When do you stop cleaning the bore?

[Caribouriver]

Like many, I clean after every trip to the range. After about 40 rds through this one rifle, I wet the bore with Hoppes spreading it with a nylon brush thinking the brush left more in the barrel than a patch. Wait 3 minutes. Bronze brush. Then 3 dry patches. Did that 5 times. Took about 25 minutes. What perplexes me is that I seem to gain no ground. Patches 1-3 and 13-15 look pretty much the same.
[IMG][/IMG]
At the bottom are patches 1-3. At the top 13-15.
1. Do you just keep going? 50 patches?
2. Is it true that more firearms are damaged by too much cleaning?
3. Is there a reasonable place to stop?
4. What do you think? When do you stop?

[shooting4life]

I don't start.

Clean when accuracy or reliability suffer. Needless to say, I don't clean very often and more barrels are ruined by cleaning than honest use.

[scotchblade]

I never get a patch that comes out "clean."

[JKMIII]

I have never gotten a completely clean patch. I rarely clean a gun after every shoot, the only exception is my ak because of the corrosive ammo I shoot out of it.

[BrassCase]

I never get a patch that comes out "clean."

It has never happened for me either with a rifle.

[krwada]

Like many, I clean after every trip to the range. After about 40 rds through this one rifle, I wet the bore with Hoppes spreading it with a nylon brush thinking the brush left more in the barrel than a patch. Wait 3 minutes. Bronze brush. Then 3 dry patches. Did that 5 times. Took about 25 minutes. What perplexes me is that I seem to gain no ground. Patches 1-3 and 13-15 look pretty much the same.
[IMG][/IMG]
At the bottom are patches 1-3. At the top 13-15.
1. Do you just keep going? 50 patches?
2. Is it true that more firearms are damaged by too much cleaning?
3. Is there a reasonable place to stop?
4. What do you think? When do you stop?

I usually stop when it looks like those patches on the right hand side. Old military rifles really tend to do this.

One of the experiments I did was to try and clean some cold rolled steel. Even after many swabs ... the cotton patch still had some grey stuff on it. There is something about steel, solvent and white cotton ... The cotton always comes out a little grey.

You should try this sometime.

[lolkopter]

clean? I am too busy shooting and doing other things...

[Loubot10]

I clean the AR after about 500 rounds.

[Rosereader]

Corrosive ammo means immediate cleaning, no exceptions. Other guns get a visual inspection; If they're fouled up and nasty they get cleaned, if they're acceptable (the rifling is still very crisply visible) they get cleaned next trip. Over that the whole collection gets a complete going-through every couple of months, but that's part keeping the old ones that have had their finishes worn off de-rusted and part because I am addicted to my firearms. As to when I stop? Corrosive ammo means it will be a purely cleaned patch, everything else I stop when I reach the point of diminishing returns and cant see much of a difference between two or three in succession.

[Mail Clerk]

Like many, I clean after every trip to the range. After about 40 rds through this one rifle, I wet the bore with Hoppes spreading it with a nylon brush thinking the brush left more in the barrel than a patch. Wait 3 minutes. Bronze brush. Then 3 dry patches. Did that 5 times. Took about 25 minutes. What perplexes me is that I seem to gain no ground. Patches 1-3 and 13-15 look pretty much the same.
[IMG][/IMG]
At the bottom are patches 1-3. At the top 13-15.
1. Do you just keep going? 50 patches?
2. Is it true that more firearms are damaged by too much cleaning?
3. Is there a reasonable place to stop?
4. What do you think? When do you stop?

If you have a non-chromed bore then using only about 12 patches is all you should need. 3 to wet the bore and push foulfing out, Let solvent soak for a good 15 minutes and then brush using the one you prefer. 3 more wet patches to push out fouling and allow solvent to soak for 5 minutes and then finally 3 dry patches to dry. If you use anymore is a waste cuz although dry the bores cracks continue to release fouling to the surface.

Mail Clerk

[Caribouriver]

I can say that I felt the bronze brush go down easier on the 5th pass than the first.

[FourLoko]

Cleaning after 40 rounds is silly

[Misterclick]

I guess it's just like some turds... How many rolls of TP you gonna go through before you just hop in the shower... (Or pull the environment unfriendly wet wipes lol!)

[Tarasdad]

The only time I don't clean a rifle is after sighting in for hunting season. It doesn't get cleaned until the season is over or I've filled my tags. Any other time it gets cleaned as soon as it gets home.

Wet patch on a jag, 1 pass. Let soak for 5 minutes or so.
Second wet patch run through the bore.
Wet bronze brush run through bore 10 passes.
Three wet patches run through the bore.
Dry patch run through bore.
Repeat as necessary until dry patch comes out clean.
Oily patch run through bore for protection.

If copper fouling is particularly bad 2 wet patches run through bore and allowed to sit for 30 minutes before the above.

Prior to shooting a wet patch is run through followed by a dry patch.

All of this is through the receiver if possible, or with a brass muzzle protector if not. Shooter's Choice bore cleaner, brass jags, bronze brushes, quality cleaning patches fitted to caliber. One piece stainless rod. CLP or RIG depending on how long the rifle will sit before being shot again. Oh, this also assumes non-corrosive ammo. If it's corrosive then there's a whole different program.

I've cleaned rifles this way for 40 years with nary a problem. No excess wear, immaculate bores, outstanding accuracy - everything I could ask from a rifle.

[gwgn02]

Cleaning after 40 rounds is silly

Unless its corrosive ammo.