 question, what is your take on Balistol? It is a cleaner/lube that leaves behind some oil. What I do is use CLP Bore foam, let it sit for 30 minutes, then run patches through. The bottle of CLP recommends an oiled patch be run through after cleaning so I just wet a patch with Balistol and run it through.

I am thinking I might need to change cleaning products to keep oil out of the inside of the barrel.

You need to shoot it after cleaning before going to the field to hunt with it weather you oil it or not. The rifle most likely needs to be fouled/dirty to shoot.

Clean mine twice a year..... maybe. Always like RemOil for the reason of it dries

I usually clean gun thoroughly then shoot a few rounds downs range (7-10) then I'll run a dry cloth through the barrel.

It recommends oil because you are cleaning the barrel to bare metal. If you don't coat it with something afterwards, it will surely rust. The bore foam products work great if you want to clean the barrel to bare metal and remove everything (copper, powder, carbon, etc). But if you plan to shoot the rifle after cleaning, then you will need to foul the rifle back in. I NEVER clean my rifles to this point (bare metal). It takes way too many fouling rounds to get the rifle back shooting accurately. If you know your rifle and shoot it enough, it will tell you when it's time to clean it. Most rifles will go 40-50 rounds on the low side (for big magnums like a RUM or shooting a Barnes TSX solid copper bullet (these copper foul bad when you get them over about 3K fps)) up to about 150 to 300 rounds (depending on the caliber). A 308 Win can easily go 200-300 rounds or more before loosing accuracy.

For the average hunter, clean it at the range before you shoot and put some fouling rounds down it, then shoot for groups and zero it. Keep the outside of the barrel clean, but don't touch the inside once you have the rifle zero'd.

Thank you for the advice, I need to go to the range!

I am going to buy a new bore cleaner, do you recommend Butches Bore Shine? I saw you mentioned using that.

I will run a patch or two down the barrel and then it is shot 3 times prior to hunting letting it cool off between shots. I want my rifle sighted for a cold bore shot
during the season all it gets it wiped down from handling

I like Butch's Bore Shine. It's a good do-all type cleaner, and not too aggressive.

Going to order some, thanks!

So don't clean my weapon while deployed? LOL. Wait till my !SG hears this. hahahaha.

On a serious note thanks for the info.

bump!

It's generally better to clean the direction the projectile is going, so breech to muzzle.

However, the damage to crowns is pretty much universally a result of .mil practices of over cleaning with steel rods (Garands, M1917, M1903 and various other military rifles had hard steel cleaning rods standard). Steel on steel will eventually wear the crown. Aluminum and brass are significantly softer than steel and are not going to cause any crown damage unless you really just work hard at trying to do so.

Haven't cleaned a bore in years... I carry them daily in the truck,jeeps,and rangers. It sounds bad but I will wipe the outside with oil and not mess with interior cleaning. Not saying it's right but I haven't ever had any issues and always shot were we were aiming. But like I said it's not right just haven't cleaned the bore due to superstition lol

Here's a group I shot with my Rem Model 7 in 300 blk out with my 125 Nosler BT ammo on Friday. I pulled a box from my inventory and went to the range. I set up my targets, shot some rounds and cleaned this rifle (plus 2 others). This rifle had all kinds of different loads down it and groups were starting to open up. So I cleaned it (to the method described in the above link). I put a few foulers down range, and shot about 7-8 rounds to get it zero'd. Once I had it where I wanted it, I shot this group. 4 rounds in about .6 to .7 at 100 yards. Naturally, I pulled the 5th shot. I was aiming at 12 o'clock on top of the diamond. It's about 1/4" to 1/2" low, but good enough for my hunting.

My point is, the rifle will shoot it's best somewhere around 5-50 rounds after cleaning. If you are only shooting on a clean barrel, why? You will get high ES (extreme spreads) in your velocity. If you plan to "shoot" the thing, shooting on a clean barrel isn't practical. I want to spend my time shooting, not cleaning. Who has time to clean on each shot?

Went to range yesterday and fired about a half dozen rounds just to help ease the anticipation of next weekend's season opener. I could not help but think about this thread after running that first patch of Hoppe's #9 through the barrel later that evening. Leaving that all filth in a barrel for any extended length of time is like keeping burnt, blackened oil in well-kept engine, at least in my opinion.

Fouling a barrel before hitting the woods is one thing. But leaving a barrel dirty for any length of time is another matter.

There is perception and there is reality. This is one case where perception isn't reality. But it's still a free country.

Leaving them dirty doesn't seem to adversely affect any of mine.

