Barrel cleaning?
06-15-2003, 05:30 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: E. Washington State
Posts: 1,045
Barrel cleaning?
New rifle, just broke in. How clean is clean enough? Seems even after only 5 rounds it takes 20+ patches to get it mostly clean. I run another patch and it still comes out a little dirty. I' m only using Hopps with clean patches on the end of my stainless 1-piece cleaning rod w/ platic jag.
Am I being too anal? I want it clean but I don' t want to spend 20 minutes between shooting groups and I don' t want to wear out my barrel prematurely. Any tips would be cool.
---edit---
I have a bore-guide and I only push from the chamber end. I' m not using a brush until I hear enough support for using one.
Am I being too anal? I want it clean but I don' t want to spend 20 minutes between shooting groups and I don' t want to wear out my barrel prematurely. Any tips would be cool.
---edit---
I have a bore-guide and I only push from the chamber end. I' m not using a brush until I hear enough support for using one.
06-15-2003, 08:11 PM
#3
Host of Hosts
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,780
RE: Barrel cleaning?
I got this from one of those competition web sites, I don' t use this method at the range, but when putting rifles away for a period of time I use it.
1. Make sure the firearm is unloaded!
2. Run a wet patch ONE WAY through the bore and discard. Do this for three patches. This will rid you of the carbon that will damage the bore if you start working the first patch back and forth.
3. Run a wet for twenty strokes and let sit for ten minutes. This will allow the chemical copper solvent to start working.
4. Run a wet patch one way through to push out the old stuff out.
5. Wet a bronze brush and give twenty strokes. let sit for another ten minutes.
6. Run a wet patch for twenty strokes and let sit for another ten.
7. Dry patch followed by five patches wet with either 99% isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. This will remove the cleaner’s chemicals from the bore and leave it totally degreased ready for the bore lube / oil
8. Repeat steps 3 through 9 if there is still any copper present
9. BE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR CHAMBER!!!
10. With a patch wetted with your favorite bore lube / protector, give twenty strokes, then one dry patch to remove the excess.
1. Make sure the firearm is unloaded!
2. Run a wet patch ONE WAY through the bore and discard. Do this for three patches. This will rid you of the carbon that will damage the bore if you start working the first patch back and forth.
3. Run a wet for twenty strokes and let sit for ten minutes. This will allow the chemical copper solvent to start working.
4. Run a wet patch one way through to push out the old stuff out.
5. Wet a bronze brush and give twenty strokes. let sit for another ten minutes.
6. Run a wet patch for twenty strokes and let sit for another ten.
7. Dry patch followed by five patches wet with either 99% isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol. This will remove the cleaner’s chemicals from the bore and leave it totally degreased ready for the bore lube / oil
8. Repeat steps 3 through 9 if there is still any copper present
9. BE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR CHAMBER!!!
10. With a patch wetted with your favorite bore lube / protector, give twenty strokes, then one dry patch to remove the excess.
06-16-2003, 06:06 AM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Newport Maine USA
Posts: 389
RE: Barrel cleaning?
Barnes CR 10 on a patch and let it work for about 5 minutes then Birchwood Casey 2 in 1 bore cleaner on two back to back patches and then clean out with a couple dry patchs.Finish up with a patch and Hoppes #9 to lubricate the bore and prevent rusting.Using this method you will use about 6-8 patches per cleaning on a regular cleaned bore and about 12 and some bronze brush use on a bore not kept cleaned on a regular basis or not cleaned completely each time for several years.The Barnes will remove most of the copper and carbon fouling quickly and let you move to the maintance stage.
woods
woods
06-16-2003, 03:16 PM
#6
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Newport Maine USA
Posts: 389
RE: Barrel cleaning?
Yes,if you look at the front of a bottle of Hoppes #9 it states " cleans bores and prevents RUST" In the instructions after the bore is clean it instructs to run a patch with Hoppes thru to protect the bore from rust.The Barnes and Birchwood Casey have a lot of ammonia to clean faster and they leave the bore dry while the hoppes gives rust prevention.I' ve used Hoppes for many years with never a rust in bore problem.
woods
woods
06-16-2003, 05:15 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wabash, IN
Posts: 826
RE: Barrel cleaning?
I agree with those recommending the use of Barnes CR-10 or Sweets 7.62 copper removers. If you still pick up light powder fouling - you can be sure there is still copper underneath. And Hoppes (even Hoppes Copper solvent) are basically worthless for removing copper - its just too weak, unless you have a month to let it soak. 
