Cleaning with a scope on
12-30-2003, 12:45 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location:
Posts: 89
Cleaning with a scope on
How do you guys go about cleaning a sidelock with scope on it? Do you remove the scope from the base every time you clean or do you work around it? I only shot my Renegade once so far with the scope on it and I was afraid to remove it. If I take the scope off the base, will my point of impact shift?
Thanks!
Dave
Thanks!
Dave
12-30-2003, 03:45 PM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 21,193
RE: Cleaning with a scope on
Scopes on a sidelock do cause a problem. Remove the barrel from the stock with the scope still attached. At this point I put a plastic bag over the scope in case some water does hit it. It should not hurt it but why take a chance.
You remove the nipple and put the breech end over a bucket. Then pour water real careful into the muzzle. This does not have to be the boiling hot water at this point. Just some warm water with dish soap. When you hear the barrel fill work a WET patch up and down through the barrel. Just repeat this process until the patches come up clean and the water running out the nipple port looks clean.
Then I put a brass brush on, spray some solvent into the barrel unless your one of them afraid to knock the seasoning out of it, and scrub the barrel a few times. Now put some solvent on the patches and run them through until they come out clean. Now get your real hot/boiling if you like water and go stand that rifle and scope somewhere like out side. Pour that real hot water through the barrel and let it run out through the nipple port. The barrel will be hot so put a mit on.
Now take the barrel and run some dry patches through it to get all the water out. I now run a wet patch of denatured alcohol (if I remember) through the barrel to drive the water out. Then a few more dry patches. If the patches come out clean, I just scrub off the rest of the barrel and the lock etc like normal. Run a patch of Birchwood Casey Sheath through the barrel to protect it (I am not a bore butter seasoned barrel person) and reassemble the rifle. Wipe it down and your done.
You remove the nipple and put the breech end over a bucket. Then pour water real careful into the muzzle. This does not have to be the boiling hot water at this point. Just some warm water with dish soap. When you hear the barrel fill work a WET patch up and down through the barrel. Just repeat this process until the patches come up clean and the water running out the nipple port looks clean.
Then I put a brass brush on, spray some solvent into the barrel unless your one of them afraid to knock the seasoning out of it, and scrub the barrel a few times. Now put some solvent on the patches and run them through until they come out clean. Now get your real hot/boiling if you like water and go stand that rifle and scope somewhere like out side. Pour that real hot water through the barrel and let it run out through the nipple port. The barrel will be hot so put a mit on.
Now take the barrel and run some dry patches through it to get all the water out. I now run a wet patch of denatured alcohol (if I remember) through the barrel to drive the water out. Then a few more dry patches. If the patches come out clean, I just scrub off the rest of the barrel and the lock etc like normal. Run a patch of Birchwood Casey Sheath through the barrel to protect it (I am not a bore butter seasoned barrel person) and reassemble the rifle. Wipe it down and your done.
12-30-2003, 05:17 PM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 162
RE: Cleaning with a scope on
I don't have a sidelock, but an Omega with a Bushnell scope. It can be a real pain in the rear in cleaning it with the scope on; but like you, I would rather leave it on than possibly disturb the zero.
I do my cleaning from the rear of the gun; meaning breech. I disassemble the barrel and action from the stock, then drop the action from the barrel. I subsequently take out the breech plug and then go through all of the motions of cleaning the breech and bore, while trying to delicately balance the barrel and scope while doing it. My greatest fear is to lose control of the barrel while rodding the bore and such; and whacking the scope against the side of the sink; where I normally clean it.
I like to use the hot water from the extendable kitchen faucet to rinse out the breech and bore. I've done this method of cleaning while the scope is attached, and so far, I've been sucessful at preserving the scope and it's zero with the Omega.
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
I do my cleaning from the rear of the gun; meaning breech. I disassemble the barrel and action from the stock, then drop the action from the barrel. I subsequently take out the breech plug and then go through all of the motions of cleaning the breech and bore, while trying to delicately balance the barrel and scope while doing it. My greatest fear is to lose control of the barrel while rodding the bore and such; and whacking the scope against the side of the sink; where I normally clean it.