I cleaned my gun after switching from Federal Fusion factory ammo to my hand loads. Cleaned barrel good, went to the range and shot.

My first clean bore shot was 6.5 inches off from the next 3 shots which grouped about the size of a quarter with zero scope adjustments. Cleaning your rifle before taking it afield is a bad idea.

Maybe so. I'm definitely "old school" in many ways. IMO, checking inside the barrel of an unknown firearm to judge its overall condition and maintenance is akin to reading the dipstick on an engine. In both cases, it goes to show how well it has been maintained by its owner.

"When was the last time you cleaned it?" is also a common ask by many a gunsmith when receiving a firearm that needs work.

Bet that is a much more common question on semi autos than bolt guns. never seen a bolt gun that was too dirty from being fired to function. Had a Rem 700 fail to fire because the firing pin was jammed up with old grease but that's it.

$20 up charge. With that said a good gun smith would lightly grease the bolt lugs, and clean out the firing pin assembly ... Has yours ever done that?

Time to bump this thread and remind hunters about how to clean!

Wow this thread just blew my mind. Prior Army and I have cleaned all my weapons like a good soldier. Matter of fact I just took my girlfriend's son to the range with his new (and first) rife and spent 30 minutes teaching him how to clean it to"Army Standards".

I guess my question is when will I know it needs to be cleaned? Obviously when it starts to jam up would be a good indication but other than that?

this thread has more myth's than the Bigfoot, Squash thread.... My first deer deer rifle was .45 kentucky, so learn value a maintanance after 2nd ,3rd shot... Each time harder ta seat ball... 1) GOEX powder, a big differance from powder used shooting the in-lines, then again i'm not an expert... Side lock & flint cleaning method is same as loading, down the mussle, the newer in-lines, some have a removable breach plug... . Some shot guns cleaning is done down barrell,.. My 1100, ya can stickrod down barrel, lock ( not good with english ) open breack end & screw brush on & pull, & if ya know how ta inter chainge smooth bore ta rifle bore, its easier, taking barrel off... So whin joing military & they finaly gave us our cards for our individual weapons , already new value of maintanance ..... Tis sure some have seen the DS grab weapon from soldier ta do the Military inspection, never did have ta clean latreen with tooth bush, or foot locker after burring it in two-man-fighting not fox-hole, times have changed over the years in military... Yet weapon maintenance hasnt & for good reason... Grease firing pin was on M-60 never had problems, with light oil, dust, dirt, powder resadure, mud, & such will stick ta greese, & have troubles jammming... Maybe things have changed... Hunting is different, most shots 100yrds or less, farther the distance wider the spread... Old-timers used ta teach kids with single shot, my dad had .22pump single shot, it only used shorts, & had ta feed by hand, so learned the one shot method... The improved gun powder makes alot of differeance, big high-tech improvement, if ya ever shot GOEX powder ya'lll learn real quick bout maintenance.... i got cheap posts.... Good Thread, yet up ta individual...

You have to clean them around here. At least to get the mud dauber nest out. They don't shoot out very good.

bump

Just found this, thanks for the useful info

God made dirt. Dirt don't hurt.

-Mickey

Good post! Thanks for bringing this back up.

Bore snake and a lightly oiled patch at the end of each season is about all I do.

Run a few rounds through it before season to make sure I'm still accurate.

I read about this when I was younger and have always had it in the back of my mind, but I was under the impression one 'fouling' shot would be enough after a good cleaning.

Thanks for the tip!

Love my bore snake. I usually run it through three times a year. And I prefer graphite to oil on my action.

Thanks for the reminder... Need ta oil mine so they dont rust up...

Great reminder from Chad. Here is a photo from last week to illustrate the point. CCBS is Cold Clean Bore Shot. The shots are numbered in firing sequence. Rifle is a Montana Rifle Company 308.Two dry patchs are pushed through to remove oil prior to the first shot.

First deer rifle was a .45 Kentucky... Learned all about maintanance years ago... good thread... With todays modern guns ya can get by with little more... While not & expert like most of ya'll on here... Just look at differance in GOAX powder & modern ourpowder used in in-line mussleloaders... dayshavew think my first post was in mussleloader form, right away... leave it ta the expeerts.... i got cheap posts... Just remember, even experts dont hit perfect bullseye every shot & their is a difference in shooting at still target & live target & groups get wider @ greater distance... shooting threw a pipe take a 1/2" pipe, hold up ta shooting eye.. Look threw... Think they still trying ta decode my thread, De-fun-de-mentals of Choot-en spelling might be wrong... They took thtead down... As pappy once said: i gotta be me, no one else wants the job ...

