Cleaning hunting rifles

CBH Australia

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Yesterday I cleaned 3 centre fire rifles. 1 or 2 of these will be taken away in about 6 weeks.

Target shooters often like to do a barrel before a match, even if it's 1 or 2 sighters before the match. Then it's cleaned meticulously before the next match.

I'm thinking about taking these rifles to the range and checking the accuracy
with a three shot before putting them away dirty until the hunt. (I'm expecting they will be on target and grouping ok)

Does anyone do that or do you head off with clean rifles.

Any pros or cons to my scenario?

Travelling by car and not expecting travel to impact on accuracy or point of impact.
 
I'm way too superstitious to hunt with a freshly cleaned barrel. :oops:
 
Know your rifle, i.e. cold, clean bore shots, cold, dirty bore shots, hot dirty bore shots. Plan accordingly.
 
Mine get an annual two or three passes with Ballistol once a year whether they need or not. That's it.
 
Know your rifle, i.e. cold, clean bore shots, cold, dirty bore shots, hot dirty bore shots. Plan accordingly.
This is true. Mine are consistent, if I cleaned between each shot I’m sure the group would be as good as dirty. I like to keep a notebook for each of my serious rifles. I try to write down everything.
 
Know your rifle, i.e. cold, clean bore shots, cold, dirty bore shots, hot dirty bore shots. Plan accordingly.
Excellent advice
 
Good question. My cleaning varies a lot from one gun to the next. Meticulously broken in and cleaned barrels by Hart to old cut rifled barrels to 1906 model 94 Wins all need a different approach. Cleaning a rifle, then putting it away fouled is probably fine, but leave it clean....you will check zero when you arrive in Africa I think. That will foul it just fine. (And Red Leg mentioned an amazing product, Ballistol)........best of luck with whatever technique you choose.................FWB
 
This is true. Mine are consistent, if I cleaned between each shot I’m sure the group would be as good as dirty. I like to keep a notebook for each of my serious rifles. I try to write down everything.

These are not "serious rifles" , but I'm hoping to set up one serious rifle with twiddle turrets and learn some long range skills as an extension of my interest.

The rifles in question are Tikkas I mostly shoot inside 200m. Not trying for anything more as it's maybe a meat harvesting excercise. (Fallow)

The .308 with an IBI barrel shoots 3 shots in around 1/2moa .

The factory barrel .300wm groups are around an inch at 100. It has a nice scope for low light so they might be what I take this time.
 
Before deer season or before a travel hunt I will take my cleaning gear with me to the last range/practice trip.

I’ll clean the rifle before my last range session so that I know it’s well serviced with a few fouling/practice rounds through it and bottom line ….

When I put the rifle away I’m 100% confident in both rifle and ammo for the coming hunt.

Once returning from the hunt or at the end of the season I wipe them with Balistol as well as swab the bore.
 
@flatwater bill I'm not going to Africa for now.

But I can test it at the local range and drive the 8 hours to the property in 6 long weeks time.

I could test it the day before I go but keen to go for a shot asap.

I think I should thoroughly clean my rifles after a trip storing them clean for later.
 
I don't have Ballistol in my gear but will look into it.

I have Hoppes No 9 and another copper fouling cleaning product.
 
My range and competition guns i only clean when accuracy deteriorates.

My hunting rifles and especially my revolver are kept over oiled and spotless because my luck just happens to have me continually tromping in rain, mud, and snow, and I refuse to let those beauties rust.

I only clean my shotgun when it gets really wet.
 
