I've read here that you don't clean your barrel until your groups start opening up. I do this, but due to health reasons, I haven't been able to shoot since January. Just how long can you let the barrel sit uncleaned, unoiled?

Here is my ritual for cleaning:

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/6008544/1

My 7 Rem Mag sat for a year, fouled, and in the safe. When I got it out last November it shot perfectly. Will all of them do that? I don't know. That one did, though.

I used to only clean when accuracy failed but recently started cleaning every 250-300rds. This is mainly to prevent getting a donut and causing pressure spikes and inconsistent velocities.

Its been 3 years since I have cleaned my 270 win. It shoots to point of aim every year when I get it out and that's what I need. I do wipe it down with an oiled cloth before storage.

It has probably been over a year since I cleaned the bore on my 270. Shot it yesterday and got a nice group that printed right where it should have. Obviously the Leupold 4.5-14 VX3 has held the zero.

I've mentioned in the past that my Dad never ever cleaned the bore on his well worn Ruger 77 Ultralight, and I'm talking decades, not years. Maybe once every 5 years, I'd take my cleaning gear over to Louisiana and give the rifle a mercy cleaning and check the zero. After he passed, I brought the rifle home with me, cleaned the rifle and bore, put a new scope on it and shot a few nice 3 shot groups. Real nice groups.

Was shooting my Hawkeye 223 last week and my favorite hand loads were not grouping well. I guess I had run about 50 to 70 rounds through it since last cleaning, so I gave the bore a light cleaning and went right back to little groups.

I guess my point here is that a fouled bore isn't a problem till it gets fouled enough to negatively impact accuracy. How fouled is too fouled depends on the rifle itself and the cartridge. My 220 Swift fouls much faster than my 260, which is to be expected. Both have after market high quality barrels. If a fellow doesn't shoot a certain rifle much, or reload for accuracy, he may not ever realize when a specific barrel is ready for a cleaning.

^^That right there explains it all, in a nutshell.

Exactly. This is my thought on ALL my rifles. Shoot them enough to know what the personality is of each rifle with 1 lot of ammo. (I also don't like mixing different lots of ammo, mainly different powders and bullet).

just remember moisture is you enemy. I've heard horror stories of moisture getting in a fouled barrel under the carbon and cause severe pitting.

I clean after every session but I don't shoot multiple times a week like most here

Thank all of you for your replies and help.

how is stainless affected?

really and truly, stainless will rust and pit if not taken care of, maybe not as fast but should not be neglected

Interesting read. I've always obsessively cleaned my firearms except for 22LR. looks like it's time to relax and enjoy the fouling! Thanks!

All my .22lr get cleaned far more often than the centerfire firearms, because they need it.

agreed, not only do I put a lot more rounds through it, that powder burns dirty

22lr is definitely dirty, but it's the one round where I have been familiar with a fouled barrel shooting better than a clean barrel at least in my CZ452s

No doubt my .22 lr shoot better fouled, but then they won't hold up for as many rounds as a centerfire will. That is what I was meaning.

I think that with rimfire rifles, one of the biggest concerns can be the build-up of carbon in the chamber where the little cartridge's rim sits. It is said that it can destroy accuracy.