Cleaning advice needed

[Bowland blades]

BTW "boresnakes" are really a field emergency thing . many gunsmiths will tell tales of removing snapped off bore snakes from rifle bores . A rod, Jag , patches solvent and a bore guide it what is really required .
very useful in the field if you get a mud plug or truly get the bore wet

 

[VSS]

BTW "boresnakes" are really a field emergency thing . many gunsmiths will tell tales of removing snapped off bore snakes from rifle bores .

Tales is what they are, I reckon. Tall ones.
The only place they can break is if the thin cord parts company with the thick part of the snake at the join, and if that happens you just pull it out backwards. The thick part of the snake is longer than a rifle barrel, so it isn't going to get irremovabley stuck whatever you do.

 

[ashray]

just remember that most bore cleaners clean by chemical reaction not by running a brass . brush up and down the bore ,let the chemicals do their work and patch out dont live in the dark ages of oil and scrubbing your bore, oil if being store if not lightly oil after cleaning and run a patch through to clear any spare oil just remember to run a clean dry patch through before you fire the rifle again. bore snakes do snap and do get stuck .ask any armourer !!

 

[r6demon]

Thank you guys!

Ok so what should I be using to get the carbon off with?

I will add a bore snake to the Christmas list!

I store all of my rifles in a safe with a wardrobe heater and Govee Wi-Fi temp / humidity monitor after I had a bad experience with surface rust in an old shotgun!

 

[r6demon]

just remember that most bore cleaners clean by chemical reaction not by running a brass . brush up and down the bore ,let the chemicals do their work and patch out dont live in the dark ages of oil and scrubbing your bore, oil if being store if not lightly oil after cleaning and run a patch through to clear any spare oil just remember to run a clean dry patch through before you fire the rifle again. bore snakes do snap and do get stuck .ask any armourer !!

Brush up AND down?? I thought you could only go from the breech end??

 

[Steff]

Brush up AND down?? I thought you could only go from the breech end??

No, push all the way through and pull back again. Just don't try to change direction with the brush in the bore.
Unscrewing the brush after it has exited the muzzle is just some benchresters' BS claiming that you will damage the muzzle by pulling it back.

 

[r6demon]

Blimey, I’ve always unscrewed it which is what adds loads of time, believing that it would damage the crown.

Can you do that with a brass brush or just the plastic ones?

 

[Bowland blades]

Thank you guys!

Ok so what should I be using to get the carbon off with?

I will add a bore snake to the Christmas list!

I store all of my rifles in a safe with a wardrobe heater and Govee Wi-Fi temp / humidity monitor after I had a bad experience with surface rust in an old shotgun!

Bore snakes are an emergency field cleaning device! . when actually cleaning use a good quality cleaning rod suited to your bore size! One that will rotate as you push it , following the rifling . Get a bore guide as it prevents solvent getting into places like the bedding and trigger / mag etc . Suitable spear point jags , a few nylon brushes and some correctly pre cut white patches and one of each the Bore tech solvents.

 

[NullMac]

I then almost always need to repeat this process 2-3 times to get the patches spotless (no black marks on patch)

The endless black marks are you wearing out your barrel or a reaction with the jag. Patch does not need to be spotless.

Couple of patches with your favourite chemical, bit of a loosener with a nylon brush. 3 or 4 patches to clean out. Most of the crud out. Oil on a patch if going to be in the store for a while (don't forget to wipe out). Good to go.

There are as many cleaning regimes as there are shooters. There is no definitive answer only multiple opinions.

 

[glasshalffull]

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental illness that causes repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations (obsessions) or the urge to do something over and over again (compulsions). Some people can have both obsessions and compulsions. OCD isn’t about habits like biting your nails or thinking negative thoughts

 

[Tazz]

Morning all,

I’m fairly new to all of this and I suddenly realised that I am spending more time cleaning than I am shooting, so I am guessing that I am doing something wrong!!

I have .308 and .17 tikkas

My regime:

Boretech soaked patch down the barrel (or I have been know to pour it straight down the barrel when I’m getting frustrated!)

Leave to soak for 10

Brass brush from the breech end down to the crown, remove brush and repeat 5-10 times (time consuming!!)

Leave for 5 mins and then start patching through!

I then almost always need to repeat this process 2-3 times to get the patches spotless (no black marks on patch)

I then remove the stock and clean everything with Napier gun gleaning spray including the magazine and breech.

A quick Wipe over with thin oil finishes off the process and back in the safe they go!

Am I being impatient, or should this process take a lot less time?

I have that same regime buts it’s over the course of a year not every outing

 

[Steff]

Blimey, I’ve always unscrewed it which is what adds loads of time, believing that it would damage the crown.

Can you do that with a brass brush or just the plastic ones?

Also with bronze brushes, no problem.

Nylon brushes are nice to stir up a solvent in the bore and for a few other things. One thing they are absolutely useless for is actual barrel cleaning. Also there is no solvent in the world that can dissolve carbon like the one we have in our barrels. This needs physical force for removal. Hence the need for bronze brushes.

