Cleaning

[100yrdopenchamp]

How often do you clean,does accuracy drops off,just started casting last week.

[w5pv]

Use Ben's Red and after a few hundred rounds you will have that Carnuba Shine and will have to clean the chamber every so often,there will be nothing in the barrel to clean
God Bless

[jcren]

Fit and lube are king to answer that. I powder coat and have guns that haven't been cleaned other than wiping off soot and lubing lightly in longer than I can remember. PC won't lead if the barrel is smooth and you have a good fit, and won't leave jacket metal or lube residue behind. Like w5pv said, a quality lube will also "season" a barrel and prevent buildup. So assuming a smooth, broken in barrel, cast usually means less cleaning once you get it right.

[Hawks Feather]

Years ago when I started shooting cast bullets in my revolver I ended up with large amounts of lead in the barrel and if I didn't clean every few hundred shots I had all kinds of problems. I finally started asking questions from other people who shot cast and ended up with a load that didn't lead like my earlier loads. Now I am shooting powder coated and there isn't any lead at all in the barrel.

[mdi]

My cast boolit ammo doesn't lead much any more (fit, lube primary concerns). But, I clean my guns after every use, regardless of how much I shoot them. I often take several guns to the "range" but one of my favorites is my 44 Magnum Puma. I can run 100+ 265 gr. cast bullet rounds through it quite easily, (until recoil starts to sting :wink:). My 38s with cast bullet loads sometimes get up to 150-160 rounds in one session, but all get cleaned when I get home...

[brewer12345]

I have wondered if I clean too much, frankly. Revolvers are inherently messy enough that I will probably always clean after a range trip. Rifles seem to barely get dirty, though, since my loads don't lead.

[sigep1764]

I might be a little weird. My ammo doesn't lead any of my barrels thanks to the info on this site, but I fastidiously clean everything I own. I like a clean motorcycle, clean truck, and clean guns. For me, it's simply pride of ownership.

[mdi]

Yep. I learned quite early to clean and put my toys (tools, vehicles and guns) away after use. They will always be where they belong and I can easily find them, and they will be ready for immediate use...

[robg]

Check my bores every time I shoot ,no lead just pull a cloth through to get rid of any powder reside etc .give them a through clean and lube every year whether they need it or not!

[reddog81]

I clean when needed...

My blued guns will get cleaned every trip to the range, but it's more so to wipe off the finger prints and maintain the finish than anything else. Stainless guns will usually get wiped down but not necessarily "cleaned" every time. I will usually do a detailed cleaning every 500 rounds or so.

If there's lead build up in the bore then the barrel will get scrubbed, but I try and avoid that.

[murf205]

Talk about differences of opinions, this topic is one of the best for our diverse tactics for cleaning. I (fortunately) don't have a rifle, or handgun that leads, so I push a dry patch through the barrel and then another with a patch of light Singer sewing machine oil and call it quits. Before I shoot jacketed bullets in a rifle, I do clean the barrel extensively, but I quit shooting anything but cast in revolvers a LONG time ago. BTW, my firearms don't lead thanks to the knowledge I gleaned from this site and the very well informed and experienced people here.

[tazman]

My handguns don't lead with my cast boolit loads so I never clean the barrels. I clean the actions and cylinders where powder fouling will build up after each range session, but the barrels never get cleaned.
I make sure of boolit fit and I tumble lube with White Labek X Lox. I have barrels that have hundreds of rounds through them without a trace of leading.

[100yrdopenchamp]

Thanks I was at the range and forgot solvent so I used off repellent it worked as good as anything else recleaned when I arrived home.

[dondiego]

Thanks I was at the range and forgot solvent so I used off repellent it worked as good as anything else recleaned when I arrived home.

Careful with that OFF mosquito repellent. DEET is the main ingredient that the skeeters don't like and it is a plasticizer. It will soften and eat the finish "OFF" of a nice piece of wood! It will also ruin plastic lenses and eat up your plastic grubs in your tackle box. Ask me how I know.