Barrel cleaning method

[Kramerica]

I searched the forum and got a lot of hits on this subject...so many that my head is spinning. Looking for a fairly simple (if there is such a thing) cleaning method that works. So the setup: I do not have a borescope or means to get one, I shoot my rifles dirty. Usually only clean them when the barrel tells me to or for storage. My RPR runs about 300-400 rounds before the groups open. I dont recall the exact method I used to clean last time, think I just used Hoppes copper and powder solvent and maybe a brass brush. Im not a benchrest guy, more of a plinking, hunting, prs.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Wet patch of butchs, bronze brush with butchs, wet patch with butchs and a dry patch. Feel for carbon in the first part of the barrel and if its there get out the red jb or iosso then do the procedure over again. This works on barrels that havent went too long between cleaning so you may need more flooding and bronze brushing. No borescope needed.

 

[savagedasher]

That is what I do

 

[clunker]

I've had great luck with BoreTech products. After 300 rounds, it will probably take lots of soaking. Nylon brushes work just fine when you have the right chemistry, but you will still have to scrub. Other products may work faster, but I prefer non-abrasive solvents that will not damage the bore.

 

[Kramerica]

Wet patch of butchs, bronze brush with butchs, wet patch with butchs and a dry patch. Feel for carbon in the first part of the barrel and if its there get out the red jb or iosso then do the procedure over again. This works on barrels that havent went too long between cleaning so you may need more flooding and bronze brushing. No borescope needed.

I’m assuming the feel of carbon would be gritty on that last dry patch? Almost like it hangs up?

 

[jepp2]

I shoot my rifles dirty. Usually only clean them when the barrel tells me to or for storage. My RPR runs about 300-400 rounds before the groups open.

You might find the Lilja summary helpful. http://riflebarrels.com/support/centerfire-maintenance/

 

[savagedasher]

Dusty covered it all

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I’m assuming the feel of carbon would be gritty on that last dry patch? Almost like it hangs up?

Not really gritty on a patch but feels kinda gritty with the brush then smooth once its clean. With a patch itll be a tighter spot. With time youll be able to feel it

 

[MikeMcCasland]

I use Dusty's method, except with BoreTech products. You'll really want some kind of abrasive (such as JB or IOSSO); it will save you a lot of time vs. running brushes for hours. And yes, you can feel a difference.

 

[Fliers]

Should you use a bore guide to avoid damage? I see spinning handles to let the brush rotate, will it damage barrel if it doesn't follow the lands? What about damage to the crown? I've not heard definitive advise, just hints about these issues.
I recently read about cleaning the lugs. Which requires not using a bore guide... Lol.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Should you use a bore guide to avoid damage? I see spinning handles to let the brush rotate, will it damage barrel if it doesn't follow the lands? What about damage to the crown? I've not heard definitive advise, just hints about these issues.

Boreguide = Yes, always. There are caliber specific bore guides, or you can buy a kit from Tipton that will work with most calibers. The dedicated bore guides are usually easier/nicer to work with, but it isn't rocket surgery, so any halfway decent one will work.

Spinning Handle = Just get a Dewey, Tipton, BoreTech, type rod. Make sure they're coated, and make sure they have a ball bearing handle. Smart to get a 44" rod so you never have to buy another one again. You'll want jags; skip the eye loop type stuff.

Crown = Conventional wisdom says don't drag brushes back across the crown to avoid damaging them. I've done it with Nylon brushes and never seen damage, but I don't make a practice of doing it.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Ok I'm gonna go against the grain.
I use a dewy with NO boreguide.
I scrub my chamber and barrel with a bronze brush and M-PRO7 dry patch until patch is mostly ckean.
Wipe out accelerator first copper remover second let soak dry patch repeat until clean
Patches emerge.
Blue jb's about every 150 to 200 rounds.
Followed by hoppies #9 and another dry patch.
Still pulling brush agianst crown as I believe stainless steel is a hell of a lot harder than bronze brush.
And one of these days I'll buy a rifle caddy to support gun for cleaning.
I guess it all depends on how much O is in your ocd.
I

Sounds like a hungry gunsmith taught you

 

[linekin]

I've been using Dusty's method on my rifles. On my Hunter rifle I'm beginning to believe its getting the bore too clean. What I mean by that is the gun shoots good for 2 or 3 targets, but better on 4 & 5!
My mindset is to clean the gun after each use, but its telling me something different.
Talking with a competitor whom always shoots well last fall, he said he hadn't cleaned his gun all season. I was floored. He won the match.

