I always believed a clean rifle shoots better than a dirty one (or should I say fouled). But when I started shooting in smallbore team matches many years ago, you would be surprised as to how many of those shooters NEVER cleaned their rifles. Even after thousands of rounds. And these rifles could still center punch the X ring just about every time. These rifles were shot probably a minimum of 3 times per week, maybe 300 - 500 rounds. So the bores didn't have time to rust.
I clean my small bores the same way I clean my centerfires. Bronze brush, solvent, patches and finish with a oiled patch. I do this simply because I don't shoot them as often as I'd like.