Good photo, jeffbird.

The proof is right there, and I'm proud for you that it takes so few rounds to get the rifle shooting again.

Haven't read all the pages, but Id hope people clean their muzzle loaders more often than what Im seeing yall posting about regular center fire rifles. Those are some nasty guns and corrode easy. Not to mention trying to push a sabot with a rod down a dirty, rusty bore. I use bore butter to keep the rust to a low in muzzle loaders. I had a guy hand me a muzzle loader one time to look at and I handed it back to him and said whats up with the rusty stalactites in the boar, and he said uhhhh? I never clean it. I like to clean my rifles after a hunt that may include rain or being around a lot of sand. I always fowl my barrel and sometimes just shoot it into the ground one time. Ive been in some soaking rainfall while hunting and I don't like water for lubrication. Ive seen rust building up at the end of the muzzle after one evening sit in the rain. No thanks. Don't want to blow that rust out with a shot, would rather clean it out with proper gun cleaning equipment. I walk a lot and my guns are introduced to all the harmful elements. If I slightly bump my guns against something I check the zero every time.

If the shooter takes good notes on each firearm they shoot it really doesn't matter if the bore is clean or dirty when hunting. I keep data for every rifle I shoot on where the 1st shot will hit whether it's clean or dirty. I make data cards for each load/rifle,and tape copy's on the stocks each time I take them out in the field.
None of my rifles have over 1.5" of difference between the POI of a cold clean bore or a cold dirty bore.Unless you're trying to shoot a deer at 400+ yards in the wind,it'll be hard not to hit the kill zone.

I do try to keep one rifle with a fouled barrel,but I do a lot of load testing when it starts cooling off outside,and if that rifle was used for load testing it will have a clean bore when it goes to the lease and I'll have no problem with knowing where it will shoot with my hunting load on the first shot.

That's cool, mine are normally about an inch off with a freshly cleaned bore. Ive noticed that solvent doesn't throw the bullets like a oil sheen in the bore does. And for the auto shooters, you better keep those as clean as possible, unless you like non cycling guns. I shot a lot of .22 short out of my marlin 39m one time, and with the shorter case on the shorts compared to the longs it had a build up further back in the chamber that made cycling long rifle shells almost impossible. Had to break out the bore solvent and brushes to get it back to cycling long rifle shells. That cleaning kit does have its very important uses.

Yes, correct, were're talking about normal centerfire rifles, not muzzle loaders. Totally different ball game there, for sure.



Yes, this happens with almost any firearm that shares a longer and shorter caliber fired out of the same chamber. You will have the same issue with a 357 Mag after firing a bunch of 38's. You will have to clean the chamber(s) to get the full length rounds into the chamber.

I bought a rem 788 that im guessing the previous owner never cleaned. When I got it I cleaned it inside and out, but didn't know that it needed more of an industrial style cleaning. When I fired store bought ammo out of the .308 the shells didn't want to come out of the chamber after shot. After the cases expanded the gunk in the neck increased the tolerances and wouldn't let the case freely come out. I could barely pull the bolt up much less out. Took it to the gun doctor and he said that I probably has a really dirty chamber that needed some serious cleaning. I took it home and soaked some patches with bore solvent and pushed them into the chamber and let it sit for a day to soak the gunk. Then I used brushes to brush out the junk. The shells would always have that green penny color around the neck after fired. It took several soakings and brushings to finally clean up the chamber. I learned a lot about maintaining your weapon with that very gun.

bump for a reminder!!

First rifle was a Kentucky .45 it teaches ya maintanence... Have ta admitt i've been slacking over the years... Good thread

Bump for opening weekend!

Good write up Chad, I see and hear all the time people doing what you just wrote and wonder why they missed, I run 1 patch of Lockez through mine and call it good only takes 1-2 rounds and it's back on track.

another bump for deer season!

What if you barely use your rifles anyway, and when you do, it's for less than 50 shots, with the average being 5 per outing, and don't clean them unless after a vigorous range day?

this needs to be read by many. up for monday

If cleaning the barrel was not a good idea, why do benchrest target shooters clean their barrels frequently between shots??
Those fellas can shoot rings around most of the deer hunters on this forum.
They are regularly shooting sub M.O.A. groups from CLEAN barrels.

You got some splaining to do, Lucy!

