Cleaning routine for rifle

SimpleSimon

Well-Known Member
Hi all,
What can you recommend in terms of products and techniques for cleaning my most prized possession (that's my rifle, if anybody needed clarification!)
I'm talking a step by step idiot's guide here please.
Is there ananything I should NOT use? Anything I must do a particular way, etc, etc?
I'm sure everyone has their own ways and opinions, but hopefully we can reach some sort of consensus on what works, what doesn't, what methods are good or bad, etc.
Thanks!
 
Simon

heres how I do it pal. I don't worry about round count I just shoot and clean when I'm done. If I use the rifle daily I won't bother cleaning the bore unless it's wet, if somtimes I use a different rifle I don't think I'll use the rifle I've fired within 3 days to a week I'll clean the bore. I use wipeout these days it takes 4 patches and leaves the barrel in a perfect state of fouling equilibrium so I know my first round is on the money. If I store for a long period ie a month or more I'll put a few drops of oil on a patch followed by a dry one. When I clean barrel by default I'll clean my bolt just a wipe and a tiny amount of suitable grease on lug. If the rifle gets soaked ill strip it from stock and dry it before I clean the wife's hair dryer is good for this. Keep lens on scope clean and dry with a suitable cloth the ones supplied with glasses are ideal. Mods should be removed dried and a quick squirt of wd40 or napier now and again to defend against corrosion, look after your thread by removing the fouling and putting either a little copper slip or drop of oil on it. Don't saturate guns in oil or fouling remover it can degrade your wood finish and damage bedding compound if you have it. You will need a few things I use a sinclaire bore guide and tipton carbon rod with Speer point jag, a napier travel cleaning kit with a simple pull through does what I need when I'm away from home you could suffice with a simple kit or go to town with a full bore guide and rod set up the choice is yours. I like wipeout tactical advantage, kg products and good old hoppes 9. You will get a lot of opinions here this has just worked for me and my rifles are corrosion free, have immaculate bores and put the first round on the mark.
 
If it's wet, dry it. If it's muddy, wipe it............bolts come out every now & again & if they're dry they get oiled.

As for the bores? I just pull through a boresnake every few rounds for the centrefires, and keep an eye on the .22. If it looks manky, it gets a clean. All my rifles get a wipe down with an oily rag before going into the cabinet, & I use those vapour-deposit G90 (or whatever they're called) in the cabinets
 
If it's wet, dry it. If it's muddy, wipe it............bolts come out every now & again & if they're dry they get oiled.

As for the bores? I just pull through a boresnake every few rounds for the centrefires, and keep an eye on the .22. If it looks manky, it gets a clean. All my rifles get a wipe down with an oily rag before going into the cabinet, & I use those vapour-deposit G90 (or whatever they're called) in the cabinets
mental note ,dont buy a rifle from you .
 
You're going to get more opinions on this subject than on which calibre is the best for deer! Perhaps not, but you will get a few.

Personally, my first priority is to make sure they are dried thoroughly after use and stored that way. If I'm going out on a wet day a good rub down with an oily rag is called for and the same applied after they have been dried next to the aga on my return (I use synthetic stocks so don't have to worry about wood moving thankfully). I bit of WD40 sprayed into safety catches and trigger mechanisms from time to time and the bolt locks greased should keep it in good nick. Main thing is never to put it away damp.

That's probably the bit no one is going to disagree with.

As for cleaning the barrel, some will say they never touch it and some will clean thoroughly after every firing. Two extremes, but both parties will swear they are right.

I take what I think is a common sense approach, and I still get called anal about cleaning. My rifles get cleaned thoroughly after 12 to 15 rounds have been through them or when they have had a good soaking, whichever is the sooner. I use Riflecraft Bore Tech cleaner. Put a patch through with lots of solution on it. Leave for 10 minutes to soak in, nylon brush and give it 50 strokes, a clean patch to remove all the crap and repeat. On second application it should be just about clean of any residue so a couple of clean patches through and put it away.

The advantage I have found with the Bore Tech is that first shot after cleaning is still right on the money, no "clearing shot" required. Never had an issue whereas I have with other cleaners I have used.

Just one opinion. There are many others.

Good luck.
 
I will try to break down a step by step process to see if that helps

1. Return home from stalking or lamping kiss the wife and tell her you promise to take her out at some point in the near future

2. Let rifle dry if wet if out on a cold night let rifle settle to inside temp as condensation will form

3.remove bolt if not already done so insert bore guide or pull through and follow instructions of chosen bore cleaner. Take your time muscle power not required if using pull through pull in straight line it may not damage crown but will certainly fray cord and possible stuck pull through will occur. With rods jags and patches just be careful drawing rod back past crown area. If your shooting in next few days and rifle is dry skip 3 and 4

4.if storing rifle 2-3 drops of oil a light oil is best on a patch either leave it in or I like a dry patch after to remover excess

5. While barrel fluid is working away remove bolt wipe with oily rag apply a tiny amount of suitable load bearing grease to lugs of bolt to prevent galling if wet strip and dry aswell

6. Wipe down metal surfaces with oily rag do this to blued rifles in particular and stainless as well as it will still corrode

7. Dry mod if wet and quick squirt of oil wd40 is ideal for this not to much or you will know what it's like to shoot a black powder rifle KEEP OFF RIFLE from this point

8. After barrel is clean or if you decide not to clean I always clean carbon off muzzle and thread with some cleaning fluid on a rag, apply a small amount of oil or copper slip on thread only to keep it in good shape.

