I have a full size m&p9 I got last December.  I wipe it down after range days, but never really cleaned barrel much beyond a wipe here and there.  Maybe 1.5-2k rounds through it.  Tonight I installed on the aprex  forward sear kit and poly trigger and while reassembling noted marked copper fouling of the barrel to the point I thought at first it could have been rust.  Threw some barrel wipes over a copper bore brush and went to town with some hopes #9 and scrubbed and scrubbed.  Was very stubborn and resorted to some "nitro solvent" my dad left me when he passed.  That did it after more scrubbing and wipes.  Phew!

How often do you all clean the barrel and what methods are preferred.  I was kind of under the impression the less you use a brush in the barrel, the longer the barrel will last?  Bad info/ding dong thinking??????


I have bore snakes for my rifles and they seem alright, but I don't shoot them nearly as much.  Also last range trip I probably put 300-400 rounds through it that day, and 200-300 the day before.  So in hindsight I should probably have been more attentive to it.  I shoot home reloads, plated 124's and mid loads.

I clean my barrel every time I shoot it.
I run several cotton patches through soaked with CLP until they start not being black and are light gray, then run a brass brush through several times to break away copper buildup, then CLP soaked patches a few more times.
If I suspect copper buildup in the bore rifling grooves, I will use copper solvent. Then the Bore snake 2 or three times. Then if the patches are coming through white, one final CLP soaked patch, and its done. I also clean any powder residue from all the other parts, and put Tetra grease on the slide grooves.



Then I'm done. I do this every time I shoot. Army ingrained this into me.

Brass is softer than steel, a brass brush will not hurt your barrel. Copper buildup can hurt accuracy if bad enough.

Your results may vary.

For me, It depends on the gun and the ammunition.

Cheap non-jacketed lead bullets are going to foul a barrel much more quickly. 9mm FMJ not so much. Corrosive primers (a mil-surp issue) requires immediate cleaning after shooting. If I am out in the weather (rain, snow) or sandy/dusty/muddy conditions then I clean it the same day.

I clean most handguns when I think they they need it. If I see a build-up of carbon or fouling, I clean. Certainly, if you have any performance issues then cleaning should be the first step in a diagnosis.

I have a G17 that hasn't been cleaned after several thousand rounds. I am waiting to see how long it will go without problems before I clean it again (I am starting to think the recoil spring will give me issues before the dirt and fouling).

My CC and HD guns get cleaned once a month or after each trip to the range.

I generally clean after every range trip. The only guns I own are also my carry pieces or nightstand guns so my biggest concern is that if I let them go without cleaning, well, I just wouldn't want a malfunction when I need it most. I realize that could happen anyway, but I don't want to increase the odds of it happening due to being dirty.

If I had doubles, I would love to run a torture test on one and maintain reasonable mileage on the other.

Probably every 1.5k rounds, or before I am going to a major match. Then I clean it all fairly thoroughly. I just run the brush once down the barrel and then swap with a patch. Chamber gets a little more attention.

Striker channel, striker, sear, and frame tend to get more attention.

Its a good habit to clean your firearms after every use.

I field strip and wipe down my handguns every 1000 rounds. I run a boresnake through the bore after each session. Copper fouling is a non-issue at handgun velocities and powder fouling can be removed without solvents.

naw, I've had copper fouling at handgun velocities after high round count (500+).

Are you talking after one session or cumulative over time? I ask because all of my pistols have 1000+ rounds on them with the highest being 6000+ and none have copper fouling.

I've found some copper in nearly any handgun barrel, if I look for it.  Usually its buried under quite a few layers of carbon that most people don't get through with standard cleaning.

That being said, I don't think that the amount of copper I've found and pulled out is a concern, at all.  On a quality barrel, it appears to build up a minor amount, then thats it.

I have also found that certain cleaners are way better than others.

If you want to yank copper out of a barrel, I've found KG makes a really good product.  Infact for everything other than a basic degreaser, KG is all I use across the board.

Over time. Most cleaning won't remove copper. A lot of time you can still get a shiny bore and still have some copper fouling. Not an issue until it starts affecting accuracy, but unless you use a copper solvent every time, it is likely there to some degree.

i clean it every so often... the next time i clean it will be...

when is the next Olympics

not really, plus

Meh.  I probably clean out the bore every 500 rounds.  Seems like over cleaning might cause more damage than good.  I wipe down and lube each time I go out.  As in the pistol.  

If you are causing undue wear or damage by cleaning firearm, you are not doing it right.

Pro Tip - Don't use cleaning tools that have greater hardness than the item you are cleaning.