Cleaning a rifle…

What solvents/products/other cleaning agents do you use and/or consider to be the best?

— Copper solvents
— Powder solvents
— Oils
— Etc…

— Copper solvents — Bore Tech Inc Eliminator
— Carbon Cleaner — 3M Complete Fuel System Cleaner
— Powder solvents
— Oils — Outers Gun oil
— Etc — Dewey Ball Bearing 1 pc cleaning rods
— Black Plastic brushes

I use the 3M carbon cleaner as a primary cleaner and only strip the copper when accuracy starts to change, in some guns this could be hundreds of rounds.

Just stuff I use.

As we all know there are many opinions on break in and cleaning of guns

For copper, i like the Barnes CR-10. With any better quality copper solvent, it is a MUST to thoroughly clean and oil. Failure to do so will result in heavy rusting.

For powders, I use a variety as most modern powders remove easily.

1pc fiberglass or plastic cleaning rods. I never use a snake cleaner as it will re-introduce crud back into the barrel.

NEVER use WD-40 on a fire arm, and never leave a heavy oil residue on the firing pin or action. It will collect spent powder residue and dirt and act like a hard paste.

Just a couple things to add to Jeff’s comments…

Do any of you guys have a cleaning regimen / checklist that you do each time you clean your rifle? I’ve seen a number of “how to’s” online, but they are all a little different.

Apparently, I’ve never really cleaned my rifles “correctly”.. I’ve never gone after the copper deposits, so I might have some work ahead of me.

I put in an order for some 1 piece rods, various cleaners, etc, so hopefully I can get my barrels truly clean (and keep them clean every X number of shots) and rule out fouling when dealing with accuracy issues.

If you have a cleaning checklist and don’t mind sharing, I’d appreciate it!

Mike

Mike

As you stated there are a 101 opinions on proper cleaning of a gun,

This is just an example of my routine on a particular bolt rifle I use for tactical, long range target, hunting and so forth.

Being a bolt gun that breaks down I am able to use the option of going one direction with the brush or patch and that being – running things thru from the chamber to the crown and not backwards against the crown.

Before going out I will run a few dry patches thru the barrel to wipe out the oil, you can tell by the sound and resistance after a few patches that’s she’s dry.
Reason: oil when exposed to extreme high temperatures changes into carbon, thus eliminating chances of building up carbon in the barrel and groves.

Note: I also push my patches thru using a nylon brush versus a jag or slotted tip, this eliminates the possibility of pushing the jag thru your patch and having problems with a patch wedging in a barrel and the slotted tips tend to need more space for the areas that are folded thus taking more time to clean effectively.

I like the black nylon brushes because they are tuff as well as the high quality copper cleaners won’t eat at them leaving a green color on your patches before even getting into the barrel.

Then I will still fire one round thru the barrel before heading off to an event or off to the woods for the week.
Reason: to further reassure that the point of impacts will be in relation to the point of aim, the gun is very capable of some insane groups at 500 to 1000 yards and then some. It really depends on the operator and a little luck reading the winds. Knowing your gun and being prepared under pressured circumstances is what really develops a shooter who’s very consistent.

After shooting for the weekend or trip when I’m back home
I will run a few patches soaked in the 3M product to clean the barrel of any carbon and residue build up, you can see how this stuff really cleans the barrel.
Then I will run a few dry patches thru to clean out the 3M product, followed by an oil patch to protect the barrel until we are ready for another trip.

I first picked up on this years ago when I would do an extreme cleaning job on one of my deer rifles, it was interesting to see how groups and impacts would change some from a barrel stripped clean of any copper to after it’s been shooting some.
Every gun seems to have it’s own preference on how far we need to clean out the barrel, factory production barrels, lapped or not and custom barrels, their all a little different.

As stated
Knowing your gun and being prepared under pressured circumstances is what really develops a shooter who’s very consistent. This includes all aspects from ballistics in relation to weather, cleaning, prepping and the shot. Record keeping in relation to your shooting – weather adjustments- and results of the above develops a track record that in turn helps one to understand the effects and results of your goals.

Just a few things I do that may be of interest

Jeff

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Anyone use this product? – KG 12 Bore Cleaner….

http://www.eabco.com/KG12Test.pdf

Just wondering what people think/know about the product and their tests/claims on dissolving copper bullets….

They say its “safe” on barrels and works very rapidly on copper – just wondering if anyone has any first-hand experience.

Mike

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What solvents/products/other cleaning agents do you use and/or consider to be the best?

— Copper solvents
— Powder solvents
— Oils
— Etc…

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Gun Care and Maintenance

Check out the article I wrote last year for this topic.

Very good info Wade

Wade, thanks for posting.. I knew there was probably something like this on IDO.

When you scrub/brush the inside of a rifle barrel, do you let the bore brush fully exit the muzzle, or do you pull it backwards prior to it reaching that point to protect the crown?

Do you use any sort of bore guide with your rifles?

Can anyone recommend a brand of bore brush that has good (stout) nylon bristles as well as an inner metal core that isn’t made of bronze (which contains copper)…

(Or should I just buy cheap brushes/use what I have and expect it to not last very long?)

Thanks!

Quote:

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When you scrub/brush the inside of a rifle barrel, do you let the bore brush fully exit the muzzle, or do you pull it backwards prior to it reaching that point to protect the crown?

Do you use any sort of bore guide with your rifles?

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I try not to let the brush exit the barrel, just push the brush 1/2 way out. If it does happen, it will not be as hard on the crown as if you were doing the cleaning from the end of the barrel to the receiver. So it’s not the end of the world if it happens.

I do not use bore guides.

Quote:

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Can anyone recommend a brand of bore brush that has good (stout) nylon bristles as well as an inner metal core that isn’t made of bronze (which contains copper)…

(Or should I just buy cheap brushes/use what I have and expect it to not last very long?)

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I think you saw my comments about this in the article. I just buy the cheap ones and expect to replace them yearly.