Well that was pretty traumatic!

[Airbrush]

Actual experience in the case of .22 proves you don't need to clean the barrel.

[Pippin89]

Actual experience in the case of .22 proves you don't need to clean the barrel.

Actual Olympic shooters out scoring all of us while cleaning their barrels religiously proves otherwise...

[Mattnall]

Actual experience in the case of .22 proves you don't need to clean the barrel.

Actual Olympic shooters out scoring all of us while cleaning their barrels religiously proves otherwise...

Perhaps it should read "..Olympic shooters out scoring all of us despite cleaning their barrels religiously..."

Would/could they still out score all of us if they didn't clean their barrels? Then perhaps you'd have proof.

[Pippin89]

Actual experience in the case of .22 proves you don't need to clean the barrel.

Actual Olympic shooters out scoring all of us while cleaning their barrels religiously proves otherwise...

Perhaps it should read "..Olympic shooters out scoring all of us despite cleaning their barrels religiously..."

Would/could they still out score all of us if they didn't clean their barrels? Then perhaps you'd have proof.

My argument would be that they (and the manufacturers) have spent more time with dirty and clean barrels in their hands than most of us combined and have pretty much conclusively decided that a clean barrel works best. If its good enough for them then its good enough for me...

[Mattnall]

Cleaning your barrel works if you think it will.

The problems come when you think it matters (or doesn't) and you don't (or do) clean it. Then there will always be a small part of you thinking have I done the right thing when you should be concentrating on hold, sight picture, etc.

[snayperskaya]

Worth noting that if you shoot something like a Mosin or an AK variant and shoot milsurp ammo you need to clean throughly due to the corrosive salts left behind from the Berdan primers, plus if you use rounds with lacquered cases (like the green cased Russian military ammo) and don't clean you'll eventually end up with a build up of lacquer in the chamber which can lead to extraction problems.

A flush of the barrel with warm water followed by a normal clean/oil will get rid of the salts and stop your barrel rusting.
I know there are folks who say "I would never shoot milsurp in my guns, I like them too much!", but it is the ammunition they were designed to shoot and as long as you clean well there isn't a problem with it.

[dromia]

Cold water is far safer, hot water can flash rust afterwards.

The fouling isn't as of itself corrosive but it is highly hygroscopic, attracting moisture from the air and holding it against the metal, cold water is just fine for nullifying the hygroscopic fouling.

The hot water is said to help dry the barrel but can lead to flash rusting from condensing water vapour so cold is best. A water displacing fluid like Pocket Rocket will remove the water.

[snayperskaya]

Cold water is far safer, hot water can flash rust afterwards.

The fouling isn't as of itself corrosive but it is highly hygroscopic, attracting moisture from the air and holding it against the metal, cold water is just fine for nullifying the hygroscopic fouling.

The hot water is said to help dry the barrel but can lead to flash rusting from condensing water vapour so cold is best. A water displacing fluid like Pocket Rocket will remove the water.

I just use warm water, not hot

[dromia]

Aye but depending on the ambient temperature you can still get condensation with warm water and therefore the risk of flash rusting, warm gives no benefit and cold is just safer.

[Blackstuff]

If you THINK you clean your barrel to within an inch of its life/super thoroughly and want to spend more time cleaning it, I highly recommend buying an endoscope/borescope. I spent the best part of 2hrs yesterday with JB polishing compound and my 308 is still nowhere near what i'd like it to look like using the borescope. Before I even tried with the JB patches were running perfectly clear with Napier Gun Cleaner and C2r

Worst idea ever to buy one!