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Cleaning your rifle: products, technique, time?
- Thread starter TXAZ
- Start date
TXAZ wrote:
Curious what gear and cleaning products you use,...
Basically, I follow the steps in the manual that came with the gun. With little variation that is something along the lines of:
- Disassemble the gun.
- Using a brass bore brush dipped in solvent (I have always used Hoppe's #9), run the brush down the bore twice (once going down the bore with the return trip counting as the second).
- Similarly, use a chamber brush to clean the chamber.
- Run a clean patch down the bore. Repeat until it emerges essentially clean.
- Oil the interior of the barrel and chamber using a oily patch. I use Sears Household Oil (equivalent to 3-in-1 light machine oil).
- Clean the gas system or trigger mechanism per manufacturer's instructions.
- Lightly oil all accessible metal parts.
- Reassemble the gun.
- Check for proper reassembly.
Basically, the equipment is a metal cleaning rod, brushes, attachments for holding patches, solvent, oil and a supply of properly sized patches. I purchased thousands of patches made out of cotton muslin in the 1970's that I am still working my way through, but pretty much any fabric will work.
Depending on how involved the disassembly is, cleaning a gun takes me approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.
Once those steps above are completed, I deem the gun to be "clean".
the rifleer
New member
I'm a firm believer that you can wear out a gun more by cleaning than shooting.
I completely disassemble the rifle and use a good CLP and rags to get 95% of the gunk off and call it good. I use bore snake 2 or 3 pulls through that barrel and a few Q-tips to clean the chamber/locking lugs and its good to go.
I completely disassemble the rifle and use a good CLP and rags to get 95% of the gunk off and call it good. I use bore snake 2 or 3 pulls through that barrel and a few Q-tips to clean the chamber/locking lugs and its good to go.
Model12Win
Moderator
Motor oil (seriously).
About 5 minute.
Works for me (Mosin).
About 5 minute.
Works for me (Mosin).
Bottle of solvent (pick one), a coated steel 1-piece cleaning rod, bore brush of the appropriate size, jag of the proper size, old toothbrush, oiled sheepskin, old t-shirt, patches, oil. Pull the bolt, put solvent on the brush, scrub the bore a few times, let it sit. Scrub the outside of the gun. Give the bore a couple more passes. Switch to the jag with a patch on it and punch the bore til it squeeks. Wipe off the outside of the gun with oily t-shirt. Wipe the gun with the oiled sheepskin. Maybe give the stock a quick clean with paste wax (wood stock). Put it away. Done. Total time maybe 10 minutes.
I know, sounds pretty basic, but it works. I have known people who spend hours cleaning their rifles after a range session, but I am not one of them. And my rifles shoot better than most of theirs.
I know, sounds pretty basic, but it works. I have known people who spend hours cleaning their rifles after a range session, but I am not one of them. And my rifles shoot better than most of theirs.
jersurf101
New member
I have two kinds of of cleanings.
A field expedient cleaning for my hunting rifles and regular old deep cleaning.
We get close to 3 months of rifle season around here and whatever I am using at the time gets a fair amount of use and exposure to the elements. Every 3 hunts or so I wipe the metal parts like the barrel, receiver and bolt down with a lightly oiled cloth. I will also run a bore snake down the bore once or twice. That's it. 3 to 5 minutes. Pay attention to the floor plate and trigger guard (if your rifle contains s that much metal). They are prime spots for skin contact and corrosion.
Deep cleaning is a process for me. Maybe one in 3 to 5 deep cleanings I will copper clean the bore. Depends on the bore how often this is done. If not copper cleaning I will swab hoppes #9 back and forth with dry patches until clean. Run a lightly oiled patch down the bore. Finish with a clean dry patch. Semi autos tend to need a lot more scrubbing especially caked on carbon. This can require carbon cleaners and solvents. Other than that wipe or lightly brush metal surfaces and parts with clp and wipe with a clean dry cloth.
