Gun cleaning

[Fred Blacker]

Hi all.
After having an interesting conversation with Dave Groves last night i thought i might start a new topic to get peolles opions.
What is everyones gun cleaning method / ritual?
Do you clean only at the end of a shoot, every couple if details, or every detail?
Be interesting to hear others opions.

[Peter Cross]

G'day Fred.

My daughter and I will shoot the same guns in both Heavy and Light gun, so 100 rounds, give or take, through both of them without cleaning.  I haven't noticed any drop in accuracy between the first and last target so I can't see the point of cleaning between details.

[Fred Blacker]

Thank Peter. I am much of the same thought i clean at end of much. However i know from my experience with short range bench rest that they will all clean at the end of each detail. And  clean very thoroughly.

[Dave Groves]

Hi Fred,
               This will be an interesting read if we get a few responses, I suspect that there are many different procedures and processes that people follow, for all sorts of different reasons. My process is a hodgepodge of things that I have learned from different people over the years but it seems to work OK for me.

I generally clean at home, rarely at the range unless I absolutely have to.

I did clean my BR mid shoot at BB last June, but that was because Callum and I were sharing the gun to shoot Light Gun, Russ had bore-scoped it for me and says that the barrel has a bit of fire-cracking and was holding on to copper a fair bit, so I didn't want to stretch the boundaries with it, cleaning after 50 shots.

I use a boreguide to try and keep the solvents out of the action.

First step for me is a dry bronze bristle brush run through the barrel both ways on a Tipton carbon fibre rod, the CF rod is very forgiving and doesn't "take a set" when bent, the brush presents a lot of resistance! I find this breaks up the powder fouling just in front of the chamber, if I don't do it, I can usually feel a "choke" develop just in front of the chamber when patching out. If you watch carefully you can see the dust pushed out of the barrel with each pass forwards fly out of the barrel like a jet of steam, I continue until there is very little dust coming out with each pass.

Second step is a snug brushed flannel patch liberally soaked in Metho on an alloy jag, pushed through the barrel to get rid of the dust from the dry brush, then two or three dry patches to get rid of the metho.

Third step is solvent on a stainless wound nylon brush, the rod is a Boretech one.  I saturate the brush with a needle oiler style solvent bottle, then run it through the barrel, generally three loaded brushes full, then let the solvent do it's thing for ten to fifteen minutes.

Fourth step is a metho rinse as per step two and several dry patches. The reason for this is to neutralise the solvent in the barrel and rinse it out, leaving no active solvent in the barrel.

I repeat steps three and four until I am satisfied by the colour of the first metho patch that I have removed the majority of the copper from the barrel. I really like using the metho in between, as it can be a little frustrating  to just keep on getting blue patches out of a barrel, with this method you know that you are only seeing the colour on the first patch from that "cycle" of solvent.

Next I put a couple of wet oil patches (CLP is the oil I use) through the barrel and then patch out thoroughly to basically get rid of the excess, with up to 5 or 6 patches. I was once told that the jacket on the projectile serves several functions, and an important one is as a "lubricant" in the barrel, I was told that firing a projectile down a very clean barrel could be detrimental, the remaining oil in the barrel provides a lubricant for that first projectile. No idea about the truth of the matter, and this is one area where there will probably be many different views, again, it works for me.

Next is to dry the chamber thoroughly to ensure that the case can grip the chamber walls effectively.

The last thing I do is find a bright surface to look at through the barrel to ensure that there aren't any fibres of cleaning patch in the barrel.

After a stern talking to from my Gunsmith I have now re-commenced using JB Bore Paste about every 100 rnds on my barrels, Russ looked at my barrels before the Nationals in Perth and told me there was a lot of carbon in them, so I am relying on the JB's to get the carbon out.

I think that a borescope would be a good tool for checking that you're getting your barrels clean.

I cut my own patches to size, and have separate jags for each calibre to try and get a nice snug fit in the barrel.

Lastly on my cleaning regime, if your wife is going to Spotlight and you ask for flannelette for patches, specify that you want the white stuff or risk being the laughing stock of all that observe your pink and blue printed flannelette cleaning pathches...

Cheers.

Dave.

