When are the best times to clean a rifle. After how many rounds has been fired (for range shooting). Also I have been told for hunting, Clean rifle after sight in then fire 2 or 3 rounds then do not clean it for the rest of the season! :confused:

Clean it when you need to. That's pretty subjective - but so is life. It might rain on you one day while out hunting, then what?

After you clean it - make darn sure you KNOW where the first shot goes out of a clean barrel vs. a fouled one. Once you know that - then a fouling shot is less of an issue.

Normally, getting the bore pretty dry (wiping out excess oil) gets your point of impact close to that of a fouled bore. If you can establish a cleaning procedure where you know the shots from a 'clean' bore will go in the same place as shots from a fouled bore, then you have learned a very useful thing.

Warm barrels clean a little easier than cold ones - you'll no doubt see fellow shooters at the range that swab the bores down before departing the range.

Firearms are just like people - some become fouled faster than others! (Sorry for that!)

.22LR firearms don't really require much in the way of bore cleaning as the ammo has a lubed bullet. Even the gilded bullets are pretty soft. Their velocity is such that they don't leave much in the bore, other than a little powder residue. The actions will become gummed up in time with the splashings of lead/lube and other gunk and has to be cleaned out for proper functioning.

Centerfire revolvers and pistols with lead up and have copper fouling left in the bore after a box (50 rounds) or two have been through them. The forcing cone area and the cylinder chambers will have this also. Lots of carbon will be in the action or the cylinder face and crane. This must be cleaned to maintain good accuracy and functioning.

Centerfire rifles will generally start tailing off in accuracy after 20 or so rounds (your mileage may vary) and most serious shooters will clean them at this point. The use of moly coated bullets and treated bores will lessen the frequency of cleaning, but once fouled, is a real chore to clean out and restore to good shooting again.

Whatever, the bores should be cleaned of all traces of carbon and copper fouling before shooting again. It sometimes takes a solid week of cleaning with periods to let the bore cleaners work until I'm satisfied the patches are coming out clean.

Many hunters will carefully sight-in their firearms prior to hunting, clean, then go back to the range for a final verification of grouping and shoot several rounds. This verifys and will condition the bore for that first shot confidence in the field. All present day American manufactured ammo is "rustless", so if it becomes damp the bore won't attract rust. If in a pouring rain or snowstorm, you're going to clean the entire rifle anyway, including the bore.

I have to ask - what do you do with a levergun after being in a 15 minute "whiteout"? There are up to two barrel bands, the place where the forearm meets the barrel, at about half the barrel circumfrence, there is a screw in the end of the magazine tube - all of which, when detached or loosened, apply diferent pressure when reinstalled, thus affecting accuracy?

The first time you feel the need to take the rife down to "parade rest" do you seal/condition/otherwise make it almost impossible for moisture to get in that space so you won't have to disasseble it again unless caught in a torrential downpour?

This situation happened to me, and I sheltered my rifle, but while I was doing that, this exact question ran through my mind - mainly that if I felt I had to take the rifle apart that night, I could not trust that the POI had stayed the same. Or is that why I had the second rifle?

How do you all provide for this happening?

This is an age old problem since lever guns first came out and includes the old military rifles with extended and banded hand grips.

Only have a couple of lever guns and in my part of the country, moisture is one of the last considerations! Never been faced with the situation, but I've read where folks in Alaska and other generally wet weather areas will coat the firearms with a good coating of furniture or auto paste wax to safeguard them. If some gets rubbed off, just touch up the rubbed area until you can get home to strip and clean.

In my country, that would most probably just attract dust, so mine go dry until placing back in the safes.

Got a wet problem here...not just rain, but nearly constant high humidity. Stocks tha had stayed stable for years in dry climates get the urge to swell a bit after a few months doen here.

Seal them internally, keep the finish unbroken on the outside, and will use floor wax on the wood and metal before a wet hunt. Even so, it wouldn't be the first time I had to wade arround in a bayou barefooted trying to feel for the rifle when the skif turned over....cold is good, fewer toothed surprises in teh water.

But they still get dirty. Have the same bore cleaning as with any oither gun, and a good cleaning after a range visit, but a full scale take-dwon and detail cleaning perhaps one a year (less often with some of the ones that don't get out so much anymore).

HAve to confess..don't like to completely dissassemble '94's or '92's unless i have to. Will often just take the wood off, open the action, put the opened barreled action in a bucket, and pump large amounts of mineral spirits through. Work the action a few times, let is soak, and do it again. BLow it out, let it dry, lightly re-lube the pivot points, and put it back together.

Are there any suggestions regarding the inside of the wood surfaces? I guess the snug fit would become even snugger if you were to poly-coat the inside, how 'bout some good oil? Or is this just too much?

I do like the idea of the floor wax on the outside. I used to wax the pipes of my Harley - used good auto wax, and it retarded the rusting process. Guess I could do the same for the rifle.

Thanks for the ideas folks.

Depends on the handgun/rifle....my 10/22s are lucky to see a cleaning every 1000 rounds and they still function perfectly and shoot 7/8th inch groups at 75 yards. My centerfire rifles however, get cleaned EVERY time they come back from the range no matter how dirty. I usually put 50-100 rounds through each rifle i take out so often they are a bit dirty. Same goes for my handguns, especially automatics...dirty action and a jamming pistol really equals a bad day of shooting. It only take a couple mins per gun, and keeps them looking and functioning like new. My Marlin 336 has about 4000 rounds through it easly and other than the typical wear marks on the catch for the rounds on the receiver...it still looks brand new.

