do i have to clean it?

[kalipc]

What will happen to a new SLR-95 barrel if I shoot 200 rds of Wolf HP and don't clean it for a couple weeks? Anything? I'm going to clean it I swear. I'm just a little busy (read: lazy).

[This message has been edited by kalipc (edited 12-16-1999).]

[Packrat]

No big thing. However, I did try (on a 5.56 rifle) "conditioning" the barrel. This involves firing 1 rnd, then cleaning, then firing another, etc., until you have fired 10 rnds. Then fire 3 shot groups before cleaning. Fire another 30 rnds this way. Then go to 5 shot groups, and fire 50 rnds. By this time you will want to throw the gun, ammunition, and cleaning equipment and take up quilting as a hobby. However, I've fired probably 700 rnds through that rifle and it has NEVER had a brush in it. I use a pull-through with patches because I don't like putting a rod in that little bore.

You can fire non-corrosive rnds in the AK until it starts slowing down or having feed problems. Then you need to clean it and also ream the gas port. I just hate the idea of a dirty gun. Call it conditioning.

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Packrat

[56s]

Hello.

Developing a good gun maintanace program will assure that all your firearms will last you a lifetime.

I too get lazy sometimes after a day of shooting but I always take time to clean my weapons as soon as I get home from the range.

I don't worry about shooting suspect corrosive ammo because I know that I will clean my weapons right away.

A few years ago my friend shot some steel core Chinese 7.62x39 through his new Colt AR and then decided to wait until the next day to clean it. Well the next day when he went to clean it he found the entire bore and chamber had rusted out beyond repair.

He was lucky that Colt replaced the barrel at no charge.

Even when I don't shoot my weapons I will still once or twice a year strip them down and clean and lube them.

Take care, OUT in Vegas!

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56s

[royce]

If you don't clean your weapon, you don't respect your weapon, and it may come back and bite you one day!

It's a machine, and ALL machines require maintenance, or they malfunction. Most people wouldn't THINK of putting their shop tools away filthy, but they'll consider puting their COMBAT WEAPON away filthy... one that they've put hundreds of dollars into.

I just don't understand this love/hate relationship some people have with their [expensive] firearms. They love to shoot them, they hate to care for them. They actually challenge the weapon to function properly.

If you're not activly engaged in combat, then CLEAN YOUR GUN!!!!

[royce]

Hey, Packrat...

Could you tell me the principles & theory behind 'conditioning' or 'breaking in' a barrel so it fouls less. I still cannot figure out the physics of this whole process. It makes no sense to me.

THanks.
Royce

[wct097]

Half of the fun in shooting is cleaning the gun afterwards. When I got my Mini-30, the first thing I did was field strip it in my truck outside of the gun store. My friends kept telling me I was going to wear out my gun cleaning it after each shooting session. Even now, I can go grab one of my pistols to clean, wipe down, or re-oil while I watch TV or utilize the facilities.



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-Will Tyler
-wct097@yahoo.com
"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day."

[brianwins]

It depends on what you need the rifle for. I never went on duty with a dirty pistol, as my life might be depending on it. If you are doing target shooting and don't care if it works the next time that you pull the trigger, then by all means, leave it be.
Most modern firearms will work with an awfull lot of crud in them, the major exception being revolvers. Just how much much dirt you can get by with, that's where you take your chances.
I don't know if the Wolf ammo is corrosive or not, if it is, it will rust and pit any parts that are exposed to gas, unless the parts are stainless or chromed. I just keep everything clean, I'm strange that way. BW

[GladesRat]

I clean my AK at least 2 times a week even if it has not been shot. But i have never cleaned it while using the toilet.Maybe i sould try this, it could be exiting.ha ha

[Packrat]

Royce, I missed getting back to this thread, so didn't see your post. Sorry about that.
I'm not sure of the theory behind "seasoning". The best I can guess is that the chrome is a bit rough, possibly porous, when it is new. I get this from Bushmaster saying that when you look at their new barrels, they look gray, but after 1 - 200 rnds they look polished. But every time you shoot, powder residues fill the barrel. The next shot will force most of this into the chrome (or steel, if there is no chrome), ensuring that the barrel is impregnated with fouling. Now if you clean the barrel, so that there is no fouling and no debris, you will be smoothing and hardening the barrel without forcing fouling into it. The fouling won't be there to make every patch look dirty, and the pockets won't be there to catch more fouling.
It's a rationalization, and if someone can come up with a better one, I'll listen to it. You can also tell me I'm imagining things, and I won't argue about it. The fact remains, my Bushmaster has never had a brush or a rod in it.
By the way, I use Ed's Red bore cleaner which is supposed to clear fouling out especially well. That may have made the seasoning more effective.

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Packrat