Keith

 

[Kramerica]

I use Dusty's method, except with BoreTech products. You'll really want some kind of abrasive (such as JB or IOSSO); it will save you a lot of time vs. running brushes for hours. And yes, you can feel a difference.

I’ll try it with butchs first. If it’s not coming clean or I can feel it as dusty said then I’ll do the Isso. From the other threads I read a few guys say only use it if you really have to.... see how it goes tonight. Thanks for the info

 

[hillbillydruggist]

I searched the forum and got a lot of hits on this subject...so many that my head is spinning. Looking for a fairly simple (if there is such a thing) cleaning method that works. So the setup: I do not have a borescope or means to get one, I shoot my rifles dirty. Usually only clean them when the barrel tells me to or for storage. My RPR runs about 300-400 rounds before the groups open. I dont recall the exact method I used to clean last time, think I just used Hoppes copper and powder solvent and maybe a brass brush. Im not a benchrest guy, more of a plinking, hunting, prs.

sounds like my type of shooting, this what I do, I spray inside of barrel with CLP and let soak for about 10 minutes, I pull a BORE BOSS snake($10/amazon) through twice, then im done. I used to do a long detailed process but I cannot tell any difference with my type of rifles/shooting

 

[JFrank]

I searched the forum and got a lot of hits on this subject...so many that my head is spinning. Looking for a fairly simple (if there is such a thing) cleaning method that works. So the setup: I do not have a borescope or means to get one, I shoot my rifles dirty. Usually only clean them when the barrel tells me to or for storage. My RPR runs about 300-400 rounds before the groups open. I dont recall the exact method I used to clean last time, think I just used Hoppes copper and powder solvent and maybe a brass brush. Im not a benchrest guy, more of a plinking, hunting, prs.

Pro Shot products will serve you well.
Bronze brushes will not hurt the barrel.

 

[LCazador]

I’ll try it with butchs first. If it’s not coming clean or I can feel it as dusty said then I’ll do the Isso. From the other threads I read a few guys say only use it if you really have to.... see how it goes tonight. Thanks for the info

With that many rounds down the barrel before cleaning you might add two wet patches of Sweets as an accelerator before brushing with Bore Shine. Nylon brushes just prolong the cleaning process. I use peroxide to neutralize at the end and then Kroil to condition the bore before storing.

 

[Texas10]

I get it, you're not a borescope kind of guy, so for whatever cleaning method you choose, do yourself a favor and get an inexpensive endoscope camera like these. https://www.amazon.com/endoscope-camera/s?page=1&rh=i:aps,k:endoscope camera&tag=accuratescom-20

I have several and the most recent purchase will bluetooth to my phone, take pics etc.

They won't tell you if your lands still have carbon in the corners, they don't have the resolution, but they WILL tell you if your cleaning procedures are doing the job you expect. If your RPR's accuracy goes to pot and you're looking for answers, a stupid cheap camera will let you see a carbon ring in the neck, throat, or copper not being removed as you thought it was.

If you wouldn't do the "Bird Box" challenge while driving your car, why do it every time you clean your barrel?

 

[AckleymanII]

I've been using Dusty's method on my rifles. On my Hunter rifle I'm beginning to believe its getting the bore too clean. What I mean by that is the gun shoots good for 2 or 3 targets, but better on 4 & 5!
My mindset is to clean the gun after each use, but its telling me something different.
Talking with a competitor whom always shoots well last fall, he said he hadn't cleaned his gun all season. I was floored. He won the match.

Keith

This is usually the shooter settling in, not the barrel. If a lot of oil is left in the barrel, it can take some shooting to get the barrel normalized. If a guy has a serious over size barrel, carbon could help, but this is three sheets of crazy to deal with.

TONS if misinformation out there, and some guys that compete are the very worst at spreading fake news to beat up another competitor before they even get to the line...they giggle all the way home.

If you are serious about competing and getting the most accuracy out of a barrel, spend $200 on a Lyman bore scope...become your own expert. Texas 10's solution is darn good also.

Carbon builds up on it's self and can not be removed without serious attention. Why spend money on the best barrels then only have them shoot to 80% of their potential? Answer: you are happy at 80%, it is a hobby.

These types of threads usually degenerate into:

a. I will clean my barrels, try and get the best accuracy, teach me how

b. I will not clean my barrels, you can't make me, and I don't care

Dusty covered it all, in spades!

