Apologies in advance. I started with a nice short answer then it grew, and grew.

You definitely want a one piece cleaning rod. Stay away from 2/3/4 piece rods. They can "bend" when being pushed down the bore and may slowly damage the bore from constant cleaning with it. Also with the one piece rod look for a coated rod. Other than the fact it prevents any damage when using copper or similarly lined rods can give a false positive. Good makes would be;

• Bore Tech
• Pro Shot
• Parker Hale
• Tetra
• Tipton

I prefer either BoreTech or ProShot. They are a coated/lined rod, one piece, very strong, excellent performance/bearing, and come in a host of well suited calibers and not a generic "one size fits all" like some of the lesser brands.

A small tip, if i may. Stay clear of wire brushes. You don't need them. The solvents you use should be doing the cleaning work so any attachments should only be a help or agitator more so than an actual scrubbing product. If i find i need a brush i use a nylon brush. Just as effective for agitating any fouling, won't give a false positive, and is not as harsh as a wire brush.

Lastly, and seeing as how my mouth is warm a small guide to how i clean my rifles, below. You can pick and choose what solvents you use based on the type of rifle. For rimfires there is no need for copper/heavy solvents as the rounds contain no copper to cause serious fouling. Some carbon remover and a good oil would be all thats really needed, but to go that extra bit you can use a lead remover too.

BoreTech rimfire blend, KG1 and Brunox oil are my go to brands but others include:

• Hoppes
• Kirkland
• Napier
• Tetra
• Butch's
• M-Pro

For centrefire rifles you need some solvents to remove the copper fouling as well as the carbon. Most of these need to be applied liberally and left for anywhere between 5 minutes up to 24 hours depending on brand. They "dissolve" the copper and allow for full cleaning. It only needs done every so often, as it would be a deep clean. Everyone will have different opinions on how often, but you will find you rifle likes to fire dirty or clean and will adapt your cleaning to suit. Some brands of solvents i use include;

• KG1
• KG12
• Wipe out
• Butch's bore shine
• M-Pro7
• Forrest Foam

Then onto the attachments. The standard ones for me are:

• Jag (for your patches)
• Nylon brush (to agitate the fouling)
• Patches (for wiping out)
• Mop (to polish after all is done)

First off, get a bore guide. They are essential for cleaning imo. They don't just help with easy cleaning but help protect the chamber and action from getting gunked up.

1. Remove bolt, magazine and make sure gun is safe/clear
2. Place in a gun vise or make sure the rifle is clamped.
3. For my rimfire (CZ 452) I tie a piece of string around the trigger, give it a gentle pull, and then tie the string to the vise. This will drop the bolt latch and allow rods, etc to go into the action without hitting anything or getting caught/snagged as i don't have a proper boreguide for the Cz. For my Centrefires this is not necessary and if you get the right bore guide it won't be needed for your rimfire either.
4. Place a cloth over the buttstock at the back of the action/boreguide to catch any drips/fouling from the rod as you use it
5. Have your one piece rod and attach a patch. Soak it with KG1. Run the patch down the bore taken care to guide the rod into the chamber/bore without banging off the sides.
6. Push the rod slowly down the bore making sure the rod turns as you push it down.
7. The first run down with the rod will be stiff as it's pushing against the fouling and other "obstacles".
8. As the rod exists the muzzle, remove the patch, then the jag.
9. Pull the rod out of the rifle and wipe the rod with a cloth to remove any debris or fouling stuck to the rod. Do this every time you take the rod out of the bore/rifle
10. Reattach the jag and place another patch on it.
11. Soak the patch in KG1 and run it back into the bore
12. Remove the patch, jag and pull the rod out (once again wiping the rod)
13. Now leave it to sit for a minimum of 5 minutes up to 15 minutes
14. Attach the jag, put on a patch and soak in KG1. Run it down the bore
15. Remove the patch, jag and pull the rod out (once again wiping the rod)
16. Attach your nylon brush to the rod.
17. Run it down the barrel, and remove the brush once out the muzzle
18. Pull the rod back/out, wipe it clean, and attach the brush again.
19. Make sure to spray the brush with brunox oil, then KG1. This cleans the brush so as not to run the fouling on it back into the bore.
20. Repeat this up to 6 times. It helps agitate and loosen the "stuck on" fouling. It's no harm to put some KG1 on the brush to keep the bore wet.
21. Now run two soaked patches (soaked with KG1) down the bore. This will remove any loose fouling and the second patch will soak the bore again
22. Let it sit again for 5 - 15 minutes
23. Now you patch out the bore with patches soaked with oil (Brunox or whatever you have)
24. DON'T run any dry patches. All patches should be wet with oil. This ensures nothing dries in the bore when cleaning.
25. Keep running patches until they run clean and wet
26. If you find there is still fouling and it's not "going away" then run another patch or three of KG1 and basically clean the bore again (repeat the steps above)
27. When you are happy the bore is clean, by checking the patches are wet and clean) and you're patched it out with oiled patches then it's time to mop it out
28. Run a dry patch down the bore. Repeat this for between 5 - 10 patches.
29. I then run two patches, sprayed with meth spirits, to remove any excess oils/solvents left in the barrel
30. I then run one more dry patch down the bore
31. I then use a mop and run it down once or twice
32. Then wipe the muzzle of the rifle and clean away any fouling that remains from the cleaning of the bore

