My New Howa 1500

[samuel]

I would expect 3000rds +,as long as you clean for carbon fouling,dont go for copper unless you think it is necessary(if accuracy drops),and stay away from harsh brushes as much as possible.Some swear by the boresnake and what little I have used one,they work ok.The biggest items that burn bores is cleaning and heat.I never shoot a rifle that I want accuracy out of if the barrel is uncomfortable to touch.Bull barrels handle heat better in the sense that they take longer to heat,but lighter barrels work well as long as you keep checking them.The hotter they are the softer the bore is and the more metal you take out shooting them.The more agressive you clean them the more metal you take out,altho there are times you can't get away from fairly agressive cleaning. sam.

[SavvyShooter]

@samuel:
Thanks for the excellent advice. I generally clean every time I shoot. I run solvent once, then a wire brush down and back to loosen the gunk and then light solvent until it's a clean patch.

If I'm not going to shoot for awhile I'll run a light oil patch down the barrel to prevent rust.

I also clean the bolt and action with a toothbrush + solvent.

Will using wire down the barrel every time I shoot be too much?

[ArkansasHunter]

SavvyShooter I beleive thats what made my Ruger Hawkeye so acurate is cleaning the barrel before I ever shoot it and cleaning after shooting it.
It doesn't dirty up much either.

[PONTIACDM]

I've never shot a 204 but that is one nice looking rifle. I'm a huge Ruger fan and they don't make junk.

[samuel]

After playing with boresnakes I am about convinced they are the way to go after shooting.And not too strong of solvent.I use Butches Bore Shine.Bronze brushes dont last long in solvents with ammonia in them and to just clean powder residue and carbon,Hoppes #9 works great.I believe nilon brissles and patches/swabs would do all you need to do unless you have a loss of accuracy and want to go back to bare barrel.If that happens,dont resight your rifle until you have fired several rounds and the rifle starts shooting tight groups again.At that point there will probably be little resighting in to do.Some clean and then start with a dry bore.Some lube it and wipe the excess out.I do the latter.Make sure you have a good rod guide if using a rod and clean from the chamber end if possible. And if you push anything past the muzzle be verry careful to guide it back in with your fingers so no metal hits the muzzle.Others will have other ideas.Anilise mine and theirs carefully and try to verify with books so you can be as close to right as possible. sam.

[rdale501]

Originally Posted by Righteous

HOWA's are great guns, I have a SS 270 and love it, as for the .204 it will last you about about 1000 rounds or so then the barrel will be shot out due to the speed of that round over time.

I was told this round will do ok on barrel life if you don't push it to the max. It is plenty fast even with a modest load.