I have an AR-15 with a Krieger barrel on it, and it always bothered me how much effort it takes to run a patch through the bore. I would like some feedback on what level of force is appropriate. I use a Lucas bore guide and a Tipton carbon fiber cleaning rod with either a Parker-Hale or spear type jag. The patches are various brands, all stated to be usable for 22 caliber. Still, I have to use heavy force at times to get the patch through, hanging on to the rifle with one hand, and literally pushing as hard as I can with the other. Often times, the patch sticks and stops on the way through. Squeaking is common. Sometimes, and this worries me, I push the rod in and early on, and it just comes to a hard stop. I pull it out and start over, but worry the jag is hanging up somewhere in the chamber, potentially damaging it. What size patches (dimension) and brand work for you on what types of jags? Phil
try a different jag brand. Had this same issue with my 308 using one brand/style jag. Tried a shooting buddy's jag and it went in smooth and felt smooth. He said he ran into this problem before and certain type/brand jag and patch combo just don't work. Another shooter said he actually had to use a smaller caliber jag to use in the barrel. Even though the patch's say for X cal it might not work with X brand jag. The patches were barely going into the chamber. Then it was fixed with the different brand jag and barrel got clean You should have to push rod with a small amount of pressure and will feel the patch "squeezing" on the barrel. If you don't feel any resistance at all then the patch isn't making good contact I would assume. We want it to touch, as this is what gets the crap out of the barrel. Hope this makes some sense.
Use a smaller diameter jag. I found out the same thing with my 6.5. Was using a 6.5 jag with 6mm patches and was really having to work on it.
I cut my own patches from old tee shirts, never used a "store bought" one in my life. As others stated, smaller jag or just trim your patch.
The jag size is the key to proper fit, match it to the brand / size of patch you are using. With that said, I've tried a variety of different brand patches; all the ones I've tried occasionally leave tiny threads in the chamber except one brand, Hoppe's. The Hoppe's patches hold together and do not come apart. For my 224 calibers, I use a 22 mated with a 270 patch with my Dewey jag. It give me a perfect fit - some resistance but I don't have to force the rod through the barrel. They are economical also if you buy them by the bag at Midway.
Save the energy (& money) in finding a jag "that fits" just stop centering the patch on the jag. Seems odd… but works.
+1 for deadwooddick. Just push the pointed jag through the patch somewhere between dead center & one corner. If you have patches sized for .22 cal. with a little experimenting you can actually adjust the amount of drag produced by the patch. Don't get so close to the corner of the patch that the barrel just behind the point of the jag is rubbing on the bore or you'll just be depositing brass material from jag onto the bore.