The above covers your rimfire, but for centrefire you need to repeat steps 5 to 32 but use your chosen product to remove the copper fouling. This is where i use KG12 for a general clean or Wipe out for a deep clean. Its the exact same process as outlined in steps 5 to 32, just substituting copper solvent for the KG1.

For both rifles you need to clean the chamber.

1. Spray the chambers liberally with oil. I prefer Brunox but it's up to you.
2. Use a shotgun brush, cloth wrapped on a stick, finger or chamber brush to clean the inside of the action. If the oil dries up then give it another spray. I also use a small amount of KG1 but you need to be careful with this. It shouldn't strip any bluing but take no chances.
3. Continue to clean the action while keeping it "damp" with oil so the fouling cannot dry and harden back onto the action.
4. Use a chamber brush or angled brush to clean where the holder/extractor sit when the bolt is closed on your rimfire (not really necessary for the C/F. If you don't have this then use a toothpick. Spray into this area very liberally with oil. Preferably a pressurised canister so the oil not only oils but removes lose fouling.
5. If you have access to an air line it's not harm to blow it out with one
6. Keep at this until you are completely satisfied it's clean
7. Once you're happy with the action start into the chamber. They are basically the same size as the bullet of a .22lr in rimfires as the bullet and case are the same diameter. Unlike your 223 where the bullet is smaller and a different shape to the case and the chamber so it may need special attention.
8. Wipe the mag well as any excess from the jag being pushed into the chamber will result in drippings running down the mag well
9. Blow out with air line or dry with cloth/patches
10. With a clean, fresh cloth, wipe the action on the outside, the barrel, stock, etc. Make sure there is no run off from under the stock (around the trigger/mag well) of any oils and definitely solvents.
11. If you're nervous that you've left some oil in the bore then wrap up a piece of cloth into a roll and place it in the action and store the rifle with barrel pointed up to allow any excess to run into the cloth. Check the cloth after 24 hours. Any excess will be collected by then

During the time you are waiting for the solvent to work you can strip the bolt down and clean. You don't need to strip the bolt every time you clean the rifle, but you should clean it (without stripping) on every clean and then strip at regular intervals. This can be done for all calibers and there are videos on Youtube explaining the process for nearly all makes.

The reason to wipe the the rod each time is to avoid running fouling stuck to the rod body back into the rifle. Also remove the jag. brush, etc. each time at the muzzle to prevent pulling any fouling back in and down the bore. It also prevents any abrasive action against the muzzle that may occur when pulling the rod with brush back through the muzzle.

Lastly, cleaning is not a race. If you're not inform for cleaning then don't. Wait until you are in the mood to do it, and then take you time. It's not a fast process and you need to have patience to allow for all the steps and to allow the solvent/chemicals to do their job.

minktrapper wrote: »

The handle also has a ball bearing on it so it doesn't turn as you pull it through the rifle barrel.

You want it turning as you push it through the bore so it "follows" the lands/grooves and cleans properly.

Ah, gotcha now. I thought you meant the handle and rod were fixed. Don't know how i picked that up wrong.

Carry on.

I had to get my BoreTech rods shipped in as nobody done them here, and still don't afaik.

Most dealers carry a line of rods, but they're usually Tipton, Tetra or Parker Hale. All decent rods, but none of them would be my first choice.

The problem with shipping one in is the cost. Because of the size/length it usually demands a higher postage cost than something of it's weight should. I done a group buy of BoreTech stuff some years back. Even with shipping and duty it worked out 35% cheaper to bring a load of it in form the states.

Might be worth your while trying to run something similar.