Oily rag or cloth

[Jagare]

As I mentioned in the grease your lugs thread, I use an oily rag to wipe down external parts of my guns. I'm on my third oily rag in 50 years. The latest is half a tea towel, and being into several years of use, it's taking on the right qualities I look for in an oily rag. To keep it oiled, I lay bore mops on it if I'm applying oil to them.
Do peeps use a fresh rag every time they oil their guns or have a well-used and mature oily rag.

 

[VSS]

As I mentioned in the grease your lugs thread, I use an oily rag to wipe down external parts of my guns. I'm on my third oily rag in 50 years. The latest is half a tea towel, and being into several years of use, it's taking on the right qualities I look for in an oily rag. To keep it oiled, I lay bore mops on it if I'm applying oil to them.
Do peeps use a fresh rag every time they oil their guns or have a well-used and mature oily rag.

I'm still on my first oily rag, but I've only been shooting for 40 years or so.
I always wipe over the outside of my rifles with it before storage. In fact, that's just about the limit of my cleaning regime for rifles.
Like you, I have kept it oiled by laying shotgun mops on it.
A well-used and mature oily rag takes some beating!

 

[Klenchblaize]

A well cared for oily rag is a thing to be cherished and hung in one's Gun Room as an air-freshener.

K

 

[BenBhoy]

A well-used and mature oily rag takes some beating!

Even better when she comes back for more.... oh, wait - wrong forum, sorry!!

 

[needsy]

Old rag soaked in ACF50 & kept in an old jam jar on top of the gun safe. Wipe down each time before putting away

 

[Tim.243]

As I mentioned in the grease your lugs thread, I use an oily rag to wipe down external parts of my guns. I'm on my third oily rag in 50 years. The latest is half a tea towel, and being into several years of use, it's taking on the right qualities I look for in an oily rag. To keep it oiled, I lay bore mops on it if I'm applying oil to them.
Do peeps use a fresh rag every time they oil their guns or have a well-used and mature oily rag.

I scrub the 12b's with a 10b bronze brush as over time they get compressed, GT85 is the stuff for the marsh gun that works a treat.
Dad had a patten to cut cloth to as that size made the correct "pull through" before we went out. Blue hand towel (never sure where he got it)

 

[Jagare]

I'm still on my first oily rag, but I've only been shooting for 40 years or so.
I always wipe over the outside of my rifles with it before storage. In fact, that's just about the limit of my cleaning regime for rifles.
Like you, I have kept it oiled by laying shotgun mops on it.
A well-used and mature oily rag takes some beating!

I can't remember what happened to the first one but the second one was a piece of genuine mutton cloth. Over the years it fell apart. The half tea towel is getting to a useful texture and maturity now.

 

[Jagare]

I scrub the 12b's with a 10b bronze brush as over time they get compressed, GT85 is the stuff for the marsh gun that works a treat.
Dad had a patten to cut cloth to as that size made the correct "pull through" before we went out. Blue hand towel (never sure where he got it)

I've gone all modern with pulling through, before and after the bronze brush and use kitchen paper towel these days.

 

[webley701]

I still use my father’s oily rag (formerly a yellow duster c.late 1970’s). It’s mostly holes now rather than rag but still serves the purpose. It’s partnered with my own oily rag (another formerly yellow duster). These pieces of equipment have been the longest lasting & most reliable ones in the gunroom.

 

[8x57]

I had an old oily rag (yes another yellow duster) that I had for probably 25 years. Then one day when searching in a hurry for a rag to use on the car I picked it up and that was the end of that. Since then to my eternal shame I've used various other rags of cut off bits of 4x2.
You've set me a task for the day - inaugurate a new oily rag.

 

[willowbank]

Great thread... love the smell of an oily rag, no ‘ air freshener ‘ can beat that smell.

To the guy that keeps his in a jam jar don’t, just don’t lol.

WB

 

[Klenchblaize]

Gun metal oily rag is not to be confused with a spontaneously combustible gun stock oil, wax and spirit rag:


K

 

[Tim.243]

I've gone all modern with pulling through, before and after the bronze brush and use kitchen paper towel these days.

When Dad got so he couldn't shoot but he liked to hold onto the led weight end but I had 1 fold too many and pulled him and the chair across the kitchen floor (but he never let go)

 

[Yorkie]

Fwiw.

My oily rag started its life as one of those 'Miracle Cloths' back in my pistol shooting days. Since then it has matured somewhat as it has aged.

After is was worn out as a 'Miracle Cloth' i added some Youngs 303, i have since moved on to using Birchwood Casey Barricade.

It is great for a wipe-down of my rifles post shooting.

It still has that lovely Youngs 303 smell too.

I keep it in a zip lock bag.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Yep I’ve got one too along with my home made gun grease, 2/3 Vaseline 1/3 hoppes gun oil, both are now a good decade or more old

 

[RescueMe0007]

Piece of cotton waste, ballistol spray, whenever I'm cleaning my rifles, kept in one of those tin containers used for tea or sweets. Waste stays damp with oil, doesn't dry out. It'll see me out.

 

[enfieldspares]

I misread the thread title. Thought it said "Oily Toe Rag or Clot".

Sorry.

I'd in my mind this object below, both CLOT and OILY TOE RAG, embodied in one single entity.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Took years to get it just right, it’s a cloth I got with English made leather shoes, lives in a metal can from a candle on top of the gun cabinet, god knows how many different types of oil and grease it has on it!

 

[Sika98k]

A well cared for oily rag is a thing to be cherished and hung in one's Gun Room as an air-freshener.

K

Especially if it smells of Youngs 303, the old stuff.

 

[old keeper]

I've had the same bit of rag, kept in a plastic bag, for years. I use Ballistol spray on it now and then.