I am wondering how often and with what do you clean your rifle while shooting PD's.

On my last shoot, I ran a Bore Snake down the barrel of my Savage LPV 204 Ruger every 50 rounds or so. I shot almost 400 rounds in 3 days. It didn't seem to make any difference one way or the other

What do you guys do?

Rifles vary a lot on how much cleaning they need. I have rifles that shoot as well after 100 rounds as they do when squeaky clean; and others with which the accuracy falls off after a couple of dozen rounds.

But by and large, the smaller the cartridge case, the less cleaning is needed. If you were firing 400 rounds of .204 in three days (about 130-140 per day), then I would save my cleaning for once each day after the hunt. If your were shooting a .22-250 or .243 then you might benefit from cleaner sooner.

Benchrest shooters very rarely go this long between cleanings, but then they are seeking a difference in a couple of hundredths of an inch, whereas if your accuracy on prairie dogs deteriorates by .1 moa you really won't be able to tell the difference.

That's my thinking as well Stonecreek.

Do you think that the Bore Snake is sufficient or do you lug your cleaning equipment with you?

never needed to - always brought so many different guns that none of them got dirty enuf

I clean every 50 rounds for my SS match grade barrels, they could go longer, but I clean. If I am shoooting a factory barrel, I shoot until the shooting is over and then clean at night if shooting the next day. That said I usually bring 5 - 10 rifles and the last few years there has not been enough shooting to have to stop to clean, just switch rifles.

In my Savage LRPV 204, accuracy starts to fall off after about 50 rounds so I clean it. My Remington 223 and Shilen barreled 22-250 will shoot about forever without barrel cleaning. I figure each gun is its own story and it's up to the shooter to learn that story.

quote:

Originally posted by Leopardtrack:
That's my thinking as well Stonecreek.

Do you think that the Bore Snake is sufficient or do you lug your cleaning equipment with you?

The Boresnake is a good way to ensure that a barrel won't be damaged by moisture which might have gotten into it, but it won't do anything much to remove the fouling which accumulates and causes accuracy to deteriorate. In fact, it actually adds to the fouling by depositing some oil in the bore.

My suggestion would be to spray some foaming bore cleaner down the bore in the evening, let it sit for a half-hour or more, then swab it out with several dry patches and a jointed cleaning rod. This only involves a 3 oz. can of cleaner, some patches, and a rod (and tip) -- not a lot of extra equipment to carry along.

I normally wait until evening and use wipe out foam for cleaning.

The accuracy of my Rem. 700 .223 falls off quickly after 60-70 rounds. Using this rifle as an example, I run a wet patch through using a copper removing solvent then a brush for 20-30 strokes or until it feels easier, Then 5-6 wet patches until they start looking clean then dry patches until dry. Then one patch with EEZOX and one dry patch to clean up the excess. Brings the accuracy right back. You can shorten the brush strokes with a good aftermarket barrel and the wet patches. The custom barrels I have all clean much easier than factory. A quick cleaning on any of them brings the accuracy right back.

I take six or eight rifles and never clean during the day. Some of my rifles might get 200 rounds in a day before cleaning.
Been doing it that way for 20 years.

Just got through a dirty rifle test with a Stevens Mod. 200 in 22-250 and a CZ 527 American, Varmint in .223.
FYI- Each rifle was shot three different range days.
The test started with clean bores on the first day and were only cleaned after the third day.
Perhaps 100 rounds were put through each.Both rifles produced MOA groups during the test and after the third days firing.
The Stevens took twice as long to clean than the CZ roger

A lot depends on the rifle I shot my 223s hundreds of rounds between cleanings doesn't seem to matter much with them.

I have 243 that's just a tack driver until 39 rounds then it just blows up after that. Your talking one ragged hole groups to over 2 inches or bigger in just a couple of shots after 39.

The 243 I clean several times a day the 223s at least at the end of the day.

If the rifle shoots good dirty I don't brother cleaning until I feel bad about it.

Wow. I used to shoot 400 rnds a day in my Sako
.222mag for days on end. Sometimes when I had to go back to work I'd clean it. Half the time it didn't get cleaned til the season was over and may have had a couple thousand thru it by then.
Barrel finally failed some over 6000shots.
Lasted long enough for me.
George

I don't PD hunt but we chase the crows and whistle pigs around several farms a day. Before we move from one place to another I take a cleaning rod and the proper jag for my 220 swift and use one of those prep pads to run thru the bore a couple times.

Al

quote:

Originally posted by Cliff Lyle:
I normally wait until evening and use wipe out foam for cleaning.

After 100k rounds fired at prairie dogs over 30 years, that all I do anymore. It works just fine.