Just one more question. Does it make a difference the direction in which you clean the barrel. On my optima when push the cleaning patch and jag thru from the muzzle end it will not pull back because the jag catches on the breech plug threads and not wanting to mess them up I have to unscew the jag and reattch when I get ready to send it thru again. Am I going to far should I start at the breech end? Bare with me folks you are my only source and yes I feel just a idiotic in asking as you may think I am for asking

I always clean the inlines from the breech to the muzzle. Also a little trick I do is after I get a nice wet patch started from the breech down, I like to put my finger into the end of the muzzle. Then when I feel the patch touch the end of the finger, I pull back. This does not allow the patch to exit the barrel and makes it easier to pull the patch back through the barrel.

Also when you clean from the breech to the muzzle you are not pushing crud into the threads of the breech plug as much and for those rifles (like my Black Diamond XR) that the trigger does not come off, you are not pushing the fowling into the trigger assembly.

Another good reason for cleaning from breech.Repeated cleaning thru the yrs, friction from rod can damage lands which will affect accuracy.