For intermediate cleanings at the range, I like to use Butch' s Bore Shine as it is good for powder removal and has a slight amount of ammonia in it for light copper cleaning.
Personally, I don' t think you can be too anal about gun cleaning. As long as you are using a guide, good rods, jags, & brushes you won' t cause any damage - but not cleaning well enough will definitely lead to problems.
I also do not trust Hoppes cleaner as a bore protectant. It might be OK for a short time - but it evaporates too quickly to provide a lasting protection. There are too many oils (cheap ones, even) on the market that will do this job much better.............Hoppes Oil, Rem Oil, Breakfree CLP (my favorite) are just a few of many good choices.
For intermediate cleanings at the range, I like to use Butch' s Bore Shine as it is good for powder removal and has a slight amount of ammonia in it for light copper cleaning.Personally, I don' t think you can be too anal about gun cleaning. As long as you are using a guide, good rods, jags, & brushes you won' t cause any damage - but not cleaning well enough will definitely lead to problems.
I also do not trust Hoppes cleaner as a bore protectant. It might be OK for a short time - but it evaporates too quickly to provide a lasting protection. There are too many oils (cheap ones, even) on the market that will do this job much better.............Hoppes Oil, Rem Oil, Breakfree CLP (my favorite) are just a few of many good choices.
06-17-2003, 01:44 AM
#8
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: Barrel cleaning?
I use a good quality cleaner like sweets for removing copper and powder. I pass a patch soaked in the solution and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then follow up with dry patches until clean and a patch with rem oil when storing. I use a wire brush only at the end of the hunting season and if I were cleaning a gun that has been left dirty for extended periods of time.
I agree you can never be to anal when it comes to cleaning your guns and using 1-piece rods, quality cleaners/oil and bore guides are a must. The time you spend will lead to many years of pleasure, less problems in the field & on the range. Protecting your investment will ensure you always get the most out of your firearm. I have been told I am to anal, but when I have sold a firearm I always get top dollar b/c I look after them and maintain them regularily. The other option is not spend the time, spend more money with problems, etc and not get a good resale value....in the end I would think most would agree it is well worth the time, effort and cheaper in the long haul
.
I agree you can never be to anal when it comes to cleaning your guns and using 1-piece rods, quality cleaners/oil and bore guides are a must. The time you spend will lead to many years of pleasure, less problems in the field & on the range. Protecting your investment will ensure you always get the most out of your firearm. I have been told I am to anal, but when I have sold a firearm I always get top dollar b/c I look after them and maintain them regularily. The other option is not spend the time, spend more money with problems, etc and not get a good resale value....in the end I would think most would agree it is well worth the time, effort and cheaper in the long haul
.
06-17-2003, 10:09 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: E. Washington State
Posts: 1,045
RE: Barrel cleaning?
Got an email last night from a guy about Butch' s Bore Shine as well as an email from Butch himself. The folks at Benchrest.com talk good about Sweets and Butch' s. The email I received mentioned that GM Engine Cleaner is the same as Butch' s (label to label comparison). If I can' t find any of the good cleaners around here I' ll probably try it. I also need a longer 1-piece rod as the one I have is only 33" and that' s not long enough to use my full-length bore guide w/ the plastic end (have to remove the end to allow enough lenght to get the jag out the end of the barrel).
Yes, cleaning your guns right pays big in the end. I am the same way skeeter
. For me it' s also about planning on keeping my guns all my life so taking care of them to that end is how I approach it.
Yes, cleaning your guns right pays big in the end. I am the same way skeeter
. For me it' s also about planning on keeping my guns all my life so taking care of them to that end is how I approach it.
06-18-2003, 10:01 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Olive Branch MS USA
Posts: 1,032
RE: Barrel cleaning?
Count me in as someone who thinks you CAN be too anal about keeping your bore clean. I should know, cause I' m too anal about it myself, although I' m slowly curing myself of this affliction. Anyway, you' ve been given pretty good advise. There are much better choices than Hoppe' s as you' ve found out by now. In search of the Holy Grail of barrel cleaning I' ve used just about everything including Barnes CR-10, Butches, Sweets, Bore Tech, Shooters Choice, Wipeout, Hoppes, Birchwood Casey, J-B Paste and some others I can' t remember. All my experimenting has led me to the following routine, which does a very good job and is not complicated. I clean the bore after every 20 to 25 rounds or each trip to the range. I don' t clean between groups while at the range.