Another poster mentioned wearing out fire arms early and damaging them by too much or too agressive cleaning. I agree 100% I limit my use of bore brushes to copper cleaning and I am mindful of scrubbing the barrel too much. With my guns that lead a little there isn't much choice.
Could be the better part of 45 minutes to clean a gunked up AR.
A field expedient cleaning for my hunting rifles and regular old deep cleaning.
We get close to 3 months of rifle season around here and whatever I am using at the time gets a fair amount of use and exposure to the elements. Every 3 hunts or so I wipe the metal parts like the barrel, receiver and bolt down with a lightly oiled cloth. I will also run a bore snake down the bore once or twice. That's it. 3 to 5 minutes. Pay attention to the floor plate and trigger guard (if your rifle contains s that much metal). They are prime spots for skin contact and corrosion.
Deep cleaning is a process for me. Maybe one in 3 to 5 deep cleanings I will copper clean the bore. Depends on the bore how often this is done. If not copper cleaning I will swab hoppes #9 back and forth with dry patches until clean. Run a lightly oiled patch down the bore. Finish with a clean dry patch. Semi autos tend to need a lot more scrubbing especially caked on carbon. This can require carbon cleaners and solvents. Other than that wipe or lightly brush metal surfaces and parts with clp and wipe with a clean dry cloth.
Another poster mentioned wearing out fire arms early and damaging them by too much or too agressive cleaning. I agree 100% I limit my use of bore brushes to copper cleaning and I am mindful of scrubbing the barrel too much. With my guns that lead a little there isn't much choice.
Could be the better part of 45 minutes to clean a gunked up AR.
I usually clean mine at the range while it is still warm and on the bench set up in the bags. Wife gave me a small gun cleaning bag I keep in the truck with some Butches bore shine, #9 and oil in small dropper bottles, quality jags and rods and a bore guide all in this bag.
I run a couple wet patches down the barrel, let it soak a bit while I go downrange to swap targets or get targets if I'm done for the day, put up the spotting scope, etc., then run a bore brush a few times, then a couple wet patches, then dry patches. Then a lightly oiled patch and the gun goes into the travel case.
I have the cleaning rods in a PVC pipe case I made to protect the rods from travel damage, the end caps are padded with foam and the pipe cut just long enough so the rods don't slide much inside the pipe.
I found it's easier to clean it at the range versus setting everything up at the house on the kitchen counter when I get home. It takes maybe 5 minutes per gun I shoot at the range.
22lr I use a patchworm kit and call it good.
I run a couple wet patches down the barrel, let it soak a bit while I go downrange to swap targets or get targets if I'm done for the day, put up the spotting scope, etc., then run a bore brush a few times, then a couple wet patches, then dry patches. Then a lightly oiled patch and the gun goes into the travel case.
I have the cleaning rods in a PVC pipe case I made to protect the rods from travel damage, the end caps are padded with foam and the pipe cut just long enough so the rods don't slide much inside the pipe.
I found it's easier to clean it at the range versus setting everything up at the house on the kitchen counter when I get home. It takes maybe 5 minutes per gun I shoot at the range.
22lr I use a patchworm kit and call it good.
A clean rifle barrel to me means that there is no more copper fouling in the bore. I don't shoot a lot of cast lead bullets in rifles but when I do, it is usually a lever action where you can't look down through the bore unless you partially disassemble the rifle; so in that case, I look at the muzzle and see if I see lead fouling in the bore.
The way you know if there is copper fouling in the bore is when you push a clean patch through a bore soaked with bore solvent, there are no traces of blue on the patch. The blue is dissolved copper.
Something seldom mentioned in these frequent threads on cleaning is that your individual barrel has a lot to do with how easy or difficult it is to clean. A higher quality barrel is polished much smoother and thus it doesn't collect and trap bullet jacket material and fouling.
I have rifles that I can clean in 10 minutes. However, one of my favorite rifle takes hours. I have some that are inbetween.
I also try to completely disassemble a rifle about once a year or so and completely clean and lubricate everything (not just bore cleaning).
