Rifle and bore cleaning

[az_shooter]

Everyone knows the importance of cleaning and maintaining their hunting rifles. But I've found out that a lot of people don't know how to properly clean their rifles and don't realize the damage that could come with not cleaning or even improperly cleaning a rifle. So I decided to start a thread and state a few basic cleaning do's and dont's and anyone who maybe had any further questions or other tips and tricks to add could do so.
One of the most important item to have and in my opinion, no rifle should be cleaned without one is a bore guide or throat guard. This is an important piece because it keeps the cleaning rod sraight and helps protect the throat of the rifle from excessive rubbing and prevents the rod from bending and coming in contact with the rifling in the barrel and it also helps keep fluids and solvents from leaking into the action of the rifle and even into the trigger and bedding of the stock. Now there are many different kinds of bore guides, some are caliber specific and some are the one size fits all type. Either way, it is my personal opinion that they are a very important piece of rifle cleaning and should be used to prolong the life of the rifle.
Second, is your choice of cleaning rod. Now there are many different types of cleaning rods and everyone has their preferred type of rod. The rod I use is a one piece rod that is nylon coated. I find this important because if the rod does come in contact with the throat or the rifling, there will be no metal on metal contact between the rod and the rifle.
Now when it comes to cleaning tools and solvents, there are a million different combinations that you can use but I think every cleaning kit should contain these basic tools. A good brass brush that is caliber specific to your rifle. A brush too small obviously won't be sufficient enough to clean copper and residue out of your barrel and a brush too large for your bore could scratch and pit your barrel and that would just make more crevices for carbon and copper to foul into. Second is a good mop, or something you can use to push patches through the bore. Some of them can have eyelets like a sewing needle that you can stick the patches in so you can push them through the bore, while others have points on them so they just pierce and hold the patch as its pushed through the bore. I personally feel that this tool should also be caliber specific to ensure proper cleaning and maximum effectiveness. Third is a good solvent or gun cleaner. Something to help breakdown and remove the fouling in the bore. there are many types of solvents and gun cleaners and a good all around cleaner in my opinion is the Hoppe's Elite gun cleaner. that is just my opinion and there are many others out there to choose from so just do some research and find one that works for you.

Another big question I have been asked and even asked a few people myself is what order or what steps should be taken when cleaning the rifle. I feel that this is all up to the users discretion and can be done many different ways as long as you keep these basics in mind. Always clean from the action out to the end of the barrel. You never want to start from the end of the barrel because then you would just be pushing all the debris into the throat and action of the gun and you could also take the risk of damaging the crown of the barrel which would have a huge impact on the accuracy of the rifle. Also, when you are using the brush, never go halfway and then try and pull the brush back through the bore. This will cause pitting and scarring inside the bore and could result in diminishing the life of your barrel. So always push the brush completely through the bore and out the end of the barrel before pulling back through. It is also important to completely dry the bore after cleaning. I do this like most people by running 3 or more dry patches through the bore at the end of the cleaning process to remove all left over residue and solvents that still remain in the bore. It is not good to leave moisture or chemicals inside the bore that could cause damage. Another big thing is oiling, oiling can be good and bad inside a gun. Someone once told me that oiling is only inviting dirt into places it normally wouldn't go. So I say if you do oil, do so very conservatively and wipe up all oil the is showing.

A lot of you may consider this as second nature or common knowledge, but I think it is a good subject to bring up as there are a lot of people who don't know this or who are just getting started out and is looking for a little help.

[MRL1984]

Simple suggestion. Paragraphs. You lost them as you kept going. Maybe bold what each section is. That way folks can find what's important to them/what they need suggestions on.

 

I'd say leave oil on for storing guns to prevent rust. Also parts that need lubrication should have oil or I prefer grease like gun butter.

 

As far as brushes nylon or brass? I'm a nylon guy for rifles and brass for pistols.

 

For fun let us open the can of worms about how often to clean a rifle

 

Oh and bore condition or not? Should I shoot tubbs or no? Run some abrasive paste?

 

Seriously there is no wrong way to clean. My dad has a 30-06 that is over 30 years old. He pulled his patches and brushes back up from the muzzle and hasn't damaged the crown. He never used a bore guide and used a three piece metal rod to clean his gun. The gun still shoots solid groups hard to tell if it's as good as it was, since the shooter is now 70. Still shoots about an inch at 100 though. I know he put 3 in a quarter regularly to show off when I was a kid.

 

That said I unscrew my brush at the muzzle end and only go down the barrel.

 

I use a Tipton one piece rod. I own multiple bore guides.

 

I use that KG system because it doesn't smell awful and I can clean anywhere. I also use CLP.

[Redman]

The biggest question is when to clean..... how many rounds, etc.

[lancetkenyon]

I only clean when groups start to open up, somewhere between 100 & 800 rounds or so. Or after an entire season and I am going to store the gun for a while.

 

Clean bore shots are far more errant than cold bore shots. I can't have that happen during a hunt. It takes at least 10-20 rounds to lay copper back in the grooves to return POI and accuracy to pre-cleaning consistency after a thorough cleaning.

[Hoss50]

My dad taught me about guns but was never really properly trained himself so I am learning and adapting as I learn. He used to clean every rifle fully after shooting it with the powder solvents, copper solvents, etc. I a, not saying that I know much better then him at this point, but I only do that now if a rifle is being put away for a long period of time. Now I mostly just run a patch or two with a CLP cleaner down the bore and call it good if the rifle is going to the range or field again soon. I have noticed with my 257 Weatherby that this has kept my accuracy and POI consistent from range visit to visit. It comes out of the case and hits like I want it too and expect it too. When I put the rifle away for the summer I will give it a full cleaning with a bore brush, or if accuracy starts to get funky I might hit it with a brush mid season.

 

I use brass brushes because I always have. I am not saying that is right but it has worked for me, and until about a year ago I only owned 3 piece metal rods. I since upgraded to a 1 piece but still have not used a bore guide. I probably will for my rifles that are nicer and more about accuracy soon though.

 

Harley.

[10Turkeys]

First have to agree with a bore guide, ask anyone who puts barrels on full or part time and they will tell you that more of them are ruined by improper cleaning than anything else. Agree with the one piece coated rod, have Deweys and BoreTech, love the BoreTech. If you ask 20 different people about cleaning you will get 20 different answers. I know of a very successful shooter who only cleans her gun every third or fourth blue moon.

[ThomC]

Just before Deer season is not the time to clean the bore. Get your rifle sighted in then leave it alone till after the hunt. After you have it sighted in then if you can try one shot with a cold barrel. Your first shot is the most important one.