First, my equipment: Sinclair rod guide, Bore Tech rod, Dewey jags, Sinclair bronze brushes, Brownells nylon bore brushes, Sinclair 100% cotton flannel patches
My routine:
A. First I clean for powder fouling:
1. Push 3 patches wetted with Shooters Choice (actually I use a mixture of 75% Shooters Choice and 25% Kroil) down the bore. Discard them when they exit the muzzle. Wait 30 minutes to allow the solvent to work.
2. Push one wet patch (Shooters Choice) down the bore. Look for blue coloration on this patch. If the patch is quite blue, you' ll need to use a dedicated copper cleaner after you' ve cleaned the powder out.
3. Wet the bronze brush with Shooters Choice and scrub the bore back and forth about 20 to 25 times. Make sure you exit the bore on each end. Don' t change directions while the brush is within the bore.
4. Run another wet patch or two down the bore.
5. Run 3 or 4 dry patches down the bore.
6. Spray a patch with Birchwood Casey' s Bore Scrubber (a degreaser) and run this down the bore to neutralize the previous solvent.
7. Now you can proceed to clean for copper or you can apply some type of bore oil if you' re going to be putting the gun up.
8. Don' t forget to swab the chamber out also!
B. To clean for copper (if necessary):
1. After cleaning for powder fouling as per above, I apply Barnes CR-10 according to the directions on the bottle.
2. Patch out with dry patches followed by Bore Scrubber to help neutralize the CR-10.
3. Apply a light bore oil.
Before shooting you rifle again, run a couple patches down the bore to remove any excess oil left in the bore.
Here' s something to remember: don' t use a bronze bore brush with a strong copper solvent like Sweets or Barnes CR-10. The solvent will quickly destroy the brush and you' ll get false blue coloration (a sign of copper) on your patches from the brush.
I highly recommend the 100% cotton flannel patches. The synthetic patches like you get at Walmart are almost useless in my opinion.
Also, I will occasionally (after 150 rounds or so) scrub the bore with J-B paste, which is a polishing compound. This helps remove the really caked on fouling that the solvents simply can' t remove.
Anyway, that' s what I do and it works for me.
First, my equipment: Sinclair rod guide, Bore Tech rod, Dewey jags, Sinclair bronze brushes, Brownells nylon bore brushes, Sinclair 100% cotton flannel patches
My routine:
A. First I clean for powder fouling:
1. Push 3 patches wetted with Shooters Choice (actually I use a mixture of 75% Shooters Choice and 25% Kroil) down the bore. Discard them when they exit the muzzle. Wait 30 minutes to allow the solvent to work.
2. Push one wet patch (Shooters Choice) down the bore. Look for blue coloration on this patch. If the patch is quite blue, you' ll need to use a dedicated copper cleaner after you' ve cleaned the powder out.
3. Wet the bronze brush with Shooters Choice and scrub the bore back and forth about 20 to 25 times. Make sure you exit the bore on each end. Don' t change directions while the brush is within the bore.
4. Run another wet patch or two down the bore.
5. Run 3 or 4 dry patches down the bore.
6. Spray a patch with Birchwood Casey' s Bore Scrubber (a degreaser) and run this down the bore to neutralize the previous solvent.
7. Now you can proceed to clean for copper or you can apply some type of bore oil if you' re going to be putting the gun up.
8. Don' t forget to swab the chamber out also!
B. To clean for copper (if necessary):
1. After cleaning for powder fouling as per above, I apply Barnes CR-10 according to the directions on the bottle.
2. Patch out with dry patches followed by Bore Scrubber to help neutralize the CR-10.
3. Apply a light bore oil.
Before shooting you rifle again, run a couple patches down the bore to remove any excess oil left in the bore.
Here' s something to remember: don' t use a bronze bore brush with a strong copper solvent like Sweets or Barnes CR-10. The solvent will quickly destroy the brush and you' ll get false blue coloration (a sign of copper) on your patches from the brush.
I highly recommend the 100% cotton flannel patches. The synthetic patches like you get at Walmart are almost useless in my opinion.
Also, I will occasionally (after 150 rounds or so) scrub the bore with J-B paste, which is a polishing compound. This helps remove the really caked on fouling that the solvents simply can' t remove.
Anyway, that' s what I do and it works for me.