I like to use the hot water from the extendable kitchen faucet to rinse out the breech and bore. I've done this method of cleaning while the scope is attached, and so far, I've been sucessful at preserving the scope and it's zero with the Omega.
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
12-30-2003, 07:43 PM
#4
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 211
RE: Cleaning with a scope on
Will - what powder are you using? I have the same set-up as you, an Omega with a Bushnell. I shoot 80 grains of T7 under a 250 grain Hornady SJHP. Clean up is a breeze with T7. I just remove the breech plug and run 3-4 wet patches (water) from breech to muzzle, then 2-3 dry patches, then a patch wet with Hoppes #9, a couple more dry patches, then a patch wet with G-6, then a couple more dry patches. I dip the breech plug in warm water and the T7 fouling just falls off. I also use Hoppes #9 on the breech plug. I coat the breech plug threads thoroughly with automotive anti-seize compound before installation. The breech plug comes out very easily. The messy part of the whole operation is dealing with the anti-seize compound. I do all this with the gun lying on a couple towels on my workbench, no need to remove the barrel from the stock.
If your not shooting T7, try it you'll like it.
If your not shooting T7, try it you'll like it.
12-31-2003, 03:29 AM
#5
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 162
RE: Cleaning with a scope on
Hi Bugs11,
Like you. I'm currently using Triple 7. Shooting 90 grains of it with a 250 grain Precision Rifle QT spitzer saboted bullets. Extremely accurate. Normally, I just use hot soapy water for cleaning, but last weekend I differed and used Hoppes #9 and a new product called "G96 Gun Treatment" that I found at BassProShops. I decided to use an regular gun cleaner/preservative instead of the usual bore butter after I found RUST on my action's linkage pins. [
] I also swabbed the bore with this G96 stuff instead of the bore butter. Bore looks great! Hope that it doesn't affect my current impact point when I take it out tomorrow for deer. I plan to swab the bore with Hoppes #9 again before I leave tomorrow. I want that bore squeaky clean for the new QT sabots....
As much as I scub my bore with a wire bore brush, I don't think that the property of "seasoning the bore" exists at all with my Omega.... [:-]
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
Like you. I'm currently using Triple 7. Shooting 90 grains of it with a 250 grain Precision Rifle QT spitzer saboted bullets. Extremely accurate. Normally, I just use hot soapy water for cleaning, but last weekend I differed and used Hoppes #9 and a new product called "G96 Gun Treatment" that I found at BassProShops. I decided to use an regular gun cleaner/preservative instead of the usual bore butter after I found RUST on my action's linkage pins. [
] I also swabbed the bore with this G96 stuff instead of the bore butter. Bore looks great! Hope that it doesn't affect my current impact point when I take it out tomorrow for deer. I plan to swab the bore with Hoppes #9 again before I leave tomorrow. I want that bore squeaky clean for the new QT sabots....As much as I scub my bore with a wire bore brush, I don't think that the property of "seasoning the bore" exists at all with my Omega.... [:-]
Kindest Regards,
-Will in Maryland
01-01-2004, 09:34 PM
#6
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location:
Posts: 211
RE: Cleaning with a scope on
Will,
That’s the stuff I use, G-96, I use it on my non-ML firearms. I also wipe everything down with G-96, so far no rust. I use Bore Butter on my black powder gun, a GPR. As for seasoning the barrel, I didn’t do anything other than shoot. I’ve also gotten good accuracy with the PR 250 grain QT Spitzer Solids. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy T7 cleans up, after dealing with BP fouling; T7 fouling is really easy to clean up. My Omega bore looks like new after every cleaning.
Bugs
That’s the stuff I use, G-96, I use it on my non-ML firearms. I also wipe everything down with G-96, so far no rust. I use Bore Butter on my black powder gun, a GPR. As for seasoning the barrel, I didn’t do anything other than shoot. I’ve also gotten good accuracy with the PR 250 grain QT Spitzer Solids. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy T7 cleans up, after dealing with BP fouling; T7 fouling is really easy to clean up. My Omega bore looks like new after every cleaning.
Bugs
