bore guide question

[hoene72]

Hi All
I am needing to know the best place or kind of bore guide to get for a savage target action. The calibers are 6br and 6 dasher . Not sure if this is the right place to post this question.
Thanks for all the help

 

[Tozguy]

Mike Lucas boreguides for me too, have two of them and they do everything they are supposed to do. Plus, Mike is very reliable, when he says its going out for a certain date it is never late, mine both were shipped earlier than quoted.

 

[McKinneyMike]

I also use Lucas boreguides.

 

[SS427]

The Sinclair bore guides are very nice for half the price of the Lucas. They are not fitted for the rod like the Lucas guide, but they are sized for the action and chamber. I use them for factory rifles and spend the extra money for a Lucas on custom rifles.

I've never seen anyone test the long term difference of using a high tech bore guide compared to a Sinclair. I've always wondered if I'm paying the extra money for marketing or actual results. The price difference is small enough I've been willing to pay it. Anyone ever do a test?

 

[ReedG]

These two guides are the best of their classes. I'm not sure what the Lucas can do that the Sinclair doesn't, but lots of guys use 'em. My vote is for the Sinclair. I think the two calibers you mention will take the same guide in a Sinclair.

 

[CoverDog]

I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's why Mike Lucas get a call when ever I build a new gun.

 

[LHSmith]

These two guides are the best of their classes. I'm not sure what the Lucas can do that the Sinclair doesn't, but lots of guys use 'em. My vote is for the Sinclair. I think the two calibers you mention will take the same guide in a Sinclair.

The two best guides available are made by Mike Lucas and T.K. Nolan. Both provide inserts that are matched to specific cleaning rods.....the Sinclair lacks these inserts. If you have never used a Lucas or Nolan guide you can't appreciate how well they keep the rod centered in the bore. All the other guides only attribute is they keep solvent out of the action.

 

[SS427]

I think my Sinclair guides keep rods just as centered as my Lucas guides though. Maybe the brand of rod I use is larger than average and fit the Sinclair guides better. Also, I make sure my brushes and patches fit in such a way that I don't have to exert a lot of pressure on the handle to get it down the bore. I think only when you have to squeek the patch down the barrel will the rod flex enough to damage the bore.

No denying the quality of the Lucas guides. For a high quality barrel the extra money for the Lucas is a good insurance policy you won't damage the bore.

 

[BoydAllen]

One of the better Benchrest gunsmiths to ever come down the pike once told me that if a rod guide has a hole in the back that is large enough for a brush to pass through, it cant be doing much to guide the rod. In these cases, about all you have is something to keep solvent out of the action and bedding. He favored Lucas guides.

With any of them, I think that many shooters need a lesson in how to hold and stroke the rod. If you watch someone at the end of their backstroke, if they are holding the rod handle like a hammer, and they are too close to the rifle, they almost have to have the rod bent out of alignment with the bore. The handle should stay concentric with a projection of the center of the bore throughout the rod's cycle.

 

[SS427]

Boyd, good point about stroke technique. I've watched guys at the range using a cresent moon shaped stroke and I know even with a good bore guide that can't be good. I don't have really long arms so I tend to step back and forth with the rod rather than use all arm movement. I focus on keeping the rod straight and that's the only way I can do it.

 

[Frozentundra]

One of my Boretech rods has a slight crook in it about 12" from the jag end, it will pull the Lucas plug out of the guide if I don't hold it a little. My other rod works perfect.
Love the Lucas guides.

 

[fdshuster]

In addition to using quality bore guides, ( I like the Neil Jones w/ the button guide inserts) and Bore Tech & Dewey rods, I make it a habit to keep my hand at the top of the buttplate with the finger tips as a guide to keep the rod straight. If you sight along the rod, "at rest", it's easy to see the distance above the stock where the rod should be to remain straight, and that's where the finger tip guide is kept. Works for me.

 

[BoydAllen]

"Not familiar with the inserts that you referred to, for the Jones guides. Could you elaborate?

 

[fdshuster]

Boyd: Yes, Neil Jones's bore guides also includes the little slide-in button, pictured in his catalog. The description states: " The second part of the guide is a centering bushing which is a close fit to the rod itself". When I call to order another rod guide (doing it this afternoon for a Bat 6ppc), he'll want to know the diameter of the cleaning rod I'll be using. The description goes on to say: " The centering bushing is left on the cleaning rod. As the rod is started into the cleaning rod guide, the centering bushing is slid into its recess in the rear of the guide body". They work like a charm, and I would imagine, similar to the Lucas guides.