To clean, or not to clean...

[Camel73]

Hello all,
I've been running subsonic rb's through my peep sighted '94 30-30 and was going to treat it like a .22. Basically not clean it till it started going haywire..
Thoughts on this?

[M. M. Wright]

What are you lubing the balls with? The pure lead balls NEED grease or wax of some kind on them. 22 bullets are wax coated or copper plated. I would just run a patch wetted with Hoppe's no. 9 through it just to be sure.

I loaned a 94 SRC in 25-35 to my BIL once, years ago and he shot it quite a lot but then hung it behind the stove without cleaning. A couple of months of that ruined the once shiny bore. I've cleaned it to where it groups acceptably with jacketed bullets but the bore is dark.

[Camel73]

I'm using beeswax. On this batch I've seated the ball flush with the case mouth. I wipe it out where there is about a 1/16" of wax around where the ball and case meet.

On the first and next batch I can't do that though... Gotta seat proud - .310 vs .312's so I just rub the beeswax on the ball. Hopefully it's still lubing.

[earlmck]

Hello all,
going to treat it like a .22. Basically not clean it till it started going haywire..
Thoughts on this?

Yeah, that's what I'd do. I haven't used round balls, but if I did I'd try lubing them with liquid Alox (Lee makes the one you might find at the local gun store). Roll them around in a tub with some of the Alox until they get coated, pour out onto a piece of wax paper and let dry. Load and go. Handier and a little less messy than the beeswax I'd think. But if it works, it's right.

[Blaine]

I run a oily (of some sort) thru the bore when I get home from hunting, and make sure it's real dried off, but scrubbing it out every single time is over rated.

[Streetstar]

I run a oily (of some sort) thru the bore when I get home from hunting, and make sure it's real dried off, but scrubbing it out every single time is over rated.

my Guide Gun hasn't had a serious cleaning in years ------- my .300 Weatherby however, gets scrubbed for copper deposits after every range trip -- its all about the velocity and what it shags off in the bore

[J Miller]

I'd clean it. Just like I do my .22s. I listened to those who said you don't have to clean .22s one summer and ended up with pits in my rifle barrel. Never again. I shoot it, I clean it.

Joe

[Chuck 100 yd]

I clean mine. Lee liquid alox (LLA) or a mixture of Beeswax and Johnsons past wax works well as a tumble lube for round balls. Either one with a little mineral spirits mixed in to make it more liquid will dry overnight and dries nicely.
I have used .32 caliber round balls pushed through a .309 Lee sizing die to size bullets for the 30-30 .
That method leaves little flats on the sides of the ball to better grip the rifling and shot great for me.

[Grizz]

I'd clean it if the grooves were leaded to the lands and it was a smooth bore

I'd clean it if it couldn't shoot straight

In a good barrel lead smears move around, some exit with the next shot, some deposited with the next shot, it balances out. I have a guide gun that has only shot lead bullets and I've never done a thing to the bore and it still shoots straight. If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

Same story with my 40 some year old Marlin 22 levergun.

Same same with my old ruger semi auto 22.

I oil the bores periodically to protect the metal.

IMO copper fouling is worse than lead fouling and requires harsher measures to deal with it.

so far, after many years, my guns are none the worse for wear.

just sayin',

[mikld]

I have loads using lead balls, "range scrap" alloy, for my .44 Magnums. I roll the balls around in 45-45-10 , then load them. I was surprised at first when I got 2" groups at about 20 yards from my Super Blackhawk. No leading, just a very light lube deposit on the frame and a clean barrel.

[Malamute]

Some that shoot jacketed and cast report that neither shoot their best unless all traces of jacket or lead fouling is removed before shooting the other type. Still may be acceptable accuracy in any event. Some experimenting may give clues as to what your gun likes best for cleaning regimen. Some guns seem to shoot a bit better with a few rounds down them after cleaning also.

[1894cfan]

I clean mine. Lee liquid alox (LLA) or a mixture of Beeswax and Johnsons past wax works well as a tumble lube for round balls. Either one with a little mineral spirits mixed in to make it more liquid will dry overnight and dries nicely.
I have used .32 caliber round balls pushed through a .309 Lee sizing die to size bullets for the 30-30 .
That method leaves little flats on the sides of the ball to better grip the rifling and shot great for me.

+1

[Griff]

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness!" And... it eliminates that as a potential issue in future problems.

[w30wcf]

Hello all,
I've been running subsonic rb's through my peep sighted '94 30-30 and was going to treat it like a .22. Basically not clean it till it started going haywire..
Thoughts on this?

Recently having fired approx. 100 r.b. in my .30-30 in doing some testing, I decided to run some patches through. There was nothing in there other than a small amount of powder fouling, so I would say, "keep on shooting".....

w30wcf

[PriseDeFer]

Chamber. Bolt face. See light in the bore. Just so it's always ready, for sure.

[marlinman93]

Lead balls wont hold much lube, and being dead soft they can lead the bore easier. I'd keep an eye on accuracy, and inspect the bore if it begins to open up group sizes. I've used Lee liquid Alox for plinking with round balls also, but I sit the ball wetted with alox on the case neck before it dries. Once dried the ball stays put, and can be handled and not dump powder.