How to clean your rifle properly

bitemybanger

Found this, tought it might be of some use as thers no other cleaning of rifle thread just "what product" threads


To properly clean your rifle you will need the following items matched to your rifle's caliber:

Bore Guide
Cleaning Rod
Action/Chamber Tool Cleaning Set
Bronze Bristle-brass Core Bore Brush
Pointed Solid Brass Cleaning Jag
Cleaning Patches
Cleaning Solvent -Shooter's Choice #7
Shooter's Choice All Weather High-Tech Grease
Birchwood Casey Gun Scrubber
Gun Cleaning Cradle (optional)
Now follow these simple steps:

1:Properly support your rifle.
2:For bolt action rifles - remove bolt.
3:Insert the bore guide.
4:Push a cleaning patch wetted with rifle cleaning solvent from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
5:Push another wetted patch from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
6:Push the bronze bristle-brass core brush wetted with rifle cleaning solvent from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle and pull back through the barrel completely. Do this six or seven times.
7:Push another wetted patch from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
8:Push another wetted patch from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
9:Let soak for 20 minutes. While waiting rinse the bronze bristle-brass core brush with Gun Scrubber so solvent won't eat away the brush.
10:After 20 minutes push another patch wetted with rifle cleaning solvent from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod. Inspect patch for copper fowling (blue-green coloration). If patch has significant blue-green coloration repeat steps 7 thru 10 until minimal blue-green coloration appears on patch.
11:Push a dry patch from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
12:Push another dry patch from the chamber, through the barrel, and out the muzzle. Remove patch and withdraw cleaning rod.
13:Remove the bore guide and dry the chamber.
14:For bolt action rifles - apply a dab of grease to the back of the bolt locking lugs, replace the bolt.
15:Wipe muzzle end of barrel to remove remaining solvent.

For long term storage run a lightly oiled patch through barrel. Before firing rifle run one or two dry patches thru barrel to remove oil.

jaycee

Well you have started it now

Thats one way and one set of products , but almost everyone i know has their pet variation on the whole cleaning thing . It also depends on the types of bullets used , and the caliber of the rifle .

A .22LR and a full bore rifle are two very different animals when it comes to cleaning and the question of how often to clean .

My .22lr shoots better with a little fouling in the tube , but i clean the centerfire every time i use it . Sometimes a couple of times in the middle of a session.

meathstevie

Bit of an ignoranus myself so. I use a boresnake and gun oil on my .22 hornet. Every once in a while I leave an oil soaked ribbon of cloth sit in the barrel overnight and give it a few run throughs with a dry clean boresnake.

demonloop

In .22LR any cleaning ritual that doesn't contain the letters v, f and g - and in that order - is either too time consuming or not good enough or both.

Just my (and many other's) unbiased opinion of course

newby.204

demonloop wrote: »

In .22LR any cleaning ritual that doesn't contain the letters v, f and g - and in that order - is either too time consuming or not good enough or both.

Just my (and many other's) unbiased opinion of course

you couldnt clear that up for us could you, usnt have had my weetabix this mornin:D

rrpc

newby.204 wrote: »

you couldnt clear that up for us could you, usnt have had my weetabix this mornin:D

VFG cleaning felts. Far easier and more effective then using patches.

bullets

For my .17HMR

Forgive my spelling if I mis-spell the brand names.

I use an Otis flexible cable with jag that holds a patch and
use Hobbes Copper Solvent wet patch dry patch a few times,
then use the Hobbes Powder solvent wet/dry patch a few times.
Lastly I oil up a bore snake and run it through the bore a few times.

Got a bronze brush and some cotton buds to clean the bolt and chamber
areas before wiping down with a bit of brunox oil.

Usually wipe all the exterior including the wood with an oily cloth thats
got a bit of brunox oil.

The SAK moderator I just unscrew and run some hot water and soap over
it, Use some toilet paper to clean and dry and lightly oil it.

Seems to do the Job.

What annoys' me immensely is when people assume that just cos the HMR is a
rimfire that it should be treated the same as a .22 with regards to cleaning or
lack of it. Heard people say you dont need to use copper solvent and others say
you dont need to clean it at all with I think is crazy talk.

I have a bore guide too but dont see the the benefit of it when I am using
a flexible bore snake where I can insert it into the chamber directly without
contact with the outside of the chamber.

3 piece rods I have tried are crap. I must try get a 1 piece rod for the .17
at some stage.

~B

Jonty

bullets wrote: »

For my .17HMR


3 piece rods I have tried are crap. I must try get a 1 piece rod for the .17
at some stage.

~B

Mmm. You are dead right bout 3 piece rods, and 1 piece are hard to find. Maybe if a source could be located a "group buy" could be organised!

jaycee

Tipton do a very nice one piece fiberglass rod for the .17 ..
The extended length ones are nice and take the Kleen-Bore brushes and jags.

IRLConor

demonloop wrote: »

In .22LR any cleaning ritual that doesn't contain the letters v, f and g - and in that order - is either too time consuming or not good enough or both.

Well, the vfg blue bore paste is certainly time consuming!

I used some of it on DURC's Walther and it turned into 2 x 3 hour sessions where a previously "clean" rifle had chunks of crap coming out of it for patch after patch (there were no felts). It was quite scary to see patches coming out solid black and showing no signs of clearing for so long!

A word of warning to anyone who wants to use the vfg bore paste: make sure you have all day to do it! Great stuff though.

demonloop

IRLConor wrote: »

Well, the vfg blue bore paste is certainly time consuming!

I used some of it on DURC's Walther and it turned into 2 x 3 hour sessions where a previously "clean" rifle had chunks of crap coming out of it for patch after patch (there were no felts). It was quite scary to see patches coming out solid black and showing no signs of clearing for so long!

A word of warning to anyone who wants to use the vfg bore paste: make sure you have all day to do it! Great stuff though.

Conor, 'effective' is the word you're looking for

Don't blame vfg for cleaning the crap the other stuff couldn't!!!

www.weaponcare.com if anyone is interested

jaycee

Yeah , the KG industries stuff is like that at first too.
I have let people use some of mine , (Cause i'm such a nice guy ) .. and i
still crack up seeing the look of shock on their faces when all the crap starts
to come out on the patches .

Especially when they reckon that the gun was clean ... :D:D