I've purchased my first rifle a .223 savage for some predator hunting.
Will someone please give me some advice on what I need to buy to maintain and clean my rifle. I have a local Sportsmans Warehouse that I will be buying everything. Please include brand names. Price is not really a factor but I do like to get the best deal for the money.
The only things I have so far are a site in and cleaning stand and my shotgun cleaning kit with Hopps oil and cleaner.
I bought a cheap kit at Walmart but will probably take it back because it looks cheap.
Sounds like you've got just about all you really need. Price doesn't matter as much as you might think. There is cheap crap out there, but even the Outer's Cleaning Kits do the trick. I boughtseveralthree years ago and still use them. I've picked up some other things along the way, like bore snakes, copper solvent (Bore Scrubber, Sweet's 7.62 for nasty fouling), silicone cloths, and a variety of brushes, but while they all made things easier or faster, they weren't really necessary. Grandpa still does things the old fashioned way, and his guns are always cleaner than mine. Don't blow a bunch of money and expect a miracle.
Oh, I did get some Dewey coated rods for cleaning my rifles. They run $25-30 on average and can help cutting down on throat and crown erosion due to misuse of brass or steel cleaning rods. That is one thing I would recommend to most people.
I use Bore Scrubber, Break-Free oil, Bore Snake, and a copper chamber brush with a flexible coated shaft. I don't like to use rods to clean the barrel, especially in the smaller calibers.
I stick to one-piece rods, and ones made of non-imbedding metal like steel instead of brass and aluminum are less prone to damage the bore. Bore guides for the rods will help reduce throat wear, whichreduces accuracy. Those Dewey coated rods have a good rep., but I have nevr used one.
Hoppe's No. 9 smells good, and gives your work area that"gun room" smell, but there are faster-acting solvents for removing copper fouuling. Shooters' Choice, 7.62, and Butch's Bore Shine all seem to work well for me.
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Those flimsy rods that come in the cleaning kits are junk. Take it and put it in your day pack. the only reason for one is if something obstructs your bore in the field. For cleaning purposes buy a Dewey or Tipton one piece rod. buy a Jag & bronze brush for your caliber and cotton patches for your caliber. buy each of the following cleaners: Sweet's 7.62, Gunslick foaming bore cleaner, Hoppe's, & Butch's bore shine. You will also need a good penetrating oil. I prefera couple of brands, I like Montana extreme oilfor inside the bore& Rem oil forany exterior metal.You do not want to useRem oil inside the bore because it has teflon in solution. A bore quide is an excellent item... It serves two purposes, One to align the rod to the bore to reduce throat damage & second to eliminate cleaning solutions from running into the magazine and bedding.
Over the years I have developed my own way of cleaning. Everyone is different and I'm sure you'll find your own method. But to begin I'll detail mine:
[ol][*]Dip bronze brush in Hoppe's and stroke bore 10 times in and out. Then repeat for a total of 30 strokes.[*]Replace brush with jag and patches and push 3-4 patches to remove the majority of fouling the brush has loosened.[*]Spray Foaming bore cleaner in bore. Sit Rifle in gun cradle with bore and level as possible. Allow to stand 10 minutes.[*]Patch out foam.[*]Apply Sweet's to patch and stroke bore. Repeat until blue signis eliminated from the patches[*]Patch bore with hoppe's to remove sweet's[*]Patch with Butch's bore shine until no fouling is noticed.[*]Push dry patches until they come through clean[*]apply three drops of oil to patch and pass it through bore.[/ol]
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"Well, If'n I had me a horse pistol like that.... I wouldn't be afraid of no bogger man." Rooster Cogburn
Advice on rifle cleaning equipment