As with all things:
It depends

Type of shooting (do you shoot a dozen rounds at a time rapid/timed fire or single load every shot, rarely shooting more than a round per minute)
Quality of ammunition (self explanatory)
Volume of shooting (dozens of rounds per day week after week)
Conditions of shooting/carrying/travel (guns carried and shot in arid environments will wear out more quickly from dust and sand acting as an abrasive than in other environments; if you’re somewhere with these conditions you need to adjust your cleaning methods and lubricant choices)
Type of gun (self explanatory)

Good bore cleaning tip: when you keep getting dirty, wet patches, soak a cotton patch in isopropyl alcohol, then stick it on a proper jag, punch the bore, and chase with one or two dry patches. It’ll soak up the excess solvent and get you down to bare metal. BUT! Make sure you run an oil or grease patch behind it before you put the gun away!
 
As with all things:
It depends

Type of shooting (do you shoot a dozen rounds at a time rapid/timed fire or single load every shot, rarely shooting more than a round per minute)
Quality of ammunition (self explanatory)
Volume of shooting (dozens of rounds per day week after week)
Conditions of shooting/carrying/travel (guns carried and shot in arid environments will wear out more quickly from dust and sand acting as an abrasive than in other environments; if you’re somewhere with these conditions you need to adjust your cleaning methods and lubricant choices)
Type of gun (self explanatory)

Good bore cleaning tip: when you keep getting dirty, wet patches, soak a cotton patch in isopropyl alcohol, then stick it on a proper jag, punch the bore, and chase with one or two dry patches. It’ll soak up the excess solvent and get you down to bare metal. BUT! Make sure you run an oil or grease patch behind it before you put the gun away!
I pull a bore snake through mine 3 times after a range session and hit them with brushes and rags to clean and oil after the 4th range session. I run a dry rag through at lodge before sight in and don't touch them during a hunt unless I get mud or lots of water in a bbl. Lightly oiled bore snake 3 times before coming home.They get cleaned at home.
 
Yesterday I cleaned 3 centre fire rifles. 1 or 2 of these will be taken away in about 6 weeks.

Target shooters often like to do a barrel before a match, even if it's 1 or 2 sighters before the match. Then it's cleaned meticulously before the next match.

I'm thinking about taking these rifles to the range and checking the accuracy
with a three shot before putting them away dirty until the hunt. (I'm expecting they will be on target and grouping ok)

Does anyone do that or do you head off with clean rifles.

Any pros or cons to my scenario?
Ufff.
Match rifle.
I keep clean and lubricated during off season (winter months).
When preparing to start training and matches, i wipe clean, and dry the barrel.

After all training and testing before the match, I do not clean.
"Do not clean" means - I pass dry patch through barrel, just to collect powder residues, but I do not use any oils, or solvents.

Hunting rifle
Kept cleaned, oiled and lubricated when not in use.
Test and zero before the hunt. (wiped clean before use, barrel to be dried of oil)
Remove (if you want) powder residues with dry patch. Dont use any oils or solvents.
So dry patch, after test, only.

Comment and explanation
I wanted to avoid shooting over old powder residues, who (in my opinion) act as abrasive to barrel if not cleaned. Second issue these powder residues may attract humidity if kept in bbl for long, and in humid atmosphere.

On the other hand using oils to clean this, brings the problem of removing the oil before hunting or match. Freshly cleaned barrels can cause flyers. So I dont use oils, before hunting or match once the zero is confirmed

So, I want them out, powder residues. In the same time, I dont want to remove copper residues as long as barrel keep accuracy, and copper doesnt create problems. Removing copper, will change POI for some times till barrel is again properly fouled.

So, to have a piece of mind, I just pass the dry patch through the barrel, and I found it does not change verified point of impact (zero), as it sometimes happens with freshly cleaned barrel.
 
@mark-hunter I like your logic and explanation.
Opinions will vary but I think pushing a dry patch through after verifying the point of impact won't hurt anything. Nothing to lose.
 
Clean every time I shoot with Bore Tech Eliminator using brush and jag . Shoot a couple rounds before hunt . Rim fires 2 or 3 times a year.
 
I clean my rifle at the end of the season but I will ALWAYS take a fouling shot before hunting as my favorite rifle will shoot a couple of inches high with a cold, clean oiled barrel.
 

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