[Rob]

Fred I almost follow  Dave's cleaning routine. I do try and get carbon out and after talking with Dave have been dry brushing with a bronze brush as the first part of the clean. Then I work on the copper and do use Metho before finishing the clean. I am using Helmar's bore oil to finish off as this leaves a "dry" lube and I have found that by doing this it is similar to Dave's slight oil coating for the first shot. I have also noticed in two different rifles that if I do this the first "fowler" does not seem to be as far out as it would be if I had not used the bore oil.
As far as frequency is concerned do you need a "clean" bore all the time or do you want to reach the copper "equilibrium" point where your rifle shoots consistently for x number of shots. I tend to use the "equilibrium" approach and only clean when fowling seems to affect accuracy. When the barrel was first new I could go 150 rounds before I worried about cleaning. As the barrel has now had fairly close to 3000 rounds through it I have found that it fowls up much quicker and a minimal carbon clean is required about 30-40 rounds and then a slightly better clean at about 50-60 before completing both classes with the same gun. I have listened to other shooters over the years and do prefer to do a rough clean before leaving the range and let it "soak" so the remaining carbon is not quite so hard after the barrel cools down rather than doing it all at home, but I have on occasions. I also live close to the ocean and after totally ruining a barrel by not cleaning it and found that the bore was ruined because moisture got into it I clean every barrel before storage regardless if  it is a center fire or a rimfire and find it does not take more than a few rounds for the barrel to settle down.
I hope I have not added too much more to the confusion.

Regards Rob Bernard

[Fred Blacker]

Hi Guys.
Thanks for the feel back. Some great food for thought.
I have just realized that for some reason my post with my current cleaning method has not uploaded.
My method has come mainly from talking to a few short range bench shooters and learning from them.
First i alway use a bore guide.
STEP 1. I start with a nylon proof positive brush that i push straight through the barrel.
STEP 2. I Then add Boretech Carbon remover to the brush at the muzzle end.
STEP 3. Pull / push brush up and down barrel a few times.
(Repeat step 2 & 3 a number of times.)
Step 4. I leave this to sit for about 5 - 10 mins.
Step 5. Patch out until patches come out clean.
Step 6. Again push nylon proof positive brush through barrel.
Step7. Add Boretech Copper remover to brush at muzzle end.
Step 8. Pull / push brush up and down barrel a few times.
(Repeat step 7 & 8 a number of times.)
Step 9. Leave sit for 10-15 minutes.
Step 10. Patch out until patches come out clean.
Step 11. Push a lightly oiled patch through the barrel.

[Stuart Pethy]

my 2 cents
always use a bore guide and clean after every shoot
carbon remover on wet patches and push through x3 let sit for a few mins
then i dry patch out then a few wet ones again,
scrub with a bronze/brass with carbon cleaner on for about 5 passes and let sit for 5-10mins
patch out
wet patches of copper remover
scrub with brush again 10 times and let site for 15 mins
patches out and then run a wet patch back and forth and let sit for 10 mins
patch out and no blue seen run some oil covered patches through and leave till next time
if copper still present repeat brush 10 times etc

i also use JB or isso every 200 rounds to make sure no carbon in neck area

i have been using boretech eliminator  and carbon remover, pro shot but i have just started to test Helmar carbon and copper remover (aussie made and cheap as)
i must say the carbon remover is awesome stuff, the copper remover is doing a good job to but i'm still testing it atm and now i have 2 new barrels with no cracking i can test it properly now  

[Les Fraser]

Every barrel and every person will have their own routines for what they perceive works for them the only true indication if your process is working is to check the bore with a bore scope only then will you know the fruits of your labour.......

cheers Les

[Hunter&Hunted]

I think it's better to clean the gun after each hunting (to avoid creating more problems).

[TacticalKarma]

I think it's better to clean the gun after each hunting (to avoid creating more problems).  Once I was on the hunt with my friend for a deer, I had a problem with my dirty weapon but I was lucky that my friend killed it instead of me with his gun. Btw does somebody knows some articles about cleaning the weapon? Since I want to learn more about it for keeping my gun updated. So previously I've found an article about cleaning the gun and if you want to learn more about it. You can find out more.

[John 23 Harris]

I have found most off the shelf barrel cleaning products are not effective .

If I buy a carbon remover off the shelf i purchase nulon upper engine cleaner .

I then discovered it consisted of two active ingredients, 95% acetone and 5% methanol.

Since then I make my own stuff based off red Ed’s type recipes off the web .

Basically it consists of mostly acetone , some white spirits ,kero,and atf 3.

About 5l cost the same as 500m of “gun” cleaner I use it liberty and let the chemicals penetrate what ever holds all the carbon together .

From my experience so far with gun cleaners is you can scrub until your patch comes out bright white .

Then spray some acetone down the barrel and you will find your back to filthy black patches again .