 

[TikkaSporter]

I clean about the same frequency as the OP (when the specific rifle/barrel says its time or somewhere around 250 - 500 rounds). I know this sounds complicated, but it really isn't too bad. The key takeaways are: The JB part only needs to be done once in a while, not every cleaning (I let the borescope tell me when by looking for carbon build-up/carbon rings, otherwise just pick a frequency based on the bore diameter and powder used, Varget = more often); A couple quick, dry bore-snake passes at the end of each shooting session while the barrel is still warm also seems to slow the accumulation of carbon; My biggest focus is on keeping the chamber and throat clean. To me the rest of the barrel is of lesser importance. Sometimes I just do the chamber/bore cleaning steps, followed by a couple dry patches.

Equipment:

- Coated Dewey rod, 44"+
- Pierce jag
- Short cleaning rod with low-profile, non-rotating handle
- Large slotted jag (for the non-rotating cleaning rod)
- Bore guide with a solvent port, mostly Possum Hollow's (affordable and you can call and order one to fit any action)
- Bronze brush in the correct caliber size
- Oversized bronze brush (approximately the diameter of the chamber)
- VFG bore pellets in the appropriate caliber size (prefer the aggressive pellets) and the cleaning tip adapter for their use
- Bore Tech C4
- KG12 Copper solvent
- Small can of Kano Kroil
- J-B non-embedding bore compound
- Appropriate bore snake

Method:

Bore:
- A couple/few patches of Bore Tech C4, alternating between wet & dry and giving the dry patches a little time to soak.
- Multiple passes down the bore with a correct-caliber-size bronze brush, wetted with C4. Approximately one pass for every 15 - 20 rounds fired since the last cleaning. I haven't seen any issue with pulling the brush back through the muzzle, and do so as long as the brush can be pulled straight back (some stocks make it so the cleaning rod is flexed or angled when the brush comes back through the muzzle).
- Let the C4 from the brushing soak for a bit.
- A couple more alternating wet/dry passes with C4 until the patches come out clean.
- One wet patch with KG12, let soak, followed by one or two dry patches. Usually this is all that is needed, but I may use one more wet patch of KG12 with a barrel known to be prone to copper fouling. Note that the KG12 does not turn the patch blue to indicate copper, but it works like nothing else that I've ever tried (verified by borescope).

J-B/VFG Pellet step (optional):
- Add one or two VFG bore pellets to the cleaning rod adapter and adjust for a snug fit in the bore. Quantity of pellets depends on which cleaning rod tip adapter you have. Adjustment of the pellets fit in the bore is apparent once to you see the setup, but basically when you compress the pellets in the adapter, they expand outwards (larger diameter). I prefer the aggressive pellets, but either should work.
- Lightly soak the pellet/s with Kroil
- Wearing a nitrile glove, apply the J-B compound by hand (finger) onto the VFG pellet. I target an even coating of JB around the entire pellet.
- Pull the chamber Bore Guide back 1/4" - 1/2" and insert the cleaning rod with VFG pellet/s and J-B.
- Short-stroke the neck/freebore/throat area and approximately the first 6" of the bore. I like to do approximately one full pass per 15 - 20 rounds fired since the last cleaning.
- When done short-stroking the chamber I usually make a few (2 - 6) careful passes through the entire bore, avoiding letting the VFG pellets exit and re-enter the muzzle. If they do exit, I unscrew the pellets before retracting the cleaning rod.
- Follow up with a couple patches wetted with C4 and a few more dry patches to remove any J-B paste residue.

Chamber/Throat:
- Using a short-fixed cleaning rod with slotted jag, insert a couple large, overlapped patches into the slot. Enough that the patches can slide snuggly into the chamber, contacting the chamber walls.
- Wet the patches and insert them into the chamber without using the bore guide.
- Spin the fixed cleaning rod with wetted patches in the chamber, while continuing to push forward. The objective is for the front of the wetted patches to start to enter the neck/free-bore/throat area of the chamber.
- Stop spinning the cleaning rod and leave it inserted in the chamber so the wetted patches can soak for a bit while in contact with the chamber/throat.
- Resume spinning the fixed rod a few times while slowly removing it. Make sure that only the patches contact the chamber/throat throughout this entire process.
- Swap the slotted jag on the fixed cleaning rod for the oversized bronze brush and insert the bronze brush into the chamber while slowly spinning it. Continue pushing while spinning until the front bristles of the brush are contacting/spinning-in the neck/free-bore/throat area of the chamber. I usually spin the brush slowly by hand for anywhere from less-than-a-minute to a few-minutes, but this is really based on whether I have a carbon ring forming or not (borescope used to determine).
- Continue to spin the brush as it is removed.
- Swap back to the slotted jag on the fixed cleaning rod and add large, overlapped patches into the slot again.
- Spin the fixed cleaning rod with dry patches in the chamber as done earlier with wet patches.
- When finished, push one or two dry patches through the entire bore with the long cleaning rod.