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Having hard time with cleaning

Chiquita

Chiquita

Proud Armenian
Gold $$ Contributor
I am trying to clean my .223 but I am having a hard time getting along with the jag and the patch. I use these patches and it does not cover the whole jag, I use two patches to cover the whole jag it bunches up at the rifling, I use the piercing jag and it bunches up right as well. If I use the single patch then I have exposed jag teeth that probably not a big deal but it bothers me the jag rides naked in the bore. If I use one larger size patch then it is too big for the bore. I guess I can cut down the jag to make it the same size as the patch. Help..... Thanks
 

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That's a Parker-Hale type jag. Have you tried rolling the patch at an angle? That SOP here in the UK. Then the rolled patch is slightly thinner at the front, and may enter the bore more easily.

.22 Parker Hale patches are rectangular, and a little less wide than your 1-1/8in.
 
I will try to find the rectangular patch.

I did try the to wrap rectangular and it seemed loose. I will work on it tomorrow and see.

Thanks for the reply.
 
I use the Dewey solvent resistant jag and a 1 1/8" pro-shot patch on a pro-shot rod. This combo is tight on the first run down the bore, but can/does compress to where I can short stroke it when needed. Works well with the JB paste when dealing with stubborn carbon as well. I add a drop of ole #9 to the patch first when using the JB to "lube" it up on the initial stroke. :D
 
MrBarrel said:
I will try to find the rectangular patch.

I did try the to wrap rectangular and it seemed loose. I will work on it tomorrow and see.

Thanks for the reply.
Click to expand...
Try holding the patch at an angle to the jag. You can vary the thickness with the angle. I liked to have a little patch over the tip,but not so much it folded up. Parker-Hale jags are fiddler than spear jags, but I think much more of the patch contacts the bore.
 
Realistically, the wrapped part of the patch will keep the jag lined up in the bore and prevent it from contacting the rifling. But, yeah P-H jags are weird; they take bit of selection to get the patch sizing right.

On the pierce style jag, different patch manufacturers have different thickness patches. Those may take some selection as well to find the ideal thickness. If you get some that are too thick (won't enter the bore), stick the jag through the patch off-center. It makes it easier to get started.
 
I got over PH style jags long ago. I only use the piece type. Being mean, I cut my own patches from sheets purchased from Op-Shops ( Goodwill in the US of A). That way I control the size based on the thickness of material. Takes a few minutes with a good pair of scissors. I can experiment with patch shapes - triangle work well, but harder to cut! I only use Hoppes and Boretech, and finish with WD40.
 
NZ_Fclass said:
I got over PH style jags long ago. I only use the piece type. Being mean, I cut my own patches from sheets purchased from Op-Shops ( Goodwill in the US of A). That way I control the size based on the thickness of material. Takes a few minutes with a good pair of scissors. I can experiment with patch shapes - triangle work well, but harder to cut! I only use Hoppes and Boretech, and finish with WD40.
Click to expand...

The key as NZ tells it is a GOOD pair of scissors!
 
Why not simplify the issue.

Use a piece type jag with cotton fannel patches. It's very effective / simple / and easy to attach the patch uniformly.

Pro Shot Patches are hard to beat. For a 223 Rem size bore, 1 1/8 patche fits a Dewey jag nicely. There should be some resistance but you should not have to force the rod down the bore which causes the rod to flex.

I seen quite a variation in jag diameters between different brands, almost always, too large. This can be remedied by chucking a jag in a drill and using 220 grit paper, slowly reducing the diameter of the jag until you obtain the optimum fit. Once done, it's good forever for the brand of patches that you use.

Some jags however have a hard nickel coating and it's difficult to reduce the diameter. One of the reasons I like and use Dewey jags is that both their brass and their solvent resistant jags are easy to modify for diameter to fit a particular brand of patches if necessary.

Cleaning is a pain in the ass so I try to keep it as simple as possible.
 
 
I will try all of your suggestions. My current patches are from Hoppes and are cotton and I never had issues with the patch itself. Thank you.
 
divingin said:
Realistically, the wrapped part of the patch will keep the jag lined up in the bore and prevent it from contacting the rifling. But, yeah P-H jags are weird; they take bit of selection to get the patch sizing right.

On the pierce style jag, different patch manufacturers have different thickness patches. Those may take some selection as well to find the ideal thickness. If you get some that are too thick (won't enter the bore), stick the jag through the patch off-center. It makes it easier to get started.
Click to expand...
+1 on both parts of this reply.
 
Pierce the patch about 1/4” from one edge. (Not in the center). This allows the patch to conform to your jag and pass through the barrel much easier.
 
I use 6mm-7mm square patches on the parker hale jag - they are 1 3/8" sq. They are 'tight-ish'.
I've come to accept that patches on a parker hale are not meant to be real time - like you can get on a jag that pierces with the tip.

You can get a nice tight fit with a parker hale by folding over one of the edges of the patch, then carefully wrapping the patch in a bit of a diagonal around the jag. The person I picked this up from described it as in the form of a lap. It works best if the patch is already saturated with a cleaner.
 
I do have the piercing jag. I need to start using it more as suggested without center piercing.

But interestingly enough I don't have any issues with the PH jags in my other rifles.

Thank you all for the replies.
 
NZ_Fclass said:
I got over PH style jags long ago. I only use the piece type. Being mean, I cut my own patches from sheets purchased from Op-Shops ( Goodwill in the US of A). That way I control the size based on the thickness of material. Takes a few minutes with a good pair of scissors. I can experiment with patch shapes - triangle work well, but harder to cut! I only use Hoppes and Boretech, and finish with WD40.
Click to expand...
Yepper, a couple of yards of cotton flannel will last a long time and you can cut them to fit your situation.
 
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