Gun cleaning

scout

how do ye do it

i wipe with brush and solvent down to patches

have heard never clean the gun it deminishes acc. etc.:eek:

what about the bore snakes?,,,

opions would be helpfull

Sparks

Well, I'm a lowly .22lr shooter ( :rolleyes: ) but generally, a brass brush if it's been a few hundred rounds since last cleaning, then two or three VFG pads soaked in bore solvent, then as many VFG pads as needed until they come out clean, then a polishing brush once or twice. In every case, using a standard cleaning rod and bore guide, and cleaning from chamber to crown, never bringing the brush/pad back. I was also told to never use a bore snake lest you damage the crown.

civdef

I've heard that concern expressed about boresnakes, but I'm unsure as to how you could damage the crown without repeatedly pulling the boresnake out at a very acute angle.

Sparks

I think that the level of damage we're talking about here is very small civ, especially for smallbore competition where the margins are so tight. Even the smallest things take on huge importance in those cases.

civdef

Yeah, I can appreciate that. However most damage to crowns is done by feeding the rod from the muzzle end causing the (oftentimes metal) shaft of the cleaning rod to repeatedly come into contact with the crown, causing wear. Since the boresnake is mostly fabric, with some relatively soft bronze bristles at the end, I dont see that it has the potential to creat any significant level of wear.

The big difference between rimfire and centrefire cleaning procedures is that smallbores don't have the issue of copper buildup in the bore from the bullet jackets.

Many people don't recommend cleaning rimfire barrels very much at all (I subscribe to this), in fact some rimfires shoot worse after a thorough cleaning. There is no doubt at all that copper fouling adversely affects accuracy, and in some calibres, like .17rem, this occurs very quickly indeed. Therefore the corect solvents need to be used regularly in centrefires.

Vinniew

Boresnake can be hassel if the user isn't familiar with how to pull a rifle thru.
The lapping action at the muzzle can cause a fair bit of wear.
As for the brass bristles inserted in the snake......these can be easily removed for further safety as they're not always needed.
Take a look at South Yorkshire shooting Supplies for cleaning kits....one of theire does all calibres and is a simple and safe system to use......have it meself....just can't remember the name of it......old age .....

Now ......where am I?

Vinniew
(squeaky clean)

Sparks

Many people don't recommend cleaning rimfire barrels very much at all (I subscribe to this),

Yes, but just as many recommend regular cleaning (which I'd agree with). It's almost a religious debate
And it's not helped by the fact that at the levels where you'd notice this kind of thing, you're talking about exceptionally small degrees of accuracy making an enormous difference; and individual barrels will be sufficiently different to make any rule-of-thumb rather useless for these purposes.

jeffshc1

My (un-expert) opinion.
A boar snake is good for a quick cleaning while still at the range. Once home finish with the standard brush, patches, solvent and oil.
Like the dentist tells you, cleaning helps your teeth last longer. The same for a firearm.
As far as barrel wear, any of them can wear out. It may take a lot but it’s true.
A simple stream of water made the Grand Canyon.
I know that some critics will disagree with this, no problem here. Corrosive ammo (salts in primers for example) should be cleaned soonest.
Get the bits and pieces out. Your barrel will last a long time.

Sparks

I'll also point out - just because there's no powder or primer doesn't mean you don't need to clean an air rifle out regularly! And firing VFG pellets down it won't do as much as you have to (it's more a maintenance thing). I'd fire two of the abrasive pellets down after every session and clean it properly with cleaning paste and so on every 6-12 months or so, if at all possible.

Vegeta

Hey sparks I have an air rifle that requires me to remove the barrell completely to clean it, To avoid this where do you get the cleaning/abrasive pellets you speak of?

Sparks

Pretty much anywhere that sells air rifle stuff Veg. I get mine from Tiernans in Wilkinstown - you can order them from anywhere online as well though, because they're not firearms parts. Try Edinkillie for example. You're looking for VFG cleaning products.

Sparks

I should point out, btw, that the brass brush in the smallbore rifle only gets done occasionally - do it regularly and it'll do more harm than good.

Vinniew

Use the above mentioned tool of Satan before.....never again!!!!! took aboout 700rds before normal conditions were restored in my BR rifle. things were tolerable at 50mts. Out at 100 it was all over the place.
Posts about the bore snake being ok for a quick clean on the range are bang on. Use it on my 10/22 only as it's just for fun and plenty accurate for gallery. Wouldn't put it near anything expensive.

Vinniew

Sparks

Thing about brass brushes vinnie, is that when you're looking at a college club rifle that was last cleaned about 10,000 rounds ago... well, one or two passes through are warranted

coyote6

I use brass core, brass brushes with a one piece Dewey Rod. I start w/ Hoppes #9 bore solvent. Once the carbon is mostly gone I use Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent (follow directions on the bottle) and then return to the brush-patch-brush method. I do 20 brushes then put on a jag to patch. Wet patch then dry patch. Repeat until clean. Every once in a while I use JB Bore Bright. It is a polishing compound. I also learned a nice technique using Hoppes and JB's. You make a slurry of the two and run it on a patch. Its amazing how much more crud comes out. The 3 day cleaning process works too. Clean every day for 3 days. The metal excretes so me of the carbon etc. every day. Carbon attracts moisture.

