To Clean My Barrel Or Not

I think all guns vary. Seems like the 177's and some 22cals require less cleaning and I hear stories on the forums about some never being cleaned. Personally I get the best accuracy out of a clean barrel. I always use patches on a pull through system. Normally the first 2-3 patches with a solvent followed up with 3-4 dry patches. I've had good luck with WD-40 or Balistol.
jimmy

I think it's personal preference and rifle/barrel dependent. 
I like the cleaning pellets for a quick cleaning. For a more thorough cleaning I'll use fishing line and a bunch of patches. 
Recently, I tried the Michael Wendt method and liked it a lot...
Tom

I use a pull through made with a strong fishing line and a soft cloth patch at the end.But If you're gun is accurate then no need of cleaning cause the cleaning will remove the lead in the barrel making a new path for the pellet.
If its not accurate then you can clean it.I use only WD-40.Apply it on the patch and then pull it through.

I've never cleaned my .177 springer barrels. The R7 and pro sport easily have 40,000 shots down the barrel. Still incredibly accurate. 

R

Depends on the degree of accuracy you accept or expect.
All the top benchrest competitors I shoot with, to World Ch., level, clean their barrels, most after each card (25 shots to count plus sighters). Some actually shoot a couple of felt pellets through during a card after 15 shots or so. ... If the barrels are kept clean there is generally no need to shoot a warm-up pellet unless cleaning oil is left in the barrel.
Both pull-thoughs and rods with patches, can be seen in use at serious competitions. They do a more thorough job than felt pellets but are not practical for use during a card at the bench.

Providing that clean high quality pellets are used, which have no loose lead or swarf/foil attached, the very low powered rifles, like R7s or Olympic 10 m rifles, probably need less cleaning and use of felt pellets .

For those who don't shoot benchrest, or who don't chase moa at 100 yd or further, then other shooting variables, hold, trigger control etc, would obscure the difference that fastidious cleaning may induce. ... To each his own. Coffee can plinkers and most short range hunters may not notice any benefit.
Kind regards, Harry. 

I rebuilt quite a few low power springers and some shoot poorly when I get them in . I've personally had 4 different guns that were so badly fouled and leaded up that I snapped boresnakes cleaning them.. But always after a thorough cleaning they shoot better .....It might take a few dozen shot for it to settle in but afterwards it's always an improvement.
Guys sometimes act lie their barrels are delicate and treat them like they are made from tissue paper or something ...I visited Shilen Rifles and watched as they took barrels from round rods to ready to install barrels . During NO PART of the process are barrels treated delicate. They are treated like you would treat a pipe wrench .
Why wouldn't you want a barrel clean ? Can't see anyway it can hurt

I don't understand how graphite can ever build up to such degrees as to throw off trajectory. I would think firing would act as cleaning.

Then a suggestion:
If you have a barrel that hasn't been cleaned during the last 100 shots; buy or borrow some felt cleaning pellets of the same calibre, load three and shoot them at ten yards at a hanging cloth. Inspect them and report back.
Or just make a pull-through and pull it through and report back. A pic of the felts or pull-through would be nice. ... Kind regards, Harry,

Here is some first hand evidence :
The rifle was a Steyr .177.
After 300 shots it was spraying pellets.
After cleaning it shot better groups at 875 fps than the test group from Steyr.
Here are the first 14 patches and felt pellets used for cleaning. It took over 30 patches to get it clean.
FP-10 and Boretech rimfire blend were used in the process.


Harry.

YrrahHere is some first hand evidence :
The rifle was a Steyr .177.
After 300 shots it was spraying pellets.
After cleaning it shot better groups at 875 fps than the test group from Steyr.
Here are the first 14 patches and felt pellets used for cleaning. It took over 30 patches to get it clean.
FP-10 and Boretech rimfire blend were used in the process.


Harry.

Click to expand...

Wow Harry, that's a mess.....
Never been a fan of Steyr's chromed barrels because of, yes indeed, fouling....
Replaced my LG110 HP hunting's .22 stock barrel for a non choked LW polygon barrel, which barely fouls. I will never go back to the stock barrel. Shoots perfect, even after hundreds of shots ☺

Harry, Have you tried lubing the pellet? I have a Steyer :LG110 Ft I use in FT competitions. It has an Anschutz barrel and I use lubed pellets.I need to clean it far less then with dry pellets. Not to mention it is more accurate with the lubed pellets. Most folks shooting Steyer's on the circuit lube as well. I use Slick 50 One Lube.