Cleaning Rifle Bores
BY Herschel Smith
5 years, 9 months ago
Three or four years ago I moved each of my firearms, one at a time, to a cleaning table where I had my gun vise and my green gun pad set up for cleaning. It took me more than two weeks but I finally got them all cleaned to my satisfaction.
Much of my gun-cleaning gear comes from Sinclair International, formerly located in Indiana, but now, I believe, has relocated to Montezuma, Iowa. I bought a pair of Dewey coated cleaning rods, one in .22 caliber, one in .270 to go with a coated Parker-Hale from England in .30 caliber. (Never use an aluminum rod or a brass rod in a rifle bore as foreign particles on the rod can “lap” the rifling, ruining accuracy.) I learned that years ago from a fellow I met at the range. He is named Vinny, an Army veteran who used to like to jab me for being a Marine. “You shoot three-thousand dollar rifles and use ten-dollar cleaning rods. What the hell is wrong with you?” He had a point. I ordered the coated cleaning rods from Dewey.
Next, I ordered adjustable rod guides to fit all my rifles. These can be locked into place after the rifle bolt is removed, and they prevent solvents from dripping from the cleaning patch into the rifle’s magazine box and lug area.
Last, at Vinny’s insistence, I bought a stainless steel cleaning tool kit that included a lug recess tool and a chamber swab and handle. This ingenious device is used to clean rifle bolts. The lug recess tool is particularly clever. The slotted head takes a small, cotton cylindrically-shaped swab that will clean the raceway of the bolt in a single pass. It fits into all the lug areas of all my rifles—Mark V Weatherbys, Winchester Model 70s, Sakos… After passing it through the raceway and into the lug area, simply spin the device half dozen times clockwise and pull it out.
You’ll be shocked at how much dirty solvent, partially dissolved brass filings and the like that comes out on the swab. Wet it with solvent the first pass, run a dry swab through a second time to remove all but a trace of solvent.
Before I owned this tool I struggled with cotton swabs, pipe cleaners—even worn out dental tools and patches—to clean the lug area. Nothing worked very well.
Another important cleaning item is simply a gun vise. I got mine decades ago from Midway. Set on a sturdy folding table or workbench, it holds the rifle steady while you are cleaning the bore.
Here’s how I do it: Run a properly-sized patch soaked in Hoppe’s No. 9 or Shooters Choice through the bore, followed by a dry patch, another wet patch, finally a second dry patch. (I like slotted brass loops to hold the patch—not jags, which allow the patch to fall off.)
The next step can vary. For years I used a brass brush to loosen fouling and powder residue. I also used an abrasive paste called J-B Compound. Both work fine. Then about 25 years ago I tried an ammonia based solvent from Australia called Sweet’s 7.62. It stinks to high heaven but dissolves copper wash very nicely. I also have tried ammonia based solvents like Barnes CR-10, Shooters Choice Copper Remover, and Hoppe’s Benchrest. They all seem to work OK but I still prefer Sweet’s 7.62.
Run a wet patch of Sweet’s all the way through the bore, re-soak it when the patch pops out the muzzle. Then pull it back into the bore and scrub to and fro. Remove the cleaning rod and patch from the breech. Allow the stuff to soak for ten minutes before running another regular solvent-soaked patch through the bore. It probably will come out black/green. Repeat this process, alternating ammonia solvent, regular solvent and dry patches until the patch comes out relatively clean. I keep rifle bores in display cases or gun safe fairly dry so I don’t have solvents creeping down the bore and into the action. Also, it helps to keep a kitchen waste basket on the floor and lined with a plastic garbage bag. Keep your rifle muzzle over the waste basket and it will catch the drops of solvent when you push the rod through the bore. Otherwise, you’ll have dirty solvent all over your floor. Keep your windows wide open for ventilation.
You’ll have to visit his article to see his last step.
Well, I don’t go through anything that elaborate. My procedure involves Hoppe’s No. 9, lot’s of patches, brushes, mops and the like, and then oil. But I don’t have the equipment he does either.
Should I be doing what he’s doing? Post your own procedure in the comments. In particular, I don’t use a Copper remover in my cleaning process.
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On July 3, 2018 at 7:32 am, ragman said:
I don’t either. However, I did use Sweets on my Model 70. I bought it used so I really didn’t know how many rounds were put through it by the previous owner/s. It worked as advertised but it really does stink! I use Hoppes followed by dry patches until clean finishing with a patch with a drop of Slip 2000. I do lubricate my guns after shooting, not dripping but not dry either. Grease if it slides, oil if it rotates. Works for me.
On July 3, 2018 at 10:21 am, Bil Buppert said:
I highly recommend an ultrasonic cleaner for BCGs and magazines in addition to what he suggests. Even pistol barrels. Experiment with your solution mixes on cheap items first.
https://www.brownells.com/gun-cleaning-chemicals/professional-cleaning-systems/ultrasonic-cleaning-solutions/ultrasonic-case-cleaner-sku100200211-55394-113350.aspx?rrec=true
Zep or some other solvent with distilled water in parts combinations you determine. Lot of information on the ‘net.
On July 3, 2018 at 11:25 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
I favor a pull-through system for cleaning bores whenever possible, since the cleaning loop, jag, bore brush or mop is pulled from the breach toward the muzzle. This is important on certain semi-automatic firearms, which as the M-1 Garand, where pushing through a cleaning rod from the chamber towards the muzzle isn’t really practical.