 

[Bowland blades]

Also with bronze brushes, no problem.

Nylon brushes are nice to stir up a solvent in the bore and for a few other things. One thing they are absolutely useless for is actual barrel cleaning. Also there is no solvent in the world that can dissolve carbon like the one we have in our barrels. This needs physical force for removal. Hence the need for bronze brushes.

Better solvents exist now like the full Bore tech range , things move on from number 9 Hoppes etc . If you think carbon is hard how do you get on with copper ? Copper solvents require a nylon brush or you will get false positive for copper purely from the contamination from the bronze .
A good lapped bore only needs patches until the bore starts to erode enough for the nylon brush to be required .
Bronze definitely have their uses though , especially on too infrequently cleaned or bores comming to the end of their days . A few patches and a bit of time for soaks with a good modern solvent works great without anything but patches on a newish lapped bore

 

[Steff]

Better solvents exist now like the full Bore tech range , things move on from number 9 Hoppes etc . If you think carbon is hard how do you get on with copper ? Copper solvents require a nylon brush or you will get false positive for copper purely from the contamination from the bronze .
A good lapped bore only needs patches until the bore starts to erode enough for the nylon brush to be required .
Bronze definitely have their uses though , especially on too infrequently cleaned or bores comming to the end of their days . A few patches and a bit of time for soaks with a good modern solvent works great without anything but patches on a newish lapped bore

I shall start with the false readings. I use a Hawke Eye bore scope so I can‘t be fooled. Copper is easy to remove as this really works chemically. And a nylon brush is nice to foam or stir up solvents for this purpose. No bronze brush needed here.

As for carbon, I don‘t own any hand lapped barrel, so I cannot comment on their carbon gathering properties. Factory barrels however will never clean just on patches and nylon brushes. I certainly haven‘t tried all solvents on the market but quite a few including brake and carb cleaner. None of them work on carbon in the barrel.

Do the test yourself. Clean by your regime. Then use a bronze brush soaked in Ballistol. Give it 20 to 30 strokes back and forth. My bet is that it will come out black, not just grey.

 

[Bowland blades]

I shall start with the false readings. I use a Hawke Eye bore scope so I can‘t be fooled. Copper is easy to remove as this really works chemically. And a nylon brush is nice to foam or stir up solvents for this purpose. No bronze brush needed here.

As for carbon, I don‘t own any hand lapped barrel, so I cannot comment on their carbon gathering properties. Factory barrels however will never clean just on patches and nylon brushes. I certainly haven‘t tried all solvents on the market but quite a few including brake and carb cleaner. None of them work on carbon in the barrel.

Do the test yourself. Clean by your regime. Then use a bronze brush soaked in Ballistol. Give it 20 to 30 strokes back and forth. My bet is that it will come out black, not just grey.

Seriously you need to actually try the new solvents i left them behind a good while back ! There is a reason the nylon brisstle brush came out along with much improved solvents . A crappy bore is a crappy bore and you will still need to resort to more aggressive cleaning with a collection of bronze bushes that will erode against those solvents .

 

[Steff]

Seriously you need to actually try the new solvents i left them behind a good while back ! There is a reason the nylon brisstle brush came out along with much improved solvents . A crappy bore is a crappy bore and you will still need to resort to more aggressive cleaning with a collection of bronze bushes that will erode against those solvents .

I am, amongst other solvents, currently using KG1. Modern enough?
Nice stuff but useless on baked in carbon. I still need to try Boretech but I don‘t expect to see any other result.

 

[Steff]

As for crappy barrels, well, they might be. Blaser, Bergara, Tikka, Sako and Mauser are the ones I have had the pleasure to clean. All the same.

 

[ashray]

every one has a way that works for them ,horses for coarses. your rifles your choice and good luck with it

 

[Bowland blades]

As for crappy barrels, well, they might be. Blaser, Bergara, Tikka, Sako and Mauser are the ones I have had the pleasure to clean. All the same.

wasnt taking brand ! Some folks can ruin a bore in a couple of hundred rounds with neglect and ham fisted maintainace . Do lapped barrel do better ? yeah ! unless in the hands of a fool who says things like " next round through cleans it "

 

[Vissie]

Thank you guys!

Ok so what should I be using to get the carbon off with?

I will add a bore snake to the Christmas list!

I store all of my rifles in a safe with a wardrobe heater and Govee Wi-Fi temp / humidity monitor after I had a bad experience with surface rust in an old shotgun!

KG-1 on a patch, then give it a scrub with a nylon brush. Give it 5mins. Dry patch to clean it out. Repeat once or twice as necessary.

Then same with a WipeOut plus Accelerator patch.

One methylated spirits patch to finish.

I do that every few boxes of ammo.

I'd be reluctant to take the rifle out of the stock.

Spray it down with WD40 after an outing in damp weather and give it a wipe.

Bolt disassembled and cleaned about once a year

Should point out, I'm primarily a stalker with a stainless synthetic rifle.

The main point though, ask ten lads how they clean their rifle and you'll get ten different answers.