cleaning

[aloreman]

How often do you clean your small bore rifles and whats the procedure

[KennyB]

I'll usually clean when I finish shooting - VFG felts and (half the time) Boretech rimfire blend.
Every few hundred rounds I'll give it a few strokes with a bronze brush or a VFG intensive felt (to remind it who's the boss).
I also have a worn out bronze brush which I use to scrub the leade.

http://www.bleiker.ch/fileadmin/user_up ... g_KK_E.jpg

http://riflebarrels.com/support/22-rimfire-maintenance/


K.

[patriot]

Time for the quarterly cleaning thread I guess.

I clean the rifle after every use; raised by a Marine Rifleman. Use a quality guide and a one piece rod. Dry patch first to remove the big chunks. Run a bronze brush wet with Hoppe's six passes (one way, remove the brush each pass). Two dry patches to remove the crud; second one working the throat. Once or twice a year JB the throat to remove any carbon ring build up (maybe every 2500 rounds). Following this routine I do not see frosting at 6 o'clock in the barrel through a bore scope. A friend's rifle with half as many rounds down the tube that didn't clean every session is seeing wear. Oh, and wear gloves. Absorbing solvent into your blood stream is not good.

Mark

[zanemoseley]

I'm curious, what is "frosting" at 6'oclock mean?

I'm a pretty big fan of bore snakes, 1-2 pulls through will get your bore pretty darn clean and takes no time.

[rmca]

I'm a pretty big fan of bore snakes, 1-2 pulls through will get your bore pretty darn clean and takes no time.

The problem with bore snakes is that they are clean just the first time you use it.
With use, they pick up all kinds of dirt and fouling, that you keep rubbing though your bore every time you use them.

Switch to jags, patches and bore brushes. They do a much better job although a bit more labor intensive.

Hope this helps

[zanemoseley]

I do use standard cleaning rods as well too but snakes are super quick and efficient. How soft do you think the barrel is that it will be noticeable worn by a swipe or two from a snake.

[patriot]

Primer compound contains glass which is abrasive. A bore snake picks it up and destroys the crown; very bad for accuracy. I cringe every time I see one used at the range.

Mark

Frosting --> http://www.rrdvegas.com/rimfire-cleaning.html

[rmca]

How soft do you think the barrel is that it will be noticeable worn by a swipe or two from a snake.

It wouldn't automatically destroy a barrel, but with prolonged use it will wear more than with patches/brushes.
And if pulled at an angle, that wear will destroy the symmetry of your barrel crown more rapidly.

Check the links posted by KennyB on how to properly clean a barrel. Also check this one from eley:
http://www.eley.co.uk/the-bulletin/clea ... -eley-way/

Hope this helps

[Tim S]

For me boresnakes are handy for a quick clean if you don't have a rod, or if you can't clean from the breech (as with some semi-auto rifles). However I don't think boresnakes are as good for a thorough clean as you can't wet the bore to let the solvent soak into the fouling, or brush repeatedly; after the first pass the boresnake needs a clean itself. That said I think the boresnake is much softer and probably less harmful than traditional pull-throughs.

To answer the original question, I clean after use. Mostly wet patches, brush, wet patches, dry patches, but sometimes just with wet patches if I fired say fewer than 20 shots. I use a good quality rod and a tight fitting guide. Solvent has varied, but currently it's Ed's Red.

[Humpers]

Over the years I've seen lots of warnings to make sure you don't get solvent seaping down into the trigger mechanism or between the receiver and stock while cleaning. This makes complete sense. But I've never seen anyone suggest laying the rifle upside down while cleaning, i.e. horizontal but with the pistol grip pointing upwards. I also have the muzzle slightly lower than the breach to encourage any excess solvent to come out the former rather than the latter.

Does anyone else do this? Can anyone think of any problems with it?

OK, it can make supporting the rifle slightly more difficult in order to avoid impeding passage of the cleaning rod at the receiver end, and solvent could drip down onto a scope if you have one fitted, but these are both easily solved.

Just an idea for others to try.

Humpers

[KennyB]

I don't know how many shooters at the international level use bore snakes...

