Bore cleaning between shots when patterning

[jhogue]

How much do most of you clean your bore between shot when patterning and what do you actually do? I’ve done the “deep cleaning” technique on all my barrels. Do most folks run a brush with a little bore cleaner and then some patches to dry the bore? Do you generally do it every two to three shots?

Thank.

[ICDEDTURKES]

I've come full circle with this. Every single round, pull barrel Bore cleaner, brush 5 passes, 3 dry patches, alcohol patch, dry patch.

Than someone introduced me to bore snakes. 5 passes good. Not perfect but decent.

But in reality my first process mentioned is how I will test every shell every choke if it's new. I believe eliminating variables is the first step, I've shot one barrel that shot better fouled than clean, and at round 3 fell on its face.

Fouled bore and how fouled is a huge variable. How fouled is it, how many should I fire? If a barrel don't shoot well squeaky clean and dry bubye

[jhogue]

Thanks for the info. Do you pull the choke too and clean it the same way or clean bore with choke in?

[Hoobilly]

I use the IC tubes

have only had to pull the tube from one of my turkey guns to get the snake to pull through

al the others pop through the tube like a cork on a wine bottle

[Spuriosity]

I pull a bore snake through 3 times to get out most of the crud, then brush with Shooter's Choice and a nylon bristle brush, then dry patch til they come out clean and dry for every shot. That's the condition my barrel is in when I shoot a turkey, so I test the same way.

[BeardBuster]

So are you guys removing the barrel between shots? Others have said that removing the barrel can affect POI...?


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[nyhunter]

i use a bronze brush and denatured alcohol then dry patch between shots, that lets the barrel cool also.

[SumToy]

I dont like to see a cleaner other then something that does not leave oil in bore. Most the time we dry brush then alcohol patch the target guns. Most hunting guns start with it clean and then just dry brush it. Big thing is to do it the say each time.

[howl]

Test it like you hunt it.

Mine are spotless and dry. I use Shooter's Choice, brushes and dry patches. I will dry patch during season to keep it clean until I shoot a bird. This is for sub-gauge break actions running the ragged edge for adequate performance.

Back when I threw 2oz of lead out of a factory shell, I only cleaned before season. This the product of having verified it worked even wet and dirty in poor conditions.

It is worth considering that you could pattern a barrel one way, but by the third shot throw a different quality of pattern. A single or double barrel can be relied upon to perform as tested when clean. A pump or auto should be checked it in the most fouled state used to make sure it does well enough in the most fouled condition.

We don't need to know how well a rig can do. That's just for jollies. We need to know that the worst it can do will still be good enough.

[ICDEDTURKES]

So are you guys removing the barrel between shots? Others have said that removing the barrel can affect POI...?


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I've seen this stated multiple times. Honestly after umpteen billion rounds never ever had this issue..

Like I said when testing a round with multiple chokes, I want them all on the same playing field. Squeaky clean bore.

When hunting there is always a bore snake in truck. Even after one shot if I go to truck, it gets snaked.

But as someone stated you wanna know the worst your gun can do as well . Powder, buffer, wad, barrel and choke design can all effect how fast a pattern degrades. Variables

[decoykrvr]

Leave the barrel on!! Run a bore snake from the chamber out to the end of the barrel to clean out any crud/unburned powder etc before you push a rod w/ solvent/ie. commercial product/alcohol/acetone/white gas/carb and choke cleaner etc. down the barrel followed by a brush and then cleaning patches. After you get the gun patterned and have determined the best choke/load combination then prepare the barrel for hunting-- shoot your hunting load(evaluate the pattern)-- run a bore snake 3 times out the barrel from the chamber, then shoot your hunting load and reevaluate the pattern. This should give you a good idea of your shotguns performance in a real hunting scenario when you shoot a bird then prepare your gun for the next hunt without a total barrel cleaning. I can usually go the season without having to fully clean my gun by utilizing 3 passes of the bore snake between shots without a noticeable change in the pattern. If you shoot the gun numerous times during the season, you need to use a bore light and examine the barrel after running the bore snake for excessive fouling/plastic build up which is indicative of the need to clean the barrel. I utilize this cleaning protocol(running the bore snake 3 times between shots) on all my turkey shotguns during the season, but remember, you will need to evaluate what will work with your particular shotgun, since what works w/ one gun may not work w/ another.

[Spuriosity]

So are you guys removing the barrel between shots? Others have said that removing the barrel can affect POI...?


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I only use an O/U now with the FF III attached to the barrel, so yes I remove the barrel. On my 1187 back-up gun, I remove the barrel to clean while testing loads. In hunting mode, I do not remove the barrel (since the FF II is attached to the receiver). With that gun, I pull the snake, then insert a dummy round consisting of a 20 ga hull stuffed backwards into a 12 ga hull to keep gunk out of the action. Then I swab from the barrel end as previously described ( Shooter's Choice with nylon bristle brush followed by dry patches until clean and dry).

[Gooserbat]

My old 3.5" 870 will typically shoot it's tightest patterns with 6-10 rounds down the pipe. Then it will slowly open up. Nothing Earth shattering but the numbers drop 5-10%

[aristico]

Damn man u guys r dedicated. My barrel is clean for the first shot after i foul it it doesnt get cleaned again til after the seson is over.

[ICDEDTURKES]

Thanks for the info. Do you pull the choke too and clean it the same way or clean bore with choke in?

I used to clean it in, but I bought a small autoclave I use after each shot. I've found I get 5-10 more pellets in the 10 vs traditional cleaning practices.

https://www.google.com/search?q=autocla ... 4QgTYIgQQ

[ICDEDTURKES]

I usually start with a spotless barrel then use alcohol and bore brush between rounds. The alcohol evaporates and leaves no residue. After the patterning I clean and polish the barell and then after taking a shot I just clean with the alcohol until end of season or if gun gets soaked I will give it a good cleaning and start over. My 870 shoots best with a spotless bore but the difference is minimal after cleaning with the alcohol. Never noticed a change of POA after removing barell.

Alcohol is a great option, brake cleaner as well.