gun cleaning

S

sweatybetty

New member
sevinhunters post about barrel break in got me to wondering about proper cleaning. how often, what to use and do you use any oil after cleaning. i have been using the otis brand cleaning kit. thanks
sb
 
Depends on the shooting situation. My deer rifles are cleaned before and after the season,(complete disassembly of automatics)and after every range session. I normally only fire one or two shots while hunting. My other rifles always after a range session and after 10 to 20 rounds.
My rifle barrels are cleaned with Otters Fowlout system. Everybody has their opinion, but when copper jacketed bullets are shot above 2,700 to 2,800 fps you get cooper fowling. There are all kinds of solvents claiming to remove cooper fowling, but they take time soaking the bore and running many cleaning rods and patches through the barrel to get it out. And you never really get it all out, I don't care what they claim. You may think your getting it out, until you connect the Otters Fowlout system to a what you think is a clean rifle barrel and see the copper on the rod.
The easiest and surest way is by electrolysis. I run a couple of patches through the barrel to get the powder fowling out. Then plug the breach, fill the barrel with copper out solution, insert the metal rod and clip the leads to the gun; let it sit a overnight or however long is needed. When the copper quits flowing from the barrel to the rod, the cleaning light will go out and its done. The copper attaches to the metal rod which can be seen and easily wiped off when you remove the rod. I follow this up with a patch of bore conditioner to prevent rust.
Shotguns are cleaned after hunting seasons and after trap sessions. When cleaning the barrels I wrap a 3" strip of #0000 steel wool around the bronze cleaning brush. About four passes throgh the bore with solvent followed by one or two patches will give you a bright shiny bore clean of powder and wad fowling. After hunting in wet conditions they are taken out of cases and allowed to dry before putting them into a safe.
I have too many guns to spend hours clening fowled barrels. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
I clean my custom rifles about every 20-30 rounds after break-in, as reccomended by the barrel maker, my production rifles are cleaned once a year, I have a foul out but it takes more time than a good aggressive solvent, a brush, and patches.
Yeah I have an AR that I shoot alot that gets cleaned once a month, and my 17 HM2 lets you know when it needs cleaned.
Yes, oil your barrel after cleaning but shoot it before hunting again or run a patch through it, the first shot from an oily barrel usually is not where it should be.
RR
 
Oh yeah the Foul Out system takes time. The more fouled the barrel the longer it takes. But then it is just sitting in the garage or basement cleaning by itself. As as long as powder residue and copper fouling is flowing between the barrel and rod it is cleaning. It stops when everything is attached to the rod leaving the barrel cleaner than new.
And in the long run it is less wear and tear on the barrel; and much cheaper than aggressive solvents, brushes, and patches. When your done cleaning a rifle, just pour the solution back into the bottle and use it over and over again. The solution is clean, all the powder residue and copper fouling is attached to the rod.
 
NEVER NEVER MIX SWEETS WITH SHOOTERS CHOICE!

Ok, not that anybody does, has, or whatever, its just some good advice. It WILL etch your barrel.

There was a article done In Precision Shooting several years ago, on how copper/powder fouling will etch a barrel just by being in there over nite.

Not trying to scare anybody, but I think that just about says how often you should clean. After EVERY shooting sesion.

Will that last statement get the dander up on some folks? Sure, why not? Folks are lazy, and nobody wants too clean, they want to shoot! Me included. But if you have an expensive custom firearm, or you just plain LOVE your rifle, then I'd clean it.

I guess the question should be, when do I NOT clean my firearm? Well, I can only talk for myself, and I would have to say that "I" too, do not clean a fouled barrel prior to a hunt, or a shoot. The Point of Impact may very well be differant on a clean rifle as to a "fouled" rifle (Fouled is a relative term, not actuly meaning a filthy bore, perhaps one that has maybe one or more shots through it).

And I always like to know where my rifle hits, clean or dirty.

My cleaning procedure? To start off, I like to run a solvent soaked, brass core/phosphourus bronze brush through it aproximatly 10 to 20 times. Depending on which rifle I am cleaning. I tend to know what each rifle of mine "needs".

I then walk away.
Let it soak, let the solvent do its job. Find something to do for about 15 minutes. Do some handloading, clean the bolt, what ever, let it work.

After that I'll run a couple of dry patches through it, maybe more. Again, only "YOU" know what your rifle needs. Then I repeat the above "brushing", to include the "walk-away" part. If your gone longer, big deal. I don't use harsh chemicals in my rifle, just plain 'ol Shooters Choice, and it hasn't hurt any of my rifles yet.

If I have a very fouled bore, or have a rifle that just doesn't like to come clean, I'll leave it overnight, soaking with solvent.

Of cource the barrel will be sloped down towards the muzzle during all this to keep any extra solvent from getting into the action, and possibly hurting any bedding, or synthetic stock, or getting into the trigger. Keep that trigger dry, except for cleaning with lighter fluid, maybe.

If you think its sat too long, run another wet brush through it, then dry-patch. Check out the purty blue that will come out. Copper.

If the patches come out clean, then your rifles clean, or needs another brushing/soaking to get the copper out.
Custom barrels seem to clean very easy, as do rifles that have been shot a LOT, if they have been cleaned properly after every shooting session.

Use a Jag with the patch, loops are worthless.
After the barrel is clean, oil it. It will be down to bare metal now, and bare metal will rust with exposure.

If the rifle is to be stored with the muzzle up, patch out the extra oil, otherwise it will run into the chamber/action. Or store it with the bolt closed on a patch, only NEVER FORGET THE PATCH IS IN THERE. Could get real un-safe in a hurry!

Just don't forget to patch any oil out before shooting. A snug patch or two should get any problem oil out.

By snug, I don't mean that Force should be used. A cleaning rod should never be forced. It should easily slide up and down the barrel, otherwise the patch is too tight.

The statement; "MORE BARRELS ARE WORN OUT WITH CLEANING BRUSHES THAN BULLETS" is soo true. Your not trying to win any races with that cleaning brush, go slow. And one stroke is equal to-All the way in, till the brush protrudes, to all the way out, till you can see your brush. Don't force those britles to "turn" in the barrel, that will cause more barrel damage.

ALWAYS use a bore guide, otherwise don't clean your gun, you'll just be wasting time, and wearing out your barrel.

This will get you started, for sure, and anything else you will come up with (like wiping off your cleaning rod after brushing, etc. etc.)

Good Luck! And even more....GOOD SHOOTING!
 
How often to clean your rifles is kinda like talking about religion on here. Everyone has a different opinion.

For the record I've found what littletoes said to be correct (for me) and follow a simular regiment. On the otherhand I am considering trying the electro-chemical cleaners for the tuff jobs.

Let me stress again that you can overclean a barrel! and follow the advice of ALWAYS useing a bore guide. You WILL do more harm than good without one.

Oil a cleaned barrel if its gonna sit a bit befor you shoot it. Just be sure you clean the oil out. Excessive oil can cause excessive pressures not just accuracy problems.
 
The old man is a Marine, he like's littletoes procedure, but sweet's 7.62 is a little faster, but harsher way to get the job done if you dont't have the "lag" time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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