I do know of several users of expensive Swiss rifles have had their accuracy restored by having the manufacturer re-crown them.
This manufacturer also has a chemical process for removing lead from the bore which also aids in restoring accuracy - even if you are meticulous with your cleaning. My friend had this process done 3 times before they were happy with the results - and he's very particular about cleaning his rifle.

So, cleaning is good but not damaging the crown is also good - and some stainless steel barrels are softer (and more susceptible to damage) than you might think.

BTW, I clean my rifle on it's side to avoid solvent getting where it's not wanted.

K.

[Tim S]

Ken,

I don't know if this was cleaning, or just removing protective oil, but I saw Torben Grimmel pull a boresnake through his barrel before the 50m Prone match at the London Olympics.

Hmm, so Bleiker have an Outers Foul Out.

[muldoon9]

Riddle me this....
If shooters get all exorcized about letting the cleaning rod touch the crown ,
Why do they think that pulling a dirty rope across the crown......
( because you cannot guarantee a perpendicular pull),
.......across the crown embedded with bits of glass, carbon, and other trash is harmless ?

If you would look at your bore snake under a 100x microscope You would change your ways.

But perhaps my career in micro machining doesn't count for much.

sorry... your milage Won't Vary.

Thinking happy thoughts won't change physics.
M-

[patriot]

Riddle me this....

Thinking happy thoughts won't change physics.
M-

The dozen or so times the bore snake has been discussed there has always been defenders.

It might be fun to start a "range wisdom" thread:

1) "My factory 10/22 using copper plated Remington ammo shoots half inch groups at 100 yards all day"
2) "Supersonic 22 ammo out groups target ammo at 200"
3) "There is no need to clean a smallbore rifle"
4) "My 308 handloads have a muzzle velocity of 3500 FPS" (usually involves a Chrony chronograph)
5) "Now that you have your deer rifle zeroed (using a sled) go home and clean it real good and you will be ready to go"
6) "I carried this Remington 30-06 (sporter) when I was a sniper in Vietnam"
7) "I ran my ladder test using a MagnetoSpeed"
8) "Weight sorting will help any 22 ammo"
9) "There is no problem with my pistol, it must be the ammo" (police officer re-qualifying at the range)
...

Why let facts and logic get in the way. :-)

[muldoon9]

LOL....
...plus the sound of my hand slapping my knee and coffee spraying out of my mouth.

Yep....that's all the wisdom threads right there.

M-

[Andre]

Usually after a brick, I scrub with a nylon brush and solvent then use felts till they come out nearly white. Wipe off the crown and clean the bullet tray with solvent then wipe off the bolt. Oil and grease, and put it away.

[muldoon9]

I really didnt honestly know that bit was important to clean rim fires.
The link above was eye opening with the pictures and explanations.
Thanks.
M-

[Cumbrian]

I'm an inveterate cleaner of my Anschutz but I am a bit puzzled by one aspect. I moisten the first felt with Rimfire Blend but others, incl. the Eley guy in the link, use a dry felt or patch first. Which is correct? I would have thought my method was kinder to the barrel because the dry residues would have more of an abrasive effect than if eased along and out with a bit of cleaning fluid, but perhaps I am wrong and it is the other way round. Anyone know?

[Dave IRL]

I found the bulk of the solid deposits, if you used solvent first, dissolved (predictably) and the cleaning process took longer, with more felts or patches, and was more gradual, harder to see when you were done. My method is as follows:

-One or two dry patches to push out the solid deposits.
-Bronze brush to get out the bulk of the lead. This can be seen by cleaning with the muzzle under a bright light. You'll see the lead dust and eventually, it'll stop.
-Three or so patches soaked in Boretech Rimfire Blend. These will start dark grey from remaining lead and carbon but the third or fourth one should be fairly clear.
-Dry patches to get rid of the solvent.
-Clean around the action. The Boretech stuff is wicked for getting everywhere. A bore guide does not keep it out of the action.
-Clean the bolt face and scrub around the extractors.

I don't find there's anything like 10-20 rounds to settle in. Generally the barrel is shooting perfectly by about five rounds in.

[redschietti]

Thanks Dave i had the same question as cumbrian.

I was taught to lube the outside of the bolt w grease but it attracts dirt like crazy! Switched to a spray lube seems to work fine and stays much cleaner. Im i missing something?