FWIW: I am not worried about wearing out a barrel from cleaning. First of all, most people don't shoot or clean a rifle enough to ever wear out a barrel. With some of my rifles, I am not one of those people. I shoot several of my rifles, a lot. Secondly, I am not a big believer that using a coated rod with a bore guide or bronze brushes it going to wear out a barrel in my lifetime. The rifles that get cleaned the most, get shot the most. In the summer, I rotate through two or three rifles that get shot a minimum of once a week and get cleaned every time. I shoot approx. 1500 rounds a year out of those three rifles. I WILL wear out these barrels from shooting them. At that point, I buy a new barrel. I will buy a really nice quality barrel which will probably shoot better and be easier to clean: win win.
The way you know if there is copper fouling in the bore is when you push a clean patch through a bore soaked with bore solvent, there are no traces of blue on the patch. The blue is dissolved copper.
Something seldom mentioned in these frequent threads on cleaning is that your individual barrel has a lot to do with how easy or difficult it is to clean. A higher quality barrel is polished much smoother and thus it doesn't collect and trap bullet jacket material and fouling.
I have rifles that I can clean in 10 minutes. However, one of my favorite rifle takes hours. I have some that are inbetween.
I also try to completely disassemble a rifle about once a year or so and completely clean and lubricate everything (not just bore cleaning).
FWIW: I am not worried about wearing out a barrel from cleaning. First of all, most people don't shoot or clean a rifle enough to ever wear out a barrel. With some of my rifles, I am not one of those people. I shoot several of my rifles, a lot. Secondly, I am not a big believer that using a coated rod with a bore guide or bronze brushes it going to wear out a barrel in my lifetime. The rifles that get cleaned the most, get shot the most. In the summer, I rotate through two or three rifles that get shot a minimum of once a week and get cleaned every time. I shoot approx. 1500 rounds a year out of those three rifles. I WILL wear out these barrels from shooting them. At that point, I buy a new barrel. I will buy a really nice quality barrel which will probably shoot better and be easier to clean: win win.
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My most time consuming effort occurs with bolt actions:
Typically the only real cleaning my bolt guns get is after dear season, a pre-storage deep cleaning. I hunt with a dirty barrel caused by a pre-season zero check. After the season I'll shoot a final group to check zero again, then do the final cleaning before putting the rifle up. I always use a bore guide, one piece rods, etc for all applications for carbon and copper. All brushes are worked in one direction only from the chamber, intercepted as they crest and removed at the muzzle between passes.
Remove bolts, wipe down, lubricate.
Wipe down mag wells, hinge plates, lubricate
Wipe down receiver, outer barrel, lubricate
Barrels:
1. Initial rifling scrub with solvent soaked brush and patch clean.
2. Primary scrub, wet rifling with solvent for carbon, scrub and patch clean.
3. Primary scrub, wet rifling with copper treatment, scrub and patch clean.
4. Final scrub, wet rifling with ballistol, scrub and patch clean.
Average time for each rifle for this end of season cleaning is 45 minutes to an hour- lots of rod work, lots of patches used. Sometimes I like to enjoy an adult beverage during the process and thus cleaning times may vary.
Typically the only real cleaning my bolt guns get is after dear season, a pre-storage deep cleaning. I hunt with a dirty barrel caused by a pre-season zero check. After the season I'll shoot a final group to check zero again, then do the final cleaning before putting the rifle up. I always use a bore guide, one piece rods, etc for all applications for carbon and copper. All brushes are worked in one direction only from the chamber, intercepted as they crest and removed at the muzzle between passes.
Remove bolts, wipe down, lubricate.
Wipe down mag wells, hinge plates, lubricate
Wipe down receiver, outer barrel, lubricate
Barrels:
1. Initial rifling scrub with solvent soaked brush and patch clean.
2. Primary scrub, wet rifling with solvent for carbon, scrub and patch clean.
3. Primary scrub, wet rifling with copper treatment, scrub and patch clean.
4. Final scrub, wet rifling with ballistol, scrub and patch clean.
Average time for each rifle for this end of season cleaning is 45 minutes to an hour- lots of rod work, lots of patches used. Sometimes I like to enjoy an adult beverage during the process and thus cleaning times may vary.
