Thread: Is it 'Cold Bore' or 'Foul Bore' ?

Greetings All,
Most people fall into somewhere between fastidious and lax on rifle cleaning after a few years. This is pretty much where I am. A patch with Hoppes no 9 followed by a nylon bristle brush and patches to clean with a little Hoppes left in the barrel and wiped out before the next use does it for me. From time to time they get much the same treatment with a copper solvent followed by Hoppes. My rifles don't seem to move much between and fouled but for me the first shot from a clean cold bore is what is important. Mimic the conditions you will have when hunting. I never put oil in the bore, too hard to get out. Some of the long rangers I know leave their bores uncleaned during the season.
I find the idea of barrel break in amusing. 20 years ago if you asked someone how they broke in their hunting rifle barrels you would have got a blank look at best. Some think a complicated break in procedure is essential for decent accuracy. Others think it is a conspiracy by gunsmiths to get you to wear out your barrel faster or provide another excuse if your barrel does not meet your expectations. I am somewhere in the middle on this as well. A clean every few shots at first and making sure the barrel doesn't get too hot is about it for me.
Regards Grandpamac.