This is a bit extreme but its the technique I learned at sniper school and over the years. I use it on my Remington 700 PSS, .308. Hopefully its helpful. Remember never to use copper solvents on chrome lined barrels as they can cause pitting. Also check out Kel-Lube. The best lube I've found. Its a synthetic that doesn't burn off. Mil-Tech is nice too. All these items can be bought from Brownells or Sinclair. Both have websites.

Keelan

coyote6 wrote:

I use brass core, brass brushes with a one piece Dewey Rod. I start w/ Hoppes #9 bore solvent. Once the carbon is mostly gone I use Shooter's Choice Copper Solvent (follow directions on the bottle) and then return to the brush-patch-brush method. I do 20 brushes then put on a jag to patch. Wet patch then dry patch. Repeat until clean. Every once in a while I use JB Bore Bright. It is a polishing compound. I also learned a nice technique using Hoppes and JB's. You make a slurry of the two and run it on a patch. Its amazing how much more crud comes out. The 3 day cleaning process works too. Clean every day for 3 days. The metal excretes so me of the carbon etc. every day. Carbon attracts moisture.

This is a bit extreme but its the technique I learned at sniper school and over the years. I use it on my Remington 700 PSS, .308. Hopefully its helpful. Remember never to use copper solvents on chrome lined barrels as they can cause pitting. Also check out Kel-Lube. The best lube I've found. Its a synthetic that doesn't burn off. Mil-Tech is nice too. All these items can be bought from Brownells or Sinclair. Both have websites.

I regularily moreless use this method, but cut out the JB.
In your opinion, do you think cleaning everytime you use your rifle will ware it down and do you use a bore guied?
Thanks.

coyote6

Yeah I think you're right. JB's is similar to jewelers rouge. So it is very mildly abrasive. Mixing it w/ Hoppes may reduce the grit a bit but I'm not sure of that. I would say I use it twice a year. This particular rifle has 1020 rds. through it and has not started degrading yet. I use it every once in awhile on my Glock .22 as well. I never use it on my M-16, no particular reason, just haven't.

coyote6

Forgot to answer the 2nd question. I DEFINITELY use a bore guide on my rifles.

murph226

Hi lads, any good tips, do's and dont's about cleaning fullbore pistols?
what are the best products out there?

Bananaman

Murph,

I have a Glock 34 and I find 9mm parabellums are the best cleaning agent around

Honestly, it depends on the rounds.

Recently I have been using magtech in competitions and I find that there is noticeable carbon build-up on the throat of thr barrel that requires some cleaning.

Some of the guys in the club have race guns and if there is a strong wind that is blowing the sand off the backstop their guns will jam. The Glock, on the other hand will simply turn it to glass and spit it out.

Generally i just brush out the barrel once, get any carbon off the throat, oil the slide guides, rack it a few times and shoot it.

A Silicone cloth through the magwell and give the magazines a wipe so they drop free easily as well.

If you are likely to go a good while without shooting it, like a week or two, then you need a more stringent policy. The army guys do this best but they generally run a "wet" gun. God help em if the sand is blowing

B'Man.

murph226

cheers B'man, when you say "throat of the barrel" do you mean the chamber?
Also, what kind of solvents/lubricants do you use? and what about bore brushes and boresnakes?

Bananaman

By Throat I mean the feed ramp, where the round slides up into the barrel. This has a tendency to get very carbon'y on a Glock. I have seen it where people left it too long without cleaning this and the gun would no longer chamber rounds. He found out on the line in a competition.

Double Alpha Academy do a great cleaning Kt which has almost everything you need in a case that doubles as a cleaning mat. Brass and Nylon "tooth" Brushes, Brass barrell brushes for a load of calibres, screwdrivers, punches, jags, hammer, dental picks. It's got FP10 lube in it which is just fine.

Hilltop is now carrying most of their stuff now so if you are near there you could get one off Pat - give him a bell to see if he has em in stock. http://www.pcquad.com

I just threw in some rag, a silicone cloth and a bottle or run'o'd'mill gun oil which is really for cleaning rather than lubricant.

I have yet to use any solvents - I doubt if the Glock polymer frame will play nice with some of them - a lot of the guys use BreakFree - I suppose one day I will need to as the jackets will leave residue in the rifling but I've probably fired tens of thousands of rounds from it so far and generally only clean it before competitions. No problems.

Like I said it will depend what you have. The more the gun cost the more picky it will be. I've seen people have to dismantle and clean their guns and magazines between details at a competition for fear a grain of sand got in.

B'Man

Grizzly 45

Recently I have been using magtech in competitions and I find that there is noticeable carbon build-up on the throat of thr barrel that requires some cleaning.

Aint that a fact!Using Magtech as well and having the same situation occuring.Not to mind having brass ejected that looks black down half it's length.

Some of the guys in the club have race guns and if there is a strong wind that is blowing the sand off the backstop their guns will jam. The Glock, on the other hand will simply turn it to glass and spit it out.

:D:D