Rifle barrel clean or not

[Whitetail200]

Ive always cleaned my rifle after a hunting season. However the barrel probably or maybe didn't need it since it wasn't in some cases shot but it was a piece of mind to do it & since it was shot for sighting in prior to hunting season . I usually try to mindfully cover the end of barrel with tape etc. Action exposed to dust extra all weather conditions in the feild . Gentlemen I ran into & discussion led from hunting to cleaning & he mentioned he rarely cleans his rifle barrel unless he happens to drop it in dirt , mud etc. in the field . Other than that he just wipes down the rifle & stores until he shoots if going to a range or hunting . I know its a personnel choice like everything but what opinions do you have on this subject .

[Smokinyotes]

I may not clean mine all of hunting season but they get cleaned thoroughly at the end of hunting season and a damp patch with either Rem oil or G96 pushed through.

[Salavee]

Ive always cleaned my rifle after a hunting season. However the barrel probably or maybe didn't need it since it wasn't in some cases shot but it was a piece of mind to do it & since it was shot for sighting in prior to hunting season . I usually try to mindfully cover the end of barrel with tape etc. Action exposed to dust extra all weather conditions in the feild . Gentlemen I ran into & discussion led from hunting to cleaning & he mentioned he rarely cleans his rifle barrel unless he happens to drop it in dirt , mud etc. in the field . Other than that he just wipes down the rifle & stores until he shoots if going to a range or hunting . I know its a personnel choice like everything but what opinions do you have on this subject .

I like to keep my barrels clean. After even a short shooting session I run some Wipe Out and a (gasp) BoreSnake with a patch thru it and call it good. Oil never enters my barrels.

[huntinstuff]

I clean mine after a few uses

I like foaming cleaners. Then I use my old stash of "real" Hoppes 9......with gloves on.

I have never oiled the inside of my barrel.

[Nyksta]

Have you tested how your rifle shoots when it is cleaned vs fouled? The clean bore shot speed and impact compared to fouled shots may be within acceptable variances for your hunting distances. Testing the differences might take this doubt out of your mind.

[catnthehat]

I check the zero on my hunting rifle every year, then do not clean the bore until the end of the season.
The outside gets wiped down with wax on a regular basis, but unless I have fired it in wet weather during the season I leave the bore alone, and even then just a dry patch gets pushed through.
Cat

[JULIUS]

I clean my rifles after every use except after the final sight in for hunting season. During hunting season I clean only if I am in the rain or it gets dirty from some mishap. At the end of the season it gets the full meal deal with wipe out and patches until I see no more crud on the patch. I take my rifles out of storage at least once over the winter and dry patch to ensure there are no unforeseen issues arising. Then dry patch again before going to the range just to remove any dust.
Maybe a bit much but it works for me.
Depending on what firearm i am cleaning I us Wipe out, hoppes 9, and G96 products

[elkhunter11]

I test every rifle with both a clean barrel, an a fouled barrel, to verify whether the point of impact or accuracy vary, and if they don't, I often hunt with a clean barrel.

[barsik]

I am in the process of getting one of my rifles rebarreled because I didn't want to damage the barrel by constantly running a cleaning rod through it. those little particles of burnt and unburned powder that remain in the barrel attract moisture from the atmosphere and form a nitric acid.

[catnthehat]

those little particles of burnt and unburned powder that remain in the barrel attract moisture from the atmosphere and form a nitric acid.
it would be interesting to see a study on just how that effects accuracy or the actually accuracy life of a barrel using smokeless powder.
Personally speaking, I have never seen one.....
Cat

[gunluvr]

I clean a barrel after a session at the range where I may have shot several rounds if it looks like I may not shoot it again for awhile. Can't say I've owned a rifle that shot the first shot from a clean barrel as well as after one or two fouling shots. I always make sure I've shot at least one fouling shot before taking a rifle hunting. No need nor time for cleaning in November.

[6.5 shooter]

Can't remember who said it but I agree. More rifle barrels have been ruined from being improperly cleaned, then have been, from shooting them.

But then again I watched a guy on utube take a bronze brush on a power drill and abuse his bore, all it did was polish it. In my gunsmithing course one of the recommendations for cleaning old WW2 rifles ( or poor shooting rifles) was the same advice, power drill and a bronze brush.

So each to their own I guess.