Thar be a difference between them thar bench rest target chooters & them thar average hunters... Me thread fun-de-mentals of chooten , tis done gone missen, proper English i think... Yet do know about Kentucky english ... The maintanance of the gun tis more ta prevent melfunctions & will help on resell.. Kinda like guy at work maken fun of me ol beat up dodge... Doing best could with what little i had, it was already in bad shape, money i spent twas ta keep it running...

Benchrest is a totally different shooting discipline. The will shoot and clean often, sometimes every 5 rounds. But as a hunter or shooter for field use, you don't have the time or ability to clean every few shots. You need the rifle to maintain an internal consistency. You can't do this with consistent cleaning and oiling the barrel internally. The best thing to do is to shoot enough to know your rifle and when accuracy falls of (about 70-150 rounds or more). Most shooters over clean there rifles and do not re-sight in correctly with fouling rounds. This is an important aspect. The idea of this topic was to get a cleaning method that works for field and hunting use. If you want to clean every other shot like the benchresters do, by all means do it. Let me know how your groups are and what kind of extreme spread you get on the velocities. I'll bet you my method will out shoot the benchrest method, and be more consistent, especially at longer ranges.

Wow, almost 19,000 views on this topic!

I will take that bet , Chad.

what? no WD-40?

a must-read for all hunters ^ ^ ^ ^ on page 1

How about a bump and a reminder for upcoming deer season!!!!

In the Texas panhandle, 400+ yard shots are common. Both my main hunting rifles are sub half minute. At the end of the hunting seasons I thoroughly clean them. At the beginning of the season I'll foul the barrels at the range with anywhere from 12-15 shots and not clean the barrel again until season is over. The only exception is if I'm hunting in bad weather. In that case I'll run a dry bore snake through them a couple of times.

Some have said they have never cleaned their rifle barrel after years of use. They'll probably still work for deer in the woods but would like to see how they perform on 200-300 yard prairie dogs or 400 yard coyotes. My guess is not well.

Yea, the deer jump up at 100 yards and the 120 mph wind blows them 300 yards more.....

My dad was from Wheeler County. Really love the Panhandle. Seriously.

For those that use bore snakes, try the Otis cable cleaning kit instead. It uses patches and brushes like a rod. Every pass can use a clean patch. Boresnskes are known to be capable of causing problems with barrel crowns.

Lol, yep the wind can get them out there in a hurry. The bore snake always goes through the chamber just like my cleaning rod. Never through the muzzle.

Great post and exactly correct method.
I also do not touch my barrel after it is dead on.
I do wipe down the bolt and outside of the gun with a powder solvent to clean it off and wipe the exposed surfaces with oil lightly.

This thread is 4 years old now, and I hope it has helped some hunters out in the field. It's still a good one, though!

I use a boresnake, W/O oil, rarely.

For what it is worth, I agree 100% with TadTRG42. Not because I am too lazy to keep my guns clean, hell Like probably everyone on this forum I am anal about cleaning guns and love doing it. But Tad is correct I have personally proven that concept.

Ok, it's that time of year again! I'm going to bump this thread again to educate some hunters about proper cleaning methods!

Your method will outshoot the benchrest guys?? Really?? I say B.S.

What's a benchrest guy?

Way to go. Throw in one tiny little niche of rifle shooting, which has zero to do with hunting rifles.

I've got a rifle next to me right now that has not been cleaned in 160 rounds. I shot it on Monday, and that was cold bore, on an 8" plate at 800 yards. I damn sure don't do what bench resters do, but I can do that.

Call BS all you want, but there's a very short list of guys I'd want next to me in a gunfight, and Chad is one of them.

Bench rest shooters have their guns sighted in for their cold clean bore shot.. If they shoot a second shot, it will hit in a slightly different place and cause them the match. Two totally different disciplines of shooting. As long as my rifle shoots sub MOA I'm good. I Regularly shoot out to 1500 yards, but I wont win any bench rest competitions..

And who the heck deer hunts, which is what this thread is about, with a bench rest rifle? I alternated last year between two of my long range rifles and it was such a beat down wagging those things through the woods that I went out and bought a new dedicated hunting rifle for this year. Well, that and the fact that I just wanted a new one...

My two main hunting rifles shoot to the same place inside of 300 if freshly cleaned or not, but I still am reluctant to clean the bore during the season. Only one time I can remember cleaning the bore was on a rainy day in Louisiana, when my rifle strap broke and the rifle landed barrel down and went 8 or 10 inches into the mud. That took some cleaning.

