Hi Rob,
In a nutshell.... improper cleaning has worn out more gun barrels than shooting them ever has. Pushing a thin metal cleaning rod through the barrel by hand to scrub it clean tends to rub against the inside of the bore and wear it away. Think of it as an undersized piston in an engine cylinder, and what would happen to the cylinder bore over time.
The problem is exaggerated at the ends of the barrel where the cleaning rod enters and exits the tube and it gets off center of the bore and rubs hard on the sides. Those are the most critical areas of a barrel for it to shoot accurately.
Using a guide helps to keep the cleaning rod centered - thus preventing damage to those critical areas and preserving the accuracy of the weapon.
In a nutshell.... improper cleaning has worn out more gun barrels than shooting them ever has. Pushing a thin metal cleaning rod through the barrel by hand to scrub it clean tends to rub against the inside of the bore and wear it away. Think of it as an undersized piston in an engine cylinder, and what would happen to the cylinder bore over time.
The problem is exaggerated at the ends of the barrel where the cleaning rod enters and exits the tube and it gets off center of the bore and rubs hard on the sides. Those are the most critical areas of a barrel for it to shoot accurately.
Using a guide helps to keep the cleaning rod centered - thus preventing damage to those critical areas and preserving the accuracy of the weapon.
Willie