If you prefer a cleaning rod, definitely get a bore guide and a coated rod – to preserve the crown on the muzzle and from otherwise damaging the metal of the bore.
The “Bore Snake” was once described to me as ‘dental floss’ for your firearm, which is an apt description. Tremendous product – works extremely well, especially when teamed with a bit of Hoppes No. 9 and gun oil or break-free. Own at least one “Bore Snake” for each caliber of FA you own – they’re great!
As far as removing gilding metal/copper deposits from the bore, there are – broadly speaking – two schools of thought, each with its adherents.
The old-school way is that you clean the bore thoroughly after every use, restoring it to as-close-as-possible to new condition. Those of you with the requisite experience can probably hear, in memory, your drill instructor or platoon sergeant enforcing that very point.
Since fouling – whether carbon or copper – is entirely removed each cleaning, each time you again fire the rifle is a true cold/clean-bore shot, since there should be no copper laid down in the rifling and several fouling shots will be needed to restore it.
The alternate method says that carbon fouling and combustion residue are to be cleaned from the bore after each use, but one does not necessarily remove copper build-up. As long as accuracy is maintained, one does not remove copper build-up; it is only when accuracy degrades that one cleans down to the bare metal.
After a thorough cleaning for carbon buildup and gilding metal, fire 5-10 shots for accuracy, preferably through a chronograph or dopler radar to establish a stable muzzle velocity and foul the barrel – i.e., lay down some copper in the lands and grooves. Once optimal accuracy has been obtained, recheck your zero and adjust as needed. At this point, a lengthy string of perhaps 150-200 shots may be fired without appreciable deterioration in accuracy.
Exactly how many shots in the string will depend on the firearm in question, the type of ammunition, and a few other variables – but in general, as long as one monitors accuracy, MV, extreme spread and SD and finds them within acceptable limits, then it is not yet time to remove the gilding metal build-up in the bore.
Some very proficient and highly-respected competitors, hunters, military and LE precision marksmen and others – come down on both sides of this debate about when/why to remove copper fouling from the bore, so choose whatever approach works for you and go with that.
@ ragman
Re: “Grease if it slides, oil if it rotates”
Heard that! Some – not all – “gun oils” are so light that they evaporate quickly when heated, such as by the sun or simply when the firearm heats up in use. If you rely solely on such products, you’ll be running a dry gun before too long. A high-quality grease helps to solve that problem. Break-Free CLP seems more persistent than some oils, and more heat-resistant.
If you operate in a dry, sandy or dusty environment, consider getting some dry lube for your AR or other SLR. You’ll be glad you did….
On July 3, 2018 at 12:37 pm, Gryphon said:
Intensive Cleaning like described is relevant to Precision Shooting, but IMO for most purposes, Hoppes and CLP, and Field Stripping is all that’s needed. Use a Muzzle Protector or Pull-Cable to protect the Muzzle if you can’t Clean it from the Breech.
I can vouch for an Ultrasonic Cleaner, I have (from Jet Work) a Tank that a Rifle (with the Stock Removed of course) can be put into, and using a Non-Corrosive Solvent for cleaning Turbine Parts, an Hour and it’s so Clean that you have to first Spray it with CLP and then blow it off with Compressed Air so it doesn’t get Flash Rust in humid Air.
On July 3, 2018 at 1:56 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Gryphon
“I can vouch for an Ultrasonic Cleaner”
Second that. Great labor-saving devices to have in the shop, not only for cleaning FA parts, but for cleaning greasy engine parts or anything else that one can think of.
On July 3, 2018 at 2:59 pm, ROFuher said:
Isn’t ‘Sweets’ ammonia based?
Neither here nor there, I imagine.
Use accuracy as your benchmark for scrubbing deeper. Relatively clean will suite most work.
I have never understood the coated rod pitch of the plastic preventing debris on the rod from galling the bore.
A) Wouldn’t a soft material be more likely to capture debris?
B) Does the pressure applied to any rod/brush combo, by hand, cause wear remotely equivalent to the bullet?
I do believe bore guides help, and only pushing bore to muzzle prevents crown damage from dragging the jag back over it.
Same for a vise suited to the work; optional, but it stabilizes any bench top project.
On July 3, 2018 at 4:13 pm, Jack said:
I have found the Remington Squeeg-E to be indispensable for accelerating the process.
Replaces jags/loops and countless patches with one pull through the barrel. Comes in standard 8/32 thread to mount to standard plastic-coated pull cables or pushrods.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bv8aZwfNwU for a short tutorial video
Remington site: https://www.remington.com/shop/Squeeg-E%20Technology/c/Squeeg-ETechnology
On July 7, 2018 at 1:49 pm, Historian said:
As a long-time highpower shooter, I discovered Sweets about 35 years ago, and it works well.
Lately, however, I have been using foaming bore cleaners which work MUCH faster and more thoroughly.
Cleans to bare metal getting all of the copper fouling out of the bore.
I start with Gunslick foaming cleaner; for less than 40 rounds, one application is sufficient, but higher round counts may take more applications. Then I wet the head of a Boresnake with Hoppe’s #9 and pass that through the bore. Done. For matches, I fire two rounds to foul the bore before the match commences and I’m on for MV and POI; it can be the day of the match or right after I clean.