9. Put your rifle away knowing that it will last forever with a little love.

10. Every now and again wood stocks need a little care with some wood oil to keep them sealed

we live in a damp wet temperate climate even working tools need looking after

enjoy
 
Thanks folks. I'll have to pop round the local gun shops tomorrow and pick up some bits. Having only just bought the rifle, it's filthy and I'm heading to the range on Friday to get it set up, zeroed, etc.
 
Cleaning your rifle should be no big deal - do it after every outing - especially if its a wet one and you'll have no problems. The problems will come when you get slack and decide to leave this chore to another day and put the rifle away with the mod attached into your cabinet - and then forget about it. A stitch in time… is a good maxim. When you come in give the rifle a dry with a suitable towel/cloth and then allow it to come to room temperature slowly - not next to a hot radiator - to get rid of any moisture in a environment with circulating air, i.e. not a closed cabinet. Once dry and warmed up you can give it a spray with WD40 or a suitable light gun oil and wipe it all off. Give the woodwork a wipe with a dry, clean cloth and then I give the metal parts a good wipe over with an oiled cloth (I use army issue gun oil) and wipe the wooden parts with walnut or similar stock oil. I'll only take the stock off if the rifle was really soaked and dropped in the ****. The bolt gets the same treatment but with care taken to get into the nooks and crannies. If I've only fired a few shots I'll give the barrel a few pull throughs with a bore snake which has had a few drops of Hoppes No9 and then put it away. I also give the barrel crown and screw thread a really good clean with a rag dipped in Hoppes no9 and then dry it well. After a longer range session or after a couple of months light use I'll give the barrel on my .308/ .243 a thorough cleaning using a rod and brush/jag with powder solvent and copper solvent giving it a good scrub and follow up with clean cotton bore patches on a jag until they come out clean. If I leave the rifle for a longer period (3 months +) I'll give the bore a pass with an oily patch - but then remember to put a dry patch through before you fire otherwise your first couple of rounds will not fly true to your zero. Hope this helps.
 
And your problem with my treatment of my rifles is what, exactly :-|

Please feel free to tell me how it's done, mate? I'm all ears

meant light hearted buddy but imo you need to use a decent carbon remover and copper solvent .a bore guide whilst doing so and again just my experience but everyone i have met who just patches out i bet if i ran a bronze bristle brush through with a good bore solvent i would get a black patch.so i'm a brusher.i also soak with bore foam or c2r every now and again.if the rifle is not coming out for a few weeks i use butches gun oil down the bore just because it smells so good.
on a serious note i allways ask how often do i need to clean it before accuracy goes off when i buy a rifle ,if the answer is anything but every time i shoot it i'm put off and need to look closer or walk away.
not claiming i'm right just my way and being honest bud.most might say i over clean.
atb mike
 
Some of my rifles like the 30 30 wouldn't have seen a cleaning rod in the last 3 or 4 years (600-1000 rounds). Most of my hunting rifles will get a bore clean every 50 or so rounds or a good clean if they get wet. If filling pest tags on giant mice its nothing to put 150 rounds through a 22 centre fire in a night, these might get a clean every 500 or so rounds.

I hate going hunting & taking that first shot with a clean barrel.

We are talking hunting rifles not target?

Sharkey
 
I hate going hunting & taking that first shot with a clean barrel.
We are talking hunting rifles not target?


^ this

I have at least one rifle that goes all to hell when I "deep clean" the bore. done it twice now and it takes a good few shots to bring it back on song.
this is a factory barrel not some lovingly hand lapped target barrel that is smoother than a smooth thing
it gets a patch and maybe a bit of carbon solvent after a decent amount of shots (I decide what is decent)
outside kept clean and dry with attention to all orifices
 
Lightly oil all working parts, quick pull through after as many rounds as I think it needs. Alternatively 1st round through should clear it PMSL!!
 
NOVICE QUESTION ALERT!

May sound stupid, but how do you actually put a cleaning patch through the rifle? never used a bore guide or anything, well never cleaned the rifle i guess as its only rimfire and owned it for a month or two!

When i put a patch through on the end of a jag it is really loose in the barrel? do i need to wrap it round the jag or what?? Pics would be greatly appreciated if its hard to explain!!

Cheers,

Mitch
 
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