Bore cleaning question

P

playin' hookey

New member
I just bought my first center-fire rifle, a Weatherby Vanguard in .270. I want to be sure not to inflict any damage cleaning the bore. Is a bore snake the best way to go, or should I use a rod with a bore guide? From my perusal of the internet thus far I get the impression that the bore snake is pretty much supplanting bore guides.
Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Bore snake is a good field expedient.

Proper 98% cleaning in 8 steps:
1. Get a boreguide and a 1-piece coated rod. (No segmented/aluminum "kits']
2. Get something like KG-1.*
3. Push a wet patch through ...and out.
4. Push the next wet patch through and scrub back and forth a half dozen times to get things soaked, then push out
5. Let things sit for 15 minutes so the solvent can do its job.
6. Dry/scrub/clean out w/ 3 dry patches
7. Scrub through one wet patch w/ BreakFree, CLP, Weapon Shield, etc.
8. Walk away and have a Margarita


*http://www.midwayusa.com/product/753983/kg-kg-1-carbon-remover-4-oz



Graduate training in copper removal upon request. :D
 
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A boresnake x2 passes will work just fine. Clean up the chamber with Q tips.
Light Rem Oil works. Every now and then use a little solvent on the end of the snake. 270 mess, not much.


.02 :)
 
I have used bore snakes with zero failures, there made very well, fast, efficient.. if you inspect your firearm for wear/tear, why wouldn't you do the same for what you use to clean it? If/when it starts to wear or frayed to the point it would tear..replace it! As for being in the field, I carry an OTIS Cleaning kit, has everything I need in a nice heavy duty zipper case that's small/lightweight... The cleaner/lube that comes with it does the job well just like any other all that's required is elbow grease! Go Otis or Go Home! If you want to make the best of any cleaning for your firearms, I recommend treating them with Frog Lube.. Just my 2c from trial and error of 18+ years in the Army and many more hunting with family/friends.

God Bless!
 
I was watching the Outdoor channel shooting shows on Monday whilst working on another project. I just caught the tail end of this but a fellow from the AMU said that current doctrine was to NOT clean the copper from bores. He said that the unit had noticed that groups would open up and scores decline after a good cleaning. When they started to just do a basic carbon clean, their overall scores improved quite a bit.

This seems contrary to everything I have been taught. Does anyone know if this is, in fact, current AMU doctrine? And, does this make sense to you - if so, why so; if not, why not?
 
There's a gazillion threads on barrel cleaning.
I've never heard of anyone recommend against removal of copper fouling.
After all, it's "fouling"...

Here's some reading for you, even the experts do not agree on all points.

I am of the Wipe-Out school mentioned in the beginning of the article. I rarely run brushes down my bores anymore- with the exception of some milsurps that shoot some really dirty, corrosive ammo.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/barrel-cleaning-debate/
 
I like bore snakes and use them in all sizes. Handy to carry in a range box. They don't replace a conventional cleaning kit, but they give me a degree of satisfaction of removing most of the grunge out from a bore in a very quick, simple way. I routinely use a bore snake after and during a range outing. And then sometime later, at some other more convenient time, I'll use the regular cleaning rods. Butch's Bore Shine always seems to get a little more junk out that the bore snake can leave behind. Maybe in some cases a person could rely on a bore snake alone- depends on whatever the firearm happens to be I guess. But for those that do rely on a bore snake alone, give the Bore Shine on a patch a try and see if you do end up getting more dirt out.
 
Easy to fix the bore snake - tie a piece or para cord to the back end - if the first string breaks, pull it back out.

Otherwise, if you do not keep the bore snake clean, you are just reentering dirt and crud from your last time using it into your bore - for shotguns, that isn't that big a deal - for an accurate target rifle, it might become one
 
I use a hybrid system. Push a patch thru the bore with Hoppes #9, then another one. Let it set for while. Push a dry patch thru. Bore snake. Done.
 
I'd recommend a high quality, plastic coated one-piece steel cleaning rod. As for what somebody said about leaving in some copper, I've come around to that kind of thinking also. Maybe wrong...maybe right, but when I used Boretech Eliminator and took out all the copper from a couple of my rifles, I had to dirty up the barrel to get them shooting the good groups again. Then I used Butch's or Shooters Choice to clean out the carbon/powder fouling and a little of the copper and I was back to shooting great. I was always a 'clean barrel' type guy, but until I discovered Boretech Eliminator, I don't think I ever really had a maximum clean barrel. I just thought I did. So what I've said above is what I'm thinking right now, based on recent experience. I reserve the right to change my mind, and more shooting with a super clean bore might just do that. Maybe the guys on this forum that shoot the tiny competition groups will speak up and tell us what they think about no copper versus a little copper in the barrel. And maybe there is no absolute answer and it all depends on the specific rifle barrel.
 
(No segmented/aluminum "kits']
Click to expand...
I heartily agree and would go farther and say no segmented rods of any kind at all.

The only good use I've found for segmented cleaning rods is to throw all the rod segments away and use the portion with the handle as a pistol cleaning rod.
 
Windex?

Just today a shooting buddy told me he heard it was good to run Windex through the barrel, of all things. Anyone ever heard of that?
 
If you use the Windex with ammonia in it, it will probably act as a copper solvent. I guess it can't hurt as long as you dry the bore thoroughly afterwards and then get some oil on it.

I think there are many better options.
 
JohnKSa - I passed all this on and today he told me that the recommendation regarding Windex was with regard to guns in which cartridges with corrosive primers were used, FWIW. He was shooting an M1-carbine with corrosive-primed ammo.

I don't know how the Windex theory originated, but maybe it evolved from the practice of washing black powder guns in plain old soap and water.

Sure am glad that I'm a 'non-corrosive" boomer, for the most part - at least in my shooting life.
 
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