Are there any suggestions regarding the inside of the wood surfaces? I guess the snug fit would become even snugger if you were to poly-coat the inside, how 'bout some good oil? Or is this just too much?

I do like the idea of the floor wax on the outside. I used to wax the pipes of my Harley - used good auto wax, and it retarded the rusting process. Guess I could do the same for the rifle.

Thanks for the ideas folks.

No one can see the inside of the stock...the fast way it to treat it with good water sealant (same stuff used on outdoor decks) or with Marine grade varnish (the real stuff...try boating supply). IF using varnish, thin the first coat to get it to penetrate into the wood a little bit, then add a thick full strength coat that lays on top...apply the second coat while the first is still slightly tacky. Seems like the end grain wants to absorb the most, so don't forget under the recoil pad/butt plate.

Leave a good layer of wax on the cracks when water-proofing the rifle (is no such thing...but we'll call it water-proofing)...it's easy to remove, but while there will fill the gaps and keep water out.

I have to ask - what do you do with a levergun after being in a 15 minute "whiteout"? There are up to two barrel bands, the place where the forearm meets the barrel, at about half the barrel circumfrence, there is a screw in the end of the magazine tube - all of which, when detached or loosened, apply diferent pressure when reinstalled, thus affecting accuracy?

The first time you feel the need to take the rife down to "parade rest" do you seal/condition/otherwise make it almost impossible for moisture to get in that space so you won't have to disasseble it again unless caught in a torrential downpour?

This situation happened to me, and I sheltered my rifle, but while I was doing that, this exact question ran through my mind - mainly that if I felt I had to take the rifle apart that night, I could not trust that the POI had stayed the same. Or is that why I had the second rifle?
Mike,
I'm a little confused.'whiteout',around here is snow;and snow is pretty much harmless to the rifle if you keep the action closed and a
tape over the muzzle.
I had a 'worse case scenerio'while hunting white rabbits on snowshoes.I lost my balance and toppled over backwords(I'm very athletic).I rolled head over heels for about 30 feet.The snow protected both me and my GI Carbine from any harm.I just wiped the snow off both of us and went on my merry way.
How do you all provide for this happening?
If you were talking about sleet,I'll agree 100% with you.
Frank

Frank - the whiteout was snow - little bitty flakes that fell phenominally fast with no warning for about 15-20 minutes, so I hid under a fir tree til it blew over, but I was watching the snow melt on the barrel, and that is what prompted the thought. I like ribbonstone's direction with the marine varnish, and I like seeing that I am not the only anal retentive idiot that wants to wrap his firearm in "Tyvek".

I do always clean every weapon I shoot, no matter how much or how little, it just never occured to me to treat the under-portions of metal and wood til I saw the snow melt.

Thanks to mountainfire for begining this thread!

Wasn't kidding...have had a boat over turn and had to wade arround in black water...3 feet deep...in the cold..barefoot..trying to locate the items by feel. IF the Ruger AW is built for anything, it's built for this (and the stock makes a denct oar).

Take the wood rifles out as well, but so far haven't lost one over board. Have had one 1/2 fall out of a jeep that rolled and have the stock break in two. Have seen one that was droped out of a tree stand and land barrel first in the soft soil..sticking there like an arro in a Robin hood movie, kind of quivering. Pull through doesn't do it for this one...had a good 8" of compacted soil in the bore.

Have watched people put a pump shot gun in the boat, awash in slaty water, and drive 3 hours with it back there soaking and rattling arround. Made sure I didn't follow that trailer as I'm not too sure he unloaded it.

So I do seal the ends of the grain and the barrel channel as well as possible...do either use the car wax as a chaulk and a covering layer, or use cammo tape to cover the inletting...and will carry the gun butt-up/barrel down in the rain. Figure there is going to benough bad happen to it I can't control, may as well control the parts I can.

Frank - the whiteout was snow - little bitty flakes that fell phenominally fast with no warning for about 15-20 minutes, so I hid under a fir tree til it blew over, but I was watching the snow melt on the barrel, and that is what prompted the thought. I like ribbonstone's direction with the marine varnish, and I like seeing that I am not the only anal retentive idiot that wants to wrap his firearm in "Tyvek".

I do always clean every weapon I shoot, no matter how much or how little, it just never occured to me to treat the under-portions of metal and wood til I saw the snow melt.

Thanks to mountainfire for begining this thread!
Mike,
I've been spoiled,a little.Most of my hunting,over time,has been with a Springfield Krag.It's designed to take abuse,and still perform.It's been dropped in a creek,often dropped on the ground,in dirt and mud,and plenty of snow and rain.The only time that it complained was during a particularly bad sleet storm.When I released the striker,after unloading,instead of the 'ping',I heard a'pffft'.Had I fired at a Whitetail,I would had a a hangfire or misfire.
I learned from that experience.I never put any grease or oil on the bolt,or breechblock,ofa hunting rifle.
FWIW Keeping the action closed can be a real concern.When hunting in the rain,you are mostly moving about.While you are concentrating on the world around you,a branch or brush might unloosen your bolt.It has happened to me.
Frank