I'm a firm believer that you can wear out a gun more by cleaning than shooting.
I am just the opposite. I have seen barrels ruined by not cleaning.
I have never seen a barrel worn out by cleaning.
I always start out with hot soapy water. Then progress from there depending on what kind of fouling I am contending with.
I am the keep it clean per bench rest type, even though I am not one of them in skill.
These are both non toxic, non odor and extremely effective.
Carbon Killer 2000 (CK2k): A guy did a lot of reaer4eh and this was the carbon cleaner he came up with.
Works magnificently . I clean at the range. Nylon brush, CK2k in an small eye dropper bottle.
CK2K on brush, run through to front. Drench it, 4 of 5 time in and out.
Final drench, pull it out, dry patch on jag, run through, if dirty, repeat, if clean, pack up gun. Works better in warm barrel but works well cold.
Bore Tech Eliminator: Decent on carbon, good on copper. Pretty much same drill if needed but rarely, mostly for older guns.
These are both non toxic, non odor and extremely effective.
Carbon Killer 2000 (CK2k): A guy did a lot of reaer4eh and this was the carbon cleaner he came up with.
Works magnificently . I clean at the range. Nylon brush, CK2k in an small eye dropper bottle.
CK2K on brush, run through to front. Drench it, 4 of 5 time in and out.
Final drench, pull it out, dry patch on jag, run through, if dirty, repeat, if clean, pack up gun. Works better in warm barrel but works well cold.
Bore Tech Eliminator: Decent on carbon, good on copper. Pretty much same drill if needed but rarely, mostly for older guns.
I am not sure what I can add. I use a high quality one piece cleaning rod. I happen to REALLY like Bore tech products. No strong odor and it works well. I use nylon and bronze brushes, depends what might be on sale or on the shelf. I clean after every trip to the range.
An old Marine taught me to shoot and to clean a firearm. I still follow his instructions.
An old Marine taught me to shoot and to clean a firearm. I still follow his instructions.
50 shooter
New member
I'm with RC20, been using Boretech Eliminator and Carbon Killer. By far two of the best cleaning products on the market and both are 100% non toxic and biodegradable.
Start out with BT, let it soak, run a brush through just a few strokes and then run a jag. Follow that up by using CK, let it soak... check your barrel and repeat if you need to.
As RC 20 said, there's been articles on using both products together and it showed how well they removed carbon and copper deposits in barrels. These two make cleaning easier and shorter, which is the ultimate goal for shooters.
Start out with BT, let it soak, run a brush through just a few strokes and then run a jag. Follow that up by using CK, let it soak... check your barrel and repeat if you need to.
As RC 20 said, there's been articles on using both products together and it showed how well they removed carbon and copper deposits in barrels. These two make cleaning easier and shorter, which is the ultimate goal for shooters.
1) break down gun as far as is appropriate based on dirtiness, environment exposure, etc.
2) wipe action parts off with weaponshield CLP.....Carbon cleaner and scraping as required....rarely, except AR BCG. Also clean chamber and crown.
3) With one piece coated Dewey rod and bore guide, patch bore with Butch's Bore Shine....wet
4) wait
5) wipe
6) if dirty, patch with JB's....scrubbing the full length 5-10 times per patch
7) Butch's again
8) Dry patch. If clean, then #9, else repeat from #6.
9) CLP patch
10) dry patch
11) apply light lube(CLP) and assemble
2) wipe action parts off with weaponshield CLP.....Carbon cleaner and scraping as required....rarely, except AR BCG. Also clean chamber and crown.
3) With one piece coated Dewey rod and bore guide, patch bore with Butch's Bore Shine....wet
4) wait
5) wipe
6) if dirty, patch with JB's....scrubbing the full length 5-10 times per patch
7) Butch's again
8) Dry patch. If clean, then #9, else repeat from #6.
9) CLP patch
10) dry patch
11) apply light lube(CLP) and assemble