Mr. Longbeard

I always thought that all copper had to be removed from barrel then I read that you need copper to smooth out the improfections in the barrel...

I'm a little confused

Valentine

As long as the rifle keeps shooting accurately and doesn't fall apart, you keep doing it the same way you did it for ten years.
If you're a newbie you learn the hard way. By doing it.

I have an old muzzleloader I would clean with moosemilk after every use. Cleaning was important. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how it survived so long.

emtrescue6

Every rifle is different (and not all barrels are created equal)...my rule has always been this...clean a barrel only when groups begin to open up and accuracy declines...otherwise, shoot it.

I have several rifles that need to be dirty before they shot well...my 270WSM needs a good 3-5 fouling shots down it for it's best accuracy. That rifle gets cleaned once a year...after deer season. I've had well over 30 rounds down it in one season dirty and never saw accuracy decline. On the other end of the spectrum, I have a .243 that needs a good cleaning every 10 shots to maintain it's best accuracy.

I have a 10/22 that's really never had the barrel cleaned and it has got to have a million rounds through it...it's as accurate as it has ever been...

d80hunter

I never noticed copper fouling until I got my first stainless rifle. I always remove the copper streaks and it accumulates every time I shoot it. Stainless is more porous or so I have heard. That should explain the extra copper fouling and like lead and powder fouling I want it out of the bore.

Mr. Longbeard, where did you read about copper fouling being a good thing? I am interested in the subject and always have things to learn.

Mr. Longbeard

So far seems like the gun shoots better the more I shoot it... I'm cleaning it but I can still see copper on the lands

emtrescue6

A certain amount of fouling is often good for accuracy on most rifles. I've only ever really had one rifle that shot better clean than dirty. Most target shooters will shoot a rifle till the groups open up before cleaning.

Gunplummer

My favorite, best shootingist, go to for luck rifle is an Arisaka that I put a surplus 7x57 barrel on and chopped to carbine length. I left it full stock with handguard. It has a short JUNKCO scope and everything I could, I made out of aluminum and titanium. I clean it well at the end of the season, but that is it unless I get caught in a downpour. I have never used copper cleaning solvent on it, and doubt I ever will. The first shot @ 100 yards pre-season is always about 2" high and a little left. The next 3 are right in there without adjustment. This year I must have had good nerves. The first hole 2" high, another hole dead center, a half hole, and that was it for 4 shots. Obviously 1 shot went right through another hole. That barrel shoots better than I will ever shoot on my best day. I have another good shooter that also needs one or two "Dirt shots" to really be in there after cleaning. Both barrels are "Cut" rifling. I think that button rifling is affected more by copper fouling. It is a cheaper way to make barrels, don't let anyone tell you different. A lot of the barrel steel is produced to accomodate button rifling and is not as good as it used to be either.

Big Uncle

I don't know about the "most target shooters" part. I sometimes run with the benchrest crowd, and opinions are all over the lot. Most clean after a set number of shots that probably averages somewhere between 25 to 40 rounds.

How barrels are cleaned is where the biggest differences lie (brush vs. no-brush, nylon vs. bronze, etc.). I always came down on the side of nylon brushes in BR barrels and bronze in hunting barrels, and usually somewhere around a 25 round interval - depending on the barrel. Most agree that a clean barrel needs a couple of fouling shots before shooting scores.

I found an article that gives the views of some of the top shooters and barrel makers:

http://www.6mmbr.com/borebrushing.html

If I am shooting all copper bullets I cut the interval in half and clean about every 12 rounds.

redgreen

I clean my bores with #9 benchrest and J&B paste. A couple prefer to be fouled, but for the most part, they prefer to be clean. One with a match chamber and barrel must be really clean, as accuracy falls rapidly as it starts to foul.

Bullcamp82834

Shoot it till the accuracy falls off, then clean it thoroughly and shoot a few groups to see where it's hitting. Adjust accordingly and don't worry about it for a while.

More barrels get ruined by overzealous cleaning than by any other means.