There's just nothing that makes me happier than a great shooting rifle (well, beer, Wimmin and a few other things maybe). Was hunting yesterday morning with that Tikka 260 that Chad had put together for me. Saw a coyote at about 175 yards, but couldn't get the gun up fast enough. But I knew where he had to cross to get to where he was going, so I set up the rifle and watched through the scope, safety off and finger in position. What I didn't expect was that the low spot he was in would mostly hide his body, but he stopped and raised his head. I had to shoot through the net wire fence and really really close to a fence post and hit him in the head, but I drilled him. I love that rifle. Not cleaning it till January. Thanks, Chad!

Bragging...that's something else I like....

Yeah I keep my TC Renegade Muzzleloader seasoned and it's dead on. I pretty much follow the same routine with my hunting firearms and use scentless oil since I was able to find another kit of the stuff. All the shots where I hunt are under 150 yards and sometimes the deer get very close to my blind. I had a buck scratching itself on the side of my 5ft tower last Wednesday but he wasn't a shooter. Have a great season everybody!

Which bore guide to use?

Bump

That has not been my observation, most tend to fire sighters. So the actual group being measured may not contain the clean bore shot.

was testin some handloads through a chrono the other day, first shot off a clean bore went 3200fps everyone after that went 2900fps or so

My bore snake is designed to oil first, then remove fowling, finally to remove fouling and oil, all in one pull thru. Then I shoot a fouling shot (explained in the original post). I will leave the bore fouled for the upcoming season and for any further mods to my reloads.
I believe that a load 143 grains of H4350 would result in a compressed load (depending on bullet weight and seating depth) something I am not about to try.
I make no attempt to say that the load used in this thread is the "ultimate" load and lay no claim to owning a minute-of-angle shooter. What I illustrated is part of a tune-up procedure to get the most out of my particular rifle.
I do offer an observation...if cleaning a barrel is bad, why do bench rest shooters clean their barrels every 5 rounds or so??

?really?

Is your rifle a bench rest rifle? If so, go for it. Do what works for you. I'm simply passing on my experience with what works and what other hunters (not bench rest shooters) have had issues with, and to solve these issues. And you certainly won't see shooters cleaning and using oil and then shooting.

Clearly your procedure is flawed. The rifle is shooting poorly. That, or you are.

I think it's time to bump this thread since shooters are getting ready for deer season!!!

I clean my deer rifle once a year regardless of how much I shoot it. I clean it about a month before gun season then go fire some shots to reconfirm zero then I just kill stuff all year long. I may wipe down the outside or knock the dust off with a brush but other then that it get cleaned one time a year and it shoots great.

This topic is one of the common questions I get asked often.

Clean at end of season. Prior to new season shoot 3 or 4 times to confirm zero. Seems to work for me.

Sapper, that is exactly what I do as well. One cleaning a year in October. Go shoot a few through it and call it good. Its been working well for me. I do however really enjoy reading the reasoning here. The more you know.... Thanks for the tips!

Keep doing that.

Only reason not to, is if you shoot hundreds of rounds per year, and it begins to shoot poorly somewhere in the mix.

Thank you Chad. This is a good read.

You have to clean your rifle??????

2 more this week alone! Stop over cleaning the inside of your rifles, folks!!! Just shoot da thang!

Usually clean once a year. But do shoot it before hunting with it

Reminder! Another shooter with over cleaning and oiling today!!!

Up.

Super funny, I argued this with my buddy today at lunch. I drag my bore snake about every 20 rounds (which these days is every 3 years), never oil the firing pin, oil the outside with Rem Oil in the garage every time I walk in the house. Watched my dad with this routine and it works for me.

After I get my rifle and load set. I'll leave the bore alone till after hunting season.

I clean my stuff too much, but i'm trying to slow down on it.

I learned my lesson when shooting in the sporting clay match with Tim, and 2beez and Ramsey. I knew it was going to rain bad all day, so I sprayed the crap out of it with ballistol the night before.

The gun got rain soaked, all the oil turned to a slippery mess, I could barely hold on to the dang thing.

2 phone calls about it this week. So, it's time to bump this thread again! NO OIL in the barrel when sighted in!!!

Only put two rounds through mine last year, one dead deer and one dead hog both dropped where they stood. I am going to wipe the outside down, make sure there are no obstructions and then hunt with it Saturday. Thanks for the reminder!

I learned a lot on this thread after I first joined this forum. Glad to see it every year.

I followed the recommended steps to break in all my rifle barrels and always store them with a clean bore not so they will shoot well the next time I use them, but so they'll be shooting well 50 or even 100 years from now.

First deer rifle...

Kentucky 45...

So when they handed me, a M-16, 203, & later M-60 ...
Twas well prepared, never had problems...

cool thread...